Peters, Carl Friedrich

Peters, Carl Friedrich (b Leipzig, 1779; d Sonnenstein, Bavaria, 1827). Ger. mus. publisher who bought Kühnel and Hoffmeister's business (est. 1800) in 1814 and pubd. first complete edns. of Bach and Haydn. On his death business was continued by others, notably, after 1863, by Max Abraham (1831–1900) who developed the ‘Peters Edition’ of inexpensive classic scores and est. the Peters Library, opening it to the public in 1894. He enriched the firm's catalogue with works by Brahms, Grieg, Bruch, and Wagner. His nephew, Henri Hinrichsen (b Hamburg, 1868; d Theresienstadt, 1942), assumed control on Abraham's death, expanded the catalogue with works by Wolf, Mahler, Reger, Pfitzner, and Strauss (7 of his tone-poems), and was joined in partnership by his three sons in 1931 and 1933. One of these, Max (1901–65), settled in London 1937 where he est. Hinrichsen Edition in 1938 (Peters Edn. from 1975). His brother Walter (1907–69) settled in USA 1936 where he est. C. F. Peters Corp. 1948, publishing many important Amer. composers. The third son, Hans-Joachim (1909–40) died in the Perpignan concentration camp. Leipzig house passed into other hands 1939, but Peters Edition was restored to Hinrichsen family in 1948. Firm of Peters Edition became state-owned company in Leipzig, also the Peters Library. Hinrichsen interest divided into 3 equal partners in London, NY, and Frankfurt. Peters Frankfurt acquired Belyayev Edition in 1971.