Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel

Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel (1780 - 1826) was the inventor of the first successful metronome.

Winkel was born in Amsterdam, and in 1812, while experimenting with pendulums, he discovered that a pendulum weighted on both sides of the pivot could beat steady time, even for the slow tempos often used in European classical music. Unfortunately, Winkel did not appropriately protect his idea, and by 1816, Johann Nepenuk Mälzel had stolen his construction ideas and patented the so-called "Mälzel Metronome," which remains in use to this day. Thus, even today Mälzel often incorrectly receives credit for what was rightly Winkel's creation.