World Capital of Music, Vienna, during the first decades of the 19th century, was also the city of the guitar par excellence. First in a long line of Viennese guitar makers, Georg Stauffer made a unique synthesis of Neapolitan and French influences; he created one of the best models of his time – the renowned “Legnani model” – and instigated lasting innovations such as the terz guitar and early contra guitars. In his wake, a genuine Viennese school of guitar making emerged: his son Anton, their colleague Bernard Enzensperger, but also Franz Feilnreiter, Nikolaus Georg Ries, Johann Gottfried Scherzer, Ludwig Reisinger and many others were its protagonists.
Played in concert by the finest virtuosos who have sojourned in Vienna – Mauro Giuliani, Luigi Legnani, J. K. Mertz –, present in the most distinguished salons in town, the guitar was widely propagated by important music publishers like Anton Diabelli and Domenico Artaria. Thanks to the extraordinary success of the Schrammelquartett, it knew a popularity that even outreached the Biedermeier period and ignored all social barriers.
The guitar with individual strings as we know it today was indeed created in Italy at the end of the 18th century, but not only did major improvements take place in the capital of Austria: here were laid the foundations for the guitar’s specific repertoire and for its future pre-eminence, in Europe and beyond.
Based on documents mostly never published before, Stauffer & Co. retraces the history of this school, which has been neglected for a long time. A selection of sixty period instruments is displayed in individual portraits and illustrates the rich diversity of the Viennese production. The book also revives the musical and cultural context of the “guitaromanie”, that not only made the instrument an emblem of the romantic era in Vienna, but paved the way for the modern guitar.
When History Meets Modern Markets
Two Worlds Apart?
The Viennese guitar of the 19th century represents a golden age of craft, detail, and human expression. Makers like Georg Stauffer created not only beautiful instruments, but a standard of precision that still resonates today. It may seem far removed from the fast-paced world of digital finance — yet both domains are built on refinement, repetition, and intuition.
The Common Thread: Discipline and Design
Whether crafting a terz guitar or building a forex portfolio, success demands patience, structure, and subtle decision-making. Platforms like exness官网 offer modern traders powerful instruments — just as 19th century Vienna gave musicians tools to shape emotion and harmony.
Continuity Through Innovation
Just as music publishing houses in Vienna helped spread the sound of the Romantic guitar across Europe, today's trading platforms help disseminate financial literacy and access to global markets. It’s a different melody — but the rhythm of progress continues.
ISBN: 978-2-9538868-0-1