He and his wife therefore embarked upon an extensive program of international travel in order to personally examine nearly every one of the 169 instruments documented in this much-expanded presentation of Tielke's life and work.
As impressive as Hellwig's pioneering work was, the present book by his son and daughter-in-law is even better in nearly every way. In their Foreword (p.8), the authors explain that because Günther Hellwig had dedicated his magnum opus to them, they felt an obligation to continue his research. Accordingly, after retiring in 2003 from a distinguished career as a restorer and conservator of musical instruments, Friedemann Hellwig began work on a second edition of his father's book. He soon realized, however, that the discovery of nearly three dozen additional examples of Tielke's work, as well as newly-developed investigative techniques and relevant research undertaken by others during the past three decades, meant that an entirely new publication was needed. He and his wife therefore embarked upon an extensive program of international travel in order to personally examine nearly every one of the 169 instruments documented in this much-expanded presentation of Tielke's life and work.