During the 1740s, King Frederick the Great of Prussia became acquainted with Silbermann’s pianos and bought a number of them (the early-19th-century musicologist Johann Nikolaus Forkel claims this number was 15, though Stewart Pollens believes this to be “certainly exaggerated”).Johann Nikolaus Forkel (Wikipedia)
Johann Nikolaus Forkel (22 February 1749 – 20 March 1818) was a German musicologist and music theorist, generally regarded as among the founders of modern musicology. His publications include Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work, the first substantial survey on the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Introduction: A Musico-Logical Offering