The Hammig Family-
From Thomas Pinschof

Let me give you some background on the Hammig Family from my perspective.

As early as 1780 the Hammig family was involved in making top quality woodwind instruments and they are recognized as a leading force in making instruments of superior craftsmanship and design - nowadays especially, their piccolos are the obvious choice for any professional piccolo player.

Based in Markneukirchen, a small town in Germany almost entirely dedicated to making musical instruments, the Hammigs can rely on an enviably rich family tradition spanning four centuries in this industry. The head of the "Hammig Dynasty" in the 20th century undoubtedly was August Richard Hammig. I was privileged to have met him, aged 92, in Markneukirchen, then East Germany, checking one of the flutes just finished by his workshop. He had 3 sons who all made outstanding flutes:

Johannes Hammig who escaped to the West was the most famous and his flutes were the favoured choice of many European flute players for decades in all parts of the world, such as Gazzelloni, Nicolet, Zöller and many more, including myself. I have met with him and his son Johannes, both deceased, many times and he was the first to make a flute with an A-foot joint and the fourth trill key and some other mechanisms I designed for me and one of my students, who still plays his. My Johannes Hammig gold flute has since found a very good home with a notable collector in Germany.

Helmuth Hammig went to set up shop in (East) Berlin where he made very few, but outstandingly beautiful flutes that are still very much sought after. I visited him once still in the days of the famous "Wall" and "Check Point Charlie" and he agreed to make me a head with gold lip plate, if I coud supply him the gold, as he was unable to procure it. This project unfortunately never came about.

Philip Hammig had remained in Markneukirchen but was outlived by his father August Richard, who continued to oversee the production of both his own designs and those marketed as Phillip Hammig. My first flute was a wooden Phillip Hammig, he had sent to Vienna ahead of his planned escape from the East, which never eventuated. This flute is now owned by an Australian enthusiast. And even today after Gerhard Hammig's retirement, there are still Hammigs in charge on all levels of production and marketing of both brand names Phillip Hammig & August Richard Hammig.