William Hans Moennig Archive
1937-1948. Item #9397
Born in Markneu-Kirchen, Germany in 1903, William Hans Moennig came from a family of woodwind instrument makers and repair technicians. He immigrated to the United States in 1923 but would not settle in Philadelphia until 1926 when Walter Guetter, Moennig's cousin and principal bassoonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra convinced him to open a shop in Philadelphia. Moennig quickly established himself as a skilled craftsman drawing clients from major orchestras, causing his reputation to spread around the country and world. Over the course of his career Moennig became a world-renowned woodwind master craftsman and repair technician.
This archive is in 2 parts. First: approximately 1000 letters with envelopes, postcards, and telegrams sent to Moennig at his 15 South 21st Street business address in Philadelphia. Second: well over 100 letters sent to Moennig and his wife (some to his shop others to their home address in Philadelphia) from friends and relations in Germany. Note, none of these are Moennig's responses.
The first part of this archive spans about a decade from the mid- to late-1930s to the mid-1940s. Correspondence comes from nearly every corner of the country from Washington state and California to Florida and New England and many points in between. Additionally, several international letters from various provinces in Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Europe. The correspondents range widely: military musicians, professional musicians, orchestra directors, parents of young musicians, educators at public schools, etc. While typically these letters discuss repair of instruments or replacement of parts, there are discussions of sale and rental of instruments like a 1943 letter from J.E. Mutch of the National Symphony Orchestra containing details of a season’s rental of a contra-bassoon for $100.
While we've made no attempt at an exhaustive catalog of correspondence, some names include: Marcel Tabuteau (renowned French-American oboist); Charles Sirard (Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony); Robert McGinnis (Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, instructor at Julliard); Perry Bauman (Toronto Symphony Orchestra); Richard Plaster (Boston Symphony Orchestra); Ernst Panenka (Boston Symphony Orchestra); Edwar V. Powell (musician and instrument maker); Emil Schmachtenberg (Cincinnati Symphony); William Santucci (Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra); etc. Some senders’ names only turn up a few times in this archive and with others, there are dozens of letters scattered throughout.
Singly these letters are moderately interesting, ranging from transactional to warm letters from business relations turned friends. But it is the size of this archive that is so incredible. To read through a stack begins to give one the sense of Hans Moennig, as a craftsman, a businessman, a friend, a Philadelphia institution with an international reach, etc. In some instances, these letters appeared to have functioned as a rudimentary work flow and business file, with occasional tabulations (presumably in Moennig's hand) on the outside of the envelopes as well notes regarding turnaround times, meetings, or lapsed correspondence. Occasionally one finds details of the repairs performed.
Of the second part of the archive, we can only speculate. There are between 100-200 letters written by relations in Germany in the late-1940s. Text is in Germany and we have made no attempt at translation. Many with U.S. Censor stamps or other indications that they have been opened and read by government officials. It is enough to image what friends and family might have been discussing after the close of the Second World War. Included are many receipts of remittances sent by Moennig to these individuals. An incredible professional and personal archive of one of the most important woodwind instrument craftsmen of the 20th century. An archive that could support research inquiries from any number of directions.
Biographical details from: Coppa, John Anthony, "The Life and Work of Mark Jacobi: Clarinet Repair in Philadelphia and the Influence of Hans Moennig" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3598.
Price: $1,250.00