Johann Fritz

Johann Fritz (fl. 1806—1834, Vienna) was a prolific Austrian piano maker, with numerous contemporary replicas placing him among the most copied XIX-century masters alongside Graf, Walter, and Streicher. His biography is virtually unknown, with several shared design features suggesting Johann might've apprenticed at Anton Walter's workshop in Vienna. After Johann's death, his son Joseph Fritz (b. 1808) took over the family business, relocating the workshop to Graz circa 1837. Giuseppe Verdi was a well-known admirer of J.Fritz pianos, carrying a custom six-pedal "Viennese" fortepiano from 1851 to 1871 and composing such notable operas as Rigoletto on Aida on the instrument. Other Fritz's extant pianos are preserved today at the Museum Of Fine Arts Boston, Finchcocks, and other international collections.