Louis Dulcken II

ActiveMunich, Germany

BornAmsterdam, The Netherlands

BiographyLouis Dulcken II (1761 – 1836) was born Johan Lodewijk Dulcken II in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the son of Johan Lodewijk (Louis) Dulcken (1733 – ca. 1793) and the grandson of famed harpsichord builder Joannes Dulcken (1706 – 1757, active in Antwerp and Brussels). Dulcken, who also took after his father’s Gallicized name of Louis, entered into the family’s workshop as a builder early on, settling by 1781 in Munich, Germany, where he remained until his death. Although both his father and grandfather were recognized as prominent harpsichord builders, Louis Dulcken II spent the majority of his career working on fortepianos, especially for the Bavarian Elector of the royal court. It is believed that he may have studied with the reputed German piano builder, Johann Andreas Stein, to whom many of his instruments are often wrongly attributed. Dulcken’s Munich workshop was known to have been quite prosperous, gaining a reputation for producing high quality instruments.