Five generations of mouthpiece specialists

Werner Christoph Schmidt was born in 1922, the fifth generation of the oldest mouthpiece manufacturing dynasty in the world still active, whose name is known even in the USA, not least because of the "Schmidt backbore" so much sought after by trumpet players. Schmidt learned the mouthpiece maker's trade from his father between 1936 and 1939 and passed his master craftsman's examination brilliantly in 1947. He obtained a second master's certificate in 1958 as an electro-plater since he himself supervised all the work processes, from preparing the casting to finishing the surface. From Markneukirchen, in the Vogtland, a traditional centre of German instrument making, he supplies his successful brass mouthpieces via the GDR foreign trade organisation all over the world.

I am delighted to comply with Brass Bulletin's invitation to say something about the Schmidt family of mouthpiece makers and about my own work.

To begin with, our family tree, as far as it is known:

1. Johann Schmidt. Trade — metal worker born 31st August 1793 in Höchstädt; died 4th March 1855 in Höchstädt
2. Johann Schmidt. Trade — brazier born 23rd January 1819 in Höchstädt; died 7th November 1868 in Höchstädt
3. Christoph Schmidt. Trade — brazier born 4th September 1845 in Höchstädt; died 3rd January 1912 in Markneukirchen
4. Max Schmidt. Trade — master mouthpiece turner born 5th December 1880 in Höchstädt; died 21st March 1961 in Markneukirchen
5. Werner Christoph Schmidt. Trade — mouthpiece specialist and master electro-plater born 25th February 1922 in Markneukirchen.

Germany's oldest church archive in Bamberg unfortunately does not go any further back but it can safely be assumed that my ancestors were making mouthpieces even before 1793.