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Private company

Breitkopf & Härtel

Logo: breitkopf.com3

Music publisher in Leipzig, Germany

Breitkopf & Härtel (German pronunciation: ) is a German music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher still active.2 It is headquartered in Wiesbaden.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1719Founded1
  • Industrymusic industry1
  • HeadquartersWiesbaden1
  • Founded inLeipzig1
  • Websitewww.breitkopf.com
  • Legal formKommanditgesellschaft1

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Goldener Bär 1850
Photo: unbekannt (Adolph Werl, Verlag), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Breitkopf & Härtel (German pronunciation: [ˈbraɪtkɔpf ʔʊnt ˈhɛrtəl]) is a German music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher still active.2

The story

Founded by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf in 1719, in Leipzig.1

Leadership

Who has led Breitkopf & Härtel, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

  • Gottfried Christoph Härtel since 1795

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1795Acquired Acquired by Gottfried Christoph Härtel1
  2. 1719Founded Founded in Leipzig1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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