Klotz

Who is Klotz?

Klotz is a family of violin makers. Members of the Klotz family have made violins in Mittenwald, Germany from the mid-17th century to the present. The Klotz family taught other families of the village the violin trade, and Mittenwald prospered and became well known for its violins. In A Dictionary of Music and Musicians 1900, the contributor Edward John Payne writes: "Nine-tenths of the violins which pass in the world as 'Stainers' were made by the Klotz family and their followers." In 1856, the Bavarian government founded a school in Mittenwald to continue the violin trade. Dictionaries of violin makers list more than 25 artisans by this name.

Matthias I founded the Mittenwald school of violin making after study with Giovanni Railich in Padua from 1672-1678, Jacob Stainer and Nicolo Amati. He has been criticized for exercising insufficient skill or care in the selection of his wood. Typical labels:

⁕Mattias Klotz Geigenmacher zu Mittenwald an der Iser 1697

⁕Mathias Klotz Lauten und Geigenmacher in Mittenwald an der Iser Anno 1695

⁕Mathias Kloz Lautenmacher. A label of the family in Mittenwalt Anno 1725.

Instruments by Sebastian I are probably the most admired among the many existing examples by this family. Some instruments which have been identified as Sebastian's work bear his father's label. Typical labels: