Wilhelm Carl Friedrich Sauer was a Prussian pipe organ builder.
Background
Wilhelm Sauer was born in Schönbeck, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on March 23, 1831. He was the son of blacksmith and self-educated organ builder, Carl Adolph Ernst Sauer (1799–1873), and his wife Johanna Christine Elizabeth (1800–1882). When Wilhelm was seven years old, the family moved to the neighboring town of Friedland, where his father built a factory and started the commercial organ business.
Career
One of the famous organ builders, Sauer and his firm built over 1,100 organs during his lifetime, amongst them the organs at Bremen Cathedral, Jerusalem"s Church, and Berlin Cathedral, which is considered to be "his final great masterpiece". He was the brother of Johann Ernst Sauer (1823–1842). Wilhelm spent his youth there, attending school, with the idea that he would transfer to the Berlin Academy.
Wilhelm received an early education about organ building from his father.
He left home in 1848 to further his education in this business, including studying with East.F. Walcker (1851–1853) in Ludwigsburg and with Aristide Cavaillé-College in Paris. In 1855, Sauer took over the management of the German crown branch in his father"s factory, which had been opened there for the Prussian market in order to avoid customs duties.
On March 1, 1856, Sauer finally opened his own business as Wilhelm Sauer, organ builder in Frankfurt (Oder), which grew quickly with temporary branches in Königsberg (1860). International orders soon followed.
By 1882, he had completed 380 organs.
In 1883, Sauer was awarded the Distinction of Akademischer Künstler and in the following year, on April 18, 1884, he was named by the cabinet as "Royal Organ Builder". In his lifetime, Wilhelm Sauer and his staff built more than 1,100 organs. His largest and most famous organs are, amongst others, in Berlin Cathedral (1903, IV/113), Thomaskirche in Leipzig (1888/1908, III/88), and in Görlitz City Hall (1910, IV72).
In 1910, Sauer sold the company to his longtime manager and deputy Paul Walcker, son of East. F. Walcker.
At least ten of his organs were installed in Latvia.