Wiener Musik

Wiener Musik started with an 1894 sample sheet from Otto Bachmann, a court printer in Saulgau, Germany, advertising his paper goods printed with Viennese music. Across the top, drawn in his own shop, it says so in big brush capitals: "Wiener Musik." Long swashes and little ball ends, made with a loose, quick hand.

The sheet only shows 16 capitals, so the other 10 had to be designed to match, and a few of the old ones got redrawn along the way. The 1894 originals ride along as alternates. It comes in four weights, light to heavy, and every one keeps the swell of the brush. Some letters change shape depending on where they land in a word: E, P, D, B and W have a start form and a middle form, and most words that end in E get the long swoosh back. The font makes those swaps on its own in most design apps.

I'm building it for posters, packaging, café menus and concert programs, the kind of job that wants a hand-lettered headline with some history behind it. It's still in the garage. Follow the foundry on MyFonts and you'll know the day it rolls out.