Hirsbrunner, a Swiss Family of Wind Instrument Makers

The Swiss Hirsbrunner (Hirschbrunner) family of wind instrument makers has been active for more than 200 years, involving 18 family members over eight generations in three different companies in Sumiswald, Grünen and Aarau (see the family tree, Figure 1 in the colour section). Christian Hirsbrunner (1748-1815) and three of his sons were wood turners who started to manufacture woodwind instruments c1800. They added brass instrument making in 1819, and from then on produced all kinds of wind instruments, mostly for military and civilian bands. This article offers new research into the Hirsbrunners, including the identification of extant instruments and source material.1 Emphasis is on the company's beginnings and its development during the nineteenth century. Appendix A lists the extant signed instruments from that period.