Andreas Streicher

Born in Stuttgart in 1761, Johann Andreas Streicher was a German pianist, composer, and piano maker. As a young man he was part of the circle around Friedrich Schiller, and he is remembered for helping Schiller flee Stuttgart in 1782. He later settled in Vienna, where he built a career in music.

In Vienna, Streicher became known both as a performer and as an instrument maker. Together with his wife, the pianist and composer Nannette Streicher, he was associated with one of the city’s important piano-building businesses. Their workshop became part of the rich musical culture of Vienna during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Streicher died in 1833. He is often remembered not only for his own musical work, but also for the way his life touched several major cultural figures and movements of his time, from Schiller’s dramatic early years to the flourishing piano culture of Vienna.