Heinrich Philipp Bossler also written Boßler [ˈbɔslɐ], (22 July 1744, Darmstadt – 8 September 1812, Leipzig) was a renowned German music publisher[1] and impresario. Among other things, he achieved his importance as a publisher of original compositions by the Viennese classics.
Bossler was born as the son of Friedrich Jacob Bossler (1717 – 1793), a court air gun maker for the landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt, and a Schultheiss's daughter, Catharina Justina Fischer (1717 – 1772) from Braubach.[2] His grandfather Johann Peter Bossler (1689 – 1742) is documented as a court gunsmith of the Hessian landgraves since 1715 and founded the Darmstadt branch of the Bossler family from southern Hesse.[3]
Heinrich Philipp thus descended from a gunsmith family belonging to the hunting history of Hesse-Darmstadt, whose air rifles can be found in all the renowned gun collections of Europe.[4][5]
Heinrich Philipp Boßler was a second cousin of the dramatist and novelist Friedrich Maximilian Klinger.[6] Klinger's paternal grandmother and Boßler's paternal grandfather Johann Peter Boßler were siblings.[7]
Ludwig van Beethoven published his first compositions at the age of 12 in the Blumenlese für Klavierliebhaber, published by Heinrich Philipp Boßler.[8] The music dealer Boßler also published well-known first and early prints by Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. The compositions of Joseph Haydn were treated with special distinction in Bossler's publishing house.[9][10] As impresario of the successful star virtuoso on the glass harmonica Marianne Kirchgessner, Bossler undertook extensive concert tours throughout Europe and Russia.[11]
Around 1779 he invented a machine to simplify music printing,[12] which caused a sensation and enjoyed high acclaim. The publishing house subsequently founded by Heinrich Philipp Bossler in Speyer in 1780 was one of the most important music publishers of the time.[13]
Heinrich Philipp Bossler was considered a pioneer in the field of music journalism.[14] In addition, his invention of a music printing press for fast, inexpensive and precise printing of sheet music was highly respected.[15] His publishing works belong to the realm of German cultural treasures and are marked by musicological relevance.
Heinrich Philipp Bossler refused to publish plagiarisms. This characteristic made his music publishing house almost unique by the standards of the time. Bossler also gained importance as the impresario of Marianne Kirchgessner.[16]