American Musical Instruments

Based on the historical facts related in Steinway & Son’s centennial pamphlet of 1876 and William Steinway’s article on American Musical Instruments, published in the great work of 100 Years of American Commerce, by D.O. Haynes & Co., 106 Fulton street, New York.

For the introduction of the piano, to which such an ennobling, educating and progressively fascinating mission was entrusted, America is indebted to Europe. This instrument was invented almost simultaneously by Cristofori of Italy, about 1710, and Gottlieb Schroeter, of Germany, within a few years of that date, and was greatly perfected by Silbermann, of Strassburg, shortly afterward. The piano did not come into general use until the beginning of this century in either America or Europe. In London it was for the first time publicly played in the Covent Garden Theatre in the year 1768, John Jacob Astor, of New York, imported from London the first pianos as early as the year 1784. They were small four and one-half to five octave square pianos, having eight legs. Their tone was feeble and tinkling. Each piano had Astor’s own name on the name board.

The few pianos which were used in the United States at the close of the last and the beginning of the present century were imported. In a short time, however, the trying climate of North America, with its ever recurring dry land winds, its severe winters and the general heating of houses by stoves and subsequently by hot air furnaces, exerted its destructive influence upon these instruments, which had been constructed for the comparatively uniform and moist European climate. Again, the great distance between the American settlements, scattered over so vast an extent of territory, with wretched roads, made it next to impossible to effect necessary repairs, even if trained and skillful piano repairers had been accessible – therefore to keep the instrument in anything approaching a playable condition was only possible in the largest cities. As a natural consequence pianos were articles of luxury, accessible only to the wealthy.

It was quite natural, then, that as the demand for pianos gradually increased, the enterprise of American manufacturers should have been directed toward their production here. The first successful attempt at building pianos was made in Philadelphia about the year 1790, by an American named John Hawkins. In the year 1802 he sailed to London, taking with him two upright pianos which he had manufactured, and exhibited them in London. One of these original instruments preserved for over eighty years, was exhibited at the International Inventions Exhibition, South Kensington, London, in 1885, and there was personally examined by Mr. William Steinway, who could not but admire the ingenuity of this pioneer of piano making in American. Drum and fife and military music were imitated in this instrument, which, though of no practically utility, showed great inventive genius.

There were one of two more manufacturers in Philadelphia at the close of the last century and the beginning of the present one, but not until the close (1815) of the second war between England and the United States was the industry of piano making taken up as a distinct American manufacturing feature. From the close of that war till about the year 1825 a great business depression prevailed in Great Britain. In consequence a number of young and skilled English piano makers and artisans emigrated to the United States and began manufacturing pianos. Among them were Robert and William Nunns, John Clark, William Geib, Stoddard, Morris, James Pirsson and others. Pianos were gradually extended in compass from four and one-half and five octaves to six octaves; but up to about the year 1830 none were larger than six octaves, all being of square form and having six legs.[2]

About 1825 the first steps of improvement in American piano making may be traced. In that year the first successful attempts were made to give the body of the instrument more durability and an increased power of resistance against the “pull” of the strings, but the application of a full frame of cast iron, in place of one of wood, which had before been used.

The object of this brief synopsis is to simply describe the enormous dimensions to which the manufacture of pianos has grown in the United States, and the excellence which has been recognized by all Europe for a number of years. Consequently, only those inventions can be mentioned which, by their practical and lasting value, have aided materially in the development of this branch of art industry. It must be mentioned, however, that a careful search of the records of the United States Patent Office from its beginning has revealed the fact that a large number of most interesting inventions have there been filed, which, though impracticable in themselves, prove that for nearly 100 years there has exited a constant and earnest endeavor to improve the manufacturer of pianos in North America.

In the year 1825 Alpheus Babcock, of Philadelphia, obtained a patent for the construction of a square piano of a cast iron ring, somewhat resembling the shape of a harp, for the purpose of increasing its power of resistance to the “pull” of the strings. By this invention the principle was first practically introduced of casting the iron hitch-pin plate in one piece with that portion which supported the wrest plank.

In the year 1833 Conrad Meyer, of Philadelphia, exhibited at the fair of the Franklin Institute in that city a six octave square piano which was constructed with a full cast iron frame, substantially the same as that used at the present time. This original instrument, still in prefect condition, was exhibited by him, together with his new pianos, at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The successful introduction of this full iron frame was aided to a great extend by the excellence of the quality of American iron and the perfection to which the art of casting had already attained in the United States at that period. It may be mentioned here that as far back as the War of 1812 cannons using 32 pound and even 48 pound balls had been successfully cast in the United States and effectively employed in that war, while in Europe nothing heavier than 18 pounders were known.

By the year 1837 Jonas Chickering, of Boston (who was born in 1800 [actually 1797] and died in 1853), had greatly perfected the application of the full iron frame in square pianos. It was indisputable that the iron frame pianos thus made stood better in tune than those previously constructed, but one great defect was that they had a thin and disagreeably nasal character of tone. For this salient reason the new invention soon had quite as many opponents as admirers, so that until the year 1855 not one of the prominent manufacturers outside of Boston employed the full iron frame in the construction of his instruments; but all the pianos manufactured in Boston at that time had a full cast iron frame, of which the wrest plank bridge was a portion. Across the acute edge of this iron bridge were laid the strings, which were generally exceedingly thin. The action used in these pianos was, without exception that is styled the “English action,” having a somewhat “dragging” touch.

In New York, on the contrary, the instruments made were provided only with a small cast iron hitch-pin plate, and the “French action” had a more direct and prompter touch. They differed from the Boston pianos in possessing a much fuller and more powerful tone, thought that the same time with a quality which was less singing. The New York piano makers succeeded in giving their instruments the capacity of standing in tune more permanently than had been previously accomplished, by a greater solidity of construction and a heavy wooden bracing of the case, and more particularly by the use of a solid bottom or bed of wood fully 5 inches in thickness, which, however, to some extent marred the elegant appearance of the instruments. By degrees a new difficulty manifested itself in the instruments thus made, for, as their compass gradually extended and finally reached seven or seven and one-third octaves, it was found impossible to obtain the necessary power of resistance against the “pull” of the strings, even by the most solid construction of the case, if wood alone was the material used.

At that time (1850-55) the principal piano manufacturers were the Chickerings, Lemuel Gilbert, Timothy Gilbert, Hallet & Davis, Hallet & Cumston, Woodward & Brown, of Boston; Nunns & Clark, Stoddard & Morris, Bacon & Raven, Horatio Worcester, John B. Dunham, J.& C. Fischer, Light, Newton & Bradbury, Albert Weber, Adam Gale & Co., Grow & Christopher, Steinway & Sons, Hazelton Brothers, Haines Brothers, Linden & Fritz, John F. Luther, Lindeman, Grovesteen, Firth & Pond, William Hall & Co., James Pirsson, Hugh Hardman, Wm. Nunns & Co. Provost, of New York; Conrad Meyer & Schomacker, of Philadelphia; Knabe & Gaehle, of Baltimore; Boardman & Gray, of Albany, and Hulskamp, of Troy. There were a number of minor manufacturers in New York and Boston and vicinity, but with few exceptions there firms became extinct many years ago, and other successful manufacturers –George Steck & Co. (1857), Ernest Gabler (1854), Wm. B. Bradbury (1861), Decker Brothers (1862), Kranich & Bach (1864), Marshall & Mittauer (1865), F.G. Smith (1866), Sohmer & Co. (1875), and subsequently numerous others – took, their places. In the year 1849 a German named Mathushek, who was a highly skilled piano maker, was engaged in John B. Dunham’s piano factory. Mr. Dunham was one of the successful piano manufacturers then established in New York. Mathushek had invented the so-called “sweep scale” (increasing at the same time the compass from seven to seven and one-third octaves in square pianos), which greatly improved the power of tone but also increased the size of the instrument and weakened it durability by narrowing the soprano part of the wrest plant. The square pianos of the first-class piano firms, especially those of New York, had a particularly rich, agreeable tone, aided greatly by the fact that in a square the strings are placed obliquely to the blow of the hammer, causing additional rotary vibrations to the regular tones.

In April 1849, Mr. Charles Steinway, then a young man of 30 years, reached New York and found employment as a fine tuner and tone regulator with Bacon & Raven, while the rest of the Steinways arrived in New York on June 9, 1850, and the father and three sons (among them William Steinway, the a lad of 14 years of age) worked for nearly three years in different New York piano factories, familiarizing themselves with the requirements and tastes of the American musical community. Though possessing a reasonable amount of capital, they did not start in business for themselves until March 5, 1853 (17^th birthday of William Steinway), when, with cautious modesty, they placed their first shop in a rear building at 85 Varich street, removing in 1854 to 88 Walker street, New York. In 1855 they succeeded in constructing an overstrung square piano with a solid front bar and full iron frame, the latter covering the wrest plank, the wrest plank bridge, however, being made of wood. Without describing in particular the novelty of the instrument, it may be said that for the first time the overstrung plan – that of placing the bass strings obliquely across all other strings in the shape of a fan – was successfully introduced. The results achieved by this novel construction were in every way most successful. The instrument, by the unanimous verdict of the jury, received the first prize, a gold medal, at the exhibition in 1855, of the American Institute at the Crystal Palace in New York. This was located at what is now known as Bryant Park, and was destroyed by fire in 1858. The new method of construction immediately became the standard for all American manufacturers, and soon after for all other countries, and has remained so ever since.

As stated before, nearly all the pianos made in the United States up to the year 1856 were square pianos. Jonas Chickering, one of the leading pioneers of American piano manufacturing, in 1840 constructed the first American grand piano, successfully introducing the iron frame. A small piano manufacturer named Buttikofer, a former workman of Erard, of Paris, France, also made very good grand pianos entirely of wood; but the demand for grand pianos was so limited that the great pianist Thalberg, who arrived in the United States in the year 1856, brought with him two Erard concert grand pianos for his concert tour throughout the country. In 1859 Steinway & Sons made a great improvement by successfully introducing into grand pianos the overstrung system, which was secured to them by United States patent dated December 20, 1859. At the same time several other standard piano makers of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston commenced the manufacturer of this kind of instrument, all of them with the overstrung system. Overstrung grand and square pianos were exhibited by Steinway & Sons at the World’s Fair of 1862, in the Crystal Palace, London, taking a first prize medal; and again overstrung grand, square and upright pianos were shown by them at the great International Exhibition of Paris in 1867, these being crowned by a first grand gold medal and the unanimous endorsement of the international jury of their new system of construction. Messrs. Chickering, of Boston, also exhibited parallel stringed grand and upright pianos and overstrung square pianos, and were also awarded a gold medal, so that America’s triumph in the piano department was literally overwhelming, for only the two old renowned house of John Broadwood & Sons, of London, and Streicher, of Vienna, received each a gold medal.

The overstrung system was at once limited by nearly all of the prominent manufacturers of Europe, and has ever since been known as the “Steinway” or “American system;” and the supremacy of the product of all first-class American piano makers has been conceded by the musical public of both continents. The importation of pianos from Europe into the United States not only practically ceased, but since that time the export of the American product to all parts of the civilized world has steadily increased, notwithstanding the somewhat higher prices. It must also be added that, practically speaking, almost all important novelties and inventions by which the tone and durability of all three styles, grand, square and upright have been enhanced and increased within the last half century have been made by American piano manufacturers all being imitated in Europe as soon as the details became known.

It may be interesting to state here that, up to the year 1850, England and France produced more pianos than all other countries combined, and supplied the European continent as well as the outlying colonies. Since that date there has been a marked change in that direction. Germany, which undoubtedly has, with America, the most skilled piano manufacturers and workmen, has nearly kept pace with the United States in the quantity of pianos manufactured, and German piano makers are invariably the first to see the importance of American inventions and improvements. Only one old house in Paris and the old house in London (both over 100 years old, and both justly renowned for the excellence of their work), still adhere to the antiquated system of parallel strings and small wrought iron hitch-pin plate. All others (including the new Russian piano industry) have adopted the American overstrung system and full cast-iron frame. As far as can be judged, Germany, producing over 75,000 pianos annually, had the largest export of pianos of any country in the Old World, especially in the cheaper class of instruments; and there is no doubt that Germany, although making at the present time more pianos than all other European countries combined, is surpassed by the United States of America, which on a careful and conservative estimate, produce annually from 90,000 to 100,000 pianos viz., in normal times.

The manufacture of pianos in the United States was formally confined to the following four cities: First, New York; second; Boston; third, Baltimore; fourth, Philadelphia. Within a dozen years Chicago has stepped in, and now has become third in the number of pianos annually produced. The list is now: First, New York and vicinity (with about 40,000 pianos); second Boston (with about 25,000 pianos); third, Chicago (with about 18,000 pianos) fourth, Philadelphia; fifth, Baltimore, and successful piano manufacturers have also located in other large cities in the United States, such as Buffalo and Rochester, NY; Cincinnati and Norwalk, OH, and Erie, PA; Derby, CN; Worcester, New Haven, Muskego, Richmond, Ind.; Washington, NJ, all of which combined produce about 17,000 pianos annually.

In Europe the manufacturer of square pianos practically ceased about the year 1855, and only grand and upright pianos were thereafter made. In the United States, as mentioned above, the square piano was, up to the time, almost exclusively manufactured, and sales of grand pianos were about as scarce as angels’ visits.[3]

During the years 1844-5 a French manufacturer named Henri Herz, who at the same time was a first-class pianist, traveled through the United States, giving concerts in the larger cities. He had brought with him a number of French upright pianos, and during his stay in this country imported many others. These were readily sold, but within a few years all succumbed to the influence of the climate and became total wrecks, from the fact of having been made from wood alone. They caused such a deep rooted prejudice throughout the country against upright pianos that they became absolutely unsalable, and up to the year 1866 fully 97 per cent of all the pianos which were annually made in the United States were square pianos. In that year Steinway & Sons succeeded in completing a system (see United States patent, June, 1966) of manufacture for upright pianos which produced instruments that were fully as beautiful in tone and as durable for use as the square and grand pianos. This was speedily followed by standard American piano makers, some of whom made improvements of their own; and within a few years thereafter a complete revolution in the piano industry took place, so that the situation of to-day is exactly the reverse of what it was less than 30 years ago. The manufacture of square pianos has now almost entirely ceased. The annual production of American pianos consists of about 95 pre cent. upright, less than 1 per cent squares and a little more than 4 per cent grand pianos. There is no question that by the year 1900 not a single square piano will be manufactured in the United States or any other part of the world.

Setting aside, then, the effects of the business depression of the year 1893, and to some extent of 1894, and also the present dull spell, which fell with very much greater severity upon other branches of manufacture than it did even on pianos, American piano manufacturers have every reason to feel proud of the results achieved by them. There has not only been steady progress in the number of the pianos produced by them, but the art of piano making in the United States has been elevated to the highest perfection – a fact that is recognized all over the world.

It certainly is a gratifying fact that the American manufacturers of first-class and medium priced pianos to a man have successfully resisted all pressure during these last three years of business depression to cheapen their good at the expense of quality, and they certainly deserve due credit for their backbone in this important question.

Quite a number of good European pianos were exhibited at the Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 and at the Columbian World’s Fair in Chicago in 1883, but none of them were sold, and all of them had to be re-exported. No grand piano of foreign make has ever been publicly heard in the United States since the advent of Thalberg, now nearly 40 years ago; but many first-class American concert grand pianos have been and are at present publicly used in the art centers of Europe by the greatest artists. Besides, the five largest piano manufacturing concerns in the world are located in the United States. They are: two at New York, one at Chicago and two at Boston. This is indeed a proud and unique position, and American piano manufacturers have no reason o complain of anything in their industry, with one exception, as follows:

In 1850 the overwhelming majority of piano artisans were of American nativity, while since that time and now for many years almost all of them are either foreign born (mostly German) or the direct offspring of foreign born parents, who by permission of the employer, are taught a certain single branch of the business by their fathers. This is much to be deplored, for American boys, many of them extraordinarily intelligent and ingenious, are practically kept out of this important industry through what might be called the force of circumstances. As far as can be learned there is now no effective apprentice law in force in any of the States. This is very different from the conditions existing in Europe. Take, for instance, Germany. After having been released from school, at the age of 14 or 15 years, a boy is apprenticed to a master mechanic for six or seven years. It is true he receives his board and lodging, but he has to pay, say, $100 Lehrgend (learning money), in order to indemnify the “boss” for the time lost in instructing him, or for the defective workmanship and spoiled material which may result from his unskillfulness.

No American boy would be willing to be placed in the position of an apprentice for six or seven years, although that is the only way in which a business can be acquired thoroughly in all its branches and details. Thus there is no guaranty to any employer that a boy, after one or two years spent in learning a branch or subdivision of business, will not leave him and shift for himself. To enact laws compelling a lad who is growing up to remain with an employer and make up in the later years of his apprenticeship the losses he has caused in the first years does not suit American ideas, and probably never will. Still, this matter should engage the attention of all those interested in social problems, for our American boys are second to none in intelligence and practical ideas. And this, too, is one of the chief causes of the sad fact that in no civilized country are there so many young men who are unskilled, or only partly skilled, as in the United States.

In 1850, when William Steinway, the aged 14 years, arrived in New York, a very lamentable state of affairs prevailed in the piano and other manufacturing industries. The city was suffering from the effects of the cholera epidemic of 1849; there was but little ready money in the country, much being of the “wildcat” order; there were no sawing, planing, or other labor-saving machines to do the hard work required in piano manufacturer, nor were there any elevators; all heavy loads having to be carried up and down stairs on the shoulders of the artisans.

There were no railroads west of Buffalo, N.Y. and all pianos had to go by lake and canal transportation (and even then only during the navigable season) to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis, &c., being from six to ten weeks on the way, and insurable only against total loss. The despicable “truck” system prevailed throughout the country. The skilled workman was not paid his hard-earned wages, which were from $6 to $10 a week; but he would receive, say from $2 to $3 of his weekly earnings in case, and some of the rest in orders on grocers, tailors and shoemakers, &c. The remainder would be retained by the employer, who acted as a self-constituted savings bank for his employees, without paying interest, and sometimes not even paying the principal. William Steinway, at the age of 17 years, lost all his savings of $300 by the bankruptcy of his employer, William Nunns, in 1853. There were piano factories and other manufacturers who each were thus constantly owing over $100,000 in wages to their workmen. By the year 1860 this reprehensible “truck” system had, however, entirely ceased throughout the country.

The Civil War, being 1861 and 1865 also caused the piano manufacturers great hardships and struggles. They lost nearly all their claims against piano dealers in the South; there was no immigration to speak of, and it had ceased altogether when reports of the New York draft riots on July 13 and 17, 1863, had reached Europe; skilled artisans were scarce, many of them having gone to the war; and in February, 1863, the workmen in the piano shops of New York instituted a strike for higher wages, in which they were perfectly justified. The currency had then depreciated, and all the necessaries of life and rents had risen enormously in value. The wokingmen’s demand for 10 per cent was readily granted. In May following they again demanded 10 per cent more on the increased wages, which was also acceded to. But during that summer they had formed a large society, the Piano Makers’ Union, and suddenly, on Monday September 28, 1863 demanded an augmentation of 25 per cent on the twice increased prices, being in all a raise of fully 50 per cent on the original rates. This was simply impossible for the employers to grant, the more so as no increase whatever had as yet been made in wages in the same occupation in Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia, and the agents and dealers of the piano manufactures of these latter three cities all over the country denounced the New York piano firms as “extortionists,” “monopolists,” and even as “swindlers.”

For the first time in the history of American piano manufacturing the New York piano employers, who up to that time had been fighting each other, were driven together by the sheer instinct of self-preservation, and on Thursday, October 1, 1863, 23 out of 28 piano manufacturers met at Ittner’s Hotel, corner Grand and Mercer streets, New York. It was unanimously resolved to resist the preposterous demands of the workingmen, and a committee of seven employers were appointed to confer with the strikers, who numbered over 8,000 men and met daily at turners Hall in Orchard street. The employers’ committee consisted of William B. Bradbury, David Decker, Adam Gale, Louis Ernst, Richard Raven, William Steinway and Albert Weber, and met the committee of 15 elected by the striking journeymen on Saturday afternoon, October 3, 1863, at Ittner’s Hotel. both committees had full authority to act.

The spokesman of the employees first demanded the increase of 25 per cent, with extra payment for all the time lost by the strikers, and then announced the program mapped out by the leaders of the strike as follows:

“Gentlemen bosses, we, the journeymen piano makers of New York, will now assume control of the piano business. You shall no longer be permitted either to engage or dismiss any workman without our consent. Only members of our union will be permitted to work in your factories. You must pay us full wages irrespective of bad or good times. you must all pay the same wages, must not undersell one another and must ever Saturday afternoon submit your books to our inspection, so that we may satisfy ourselves that you have strictly carried out our instructions. How, gentlemen bosses, what can we report to our union as your response?”

The employers’ committee was simply dumbfounded, when one of the manufacturers, Albert Weber (who died in 1879), a very quick witted man observed: “Gentlemen employees, your demands are exceedingly moderate; but in your very modesty you have omitted your most important point.”

“Simply this,” returned Mr. Weber; “that every Saturday afternoon, when you have looked over the manufacturers’ books, the employees shall go a-bowling and that the bosses should be made to set up the tenpins for their workmen.

A deafening and unanimous roar of laughter followed that sally. It was the right word at the right time. The workingmen themselves saw how preposterous their demands were. The ice had been broken, and both parties were conciliated. Half an hour later a compromise was effected, that 15 per cent (instead of 25 per cent) increase was to take place in wages, all other demands by the employees being withdrawn.

The truce, needless to say, did not last long, for on Monday, February 8, 1864, the strike broke out anew. A demand in every piano shop in New York was made that day by the workmen for 10 per cent increase in wages which, the strikers claimed, had been wrongfully deducted from their “just demands” in October, 1863. To this the threat was added that for every week lost by the strikers 5 per cent would be added to their demands.

The “irrepressible conflict” was fought out to the bitter end. No matter that the strikers changed their tactic after two weeks by offering to return to work in all shops but three. This Napoleonic stroke of bringing the employers to terms by taking them in detail did not work. Each employer had deposited in the hands of Frederick Hazelton, Albert Weber and William Steinway, trustees $20 for each of his workmen, to be forfeited in case of his giving in.

After a desperate struggle of nine weeks the strike collapsed completely, in consequence of the unflinching and unanimous resistance of the employers, who fought for their very business existence.

The lesson taught the striker was such a severe one that for the following eight years no general strike occurred in the piano trade in New York,

Another strike in June, 1872, to reduce the daily hours of work from ten to eight, with an increase of 20 per cent in wages, was also defeated, and since then but few and brief strikes have occurred. One, partially successful, occurred in 1880. Those in 1886 and 1890 both [lead to] defeat to the strikers. As a general thing the gratifying fact may be chronicled that a much kindlier feeling between employers and the employees gradually arose and has existed for a number of years past. The workingmen have learned to see the piano manufacturers are not resting upon a bed of roses and are not the “bloated capitalists” that they were formerly decried to be, but have to struggle hard for their very business existence, and that the interests of the employer and the employed are identical.

Principal Inventions of American Piano Manufacturers Which Have Been More or Less Adopted by American and European Piano Firms.

1825 Alpheus Babcock, of Philadelphia, Pa., patented invention of a full iron frame in form of a harp for square pianos.

1833 Conrad Meyer, of Philadelphia, construction of an iron frame in square pianos, except wrest plank bridge, which remained of wood

1837 Jonas Chickering, of Boston, Mass., construction of full iron frame, with wrest plank bridge (in square pianos) of iron, all in one piece – an important invention, although his application for a patent was unjustly rejected for alleged want of novelty.

1840 Jonas Chickering, successfully patented construction of the full iron frame with agraffe bar in grand pianos.[4]

1849 Mathushek (with John B. Dunham), invention of so-called “sweep scale” in square pianos, the compass of which at the same time successfully extended to seven and one third octaves.

1855 Invention by Steinway & Sons, of New York, of the overstrung system and its iron frame, placing the strings in form of a fan in square pianos.

1859 Invention by Steinway & Sons &United States patent, December 20 1859) of the overstrung system, with its strings in fanlike shape and novel construction of the iron frame in grand pianos; also the square grand piano and novel agraffe bar (united States patent, November 29, 1859).

1862 Invention (United States patent) by Decker Brothers, of New York, of novel wrest plank construction, increasing capacity to stand in tune, in square pianos; also novel apparatus to veneer round corners in square piano cases.

1866 Invention (United States patent, June 5, 1866) by Steinway & Sons of double iron frame and patent resonator (controlling tension of sounding boards) in upright pianos.

1858 Invention (United states patent, August 16, 1868) by Steinway & Sons of tubular metallic action frame in grand and upright pianos.

1870 Invention (United States patents, March 15, 1870 and August 15, 1870) by George Steck & Co., of New York, of the self-supporting, independent iron frame.

1872 Invention by Steinway & Sons (United States Patent, May 28, 1872) of the iron cupola and pier frame; also the grand duplex scale (United States patent, May 14, 1872).

1874 Invention by Steinway & Sons (United States patents, October 27, 1874) of the tone sustaining pedal. The same year Mr. Hanchett, of Syracuse, NY, brought out (United States patent) a novel apparatus for prolonging the tone.

1875 Invention by Steinway & Sons (United States patents, October 20, 1875) of concert grand with capo d’astro bar all cast in one piece, and design thereof.

1878 Invention by Steinway & Sons (United States patents, May 21, 1878) bending into form the entire case of grand pianos, composed of a series of continuous veneers; also tone pulsator in grand pianos; also capo d’astro bar in upright pianos.

1879 Invention by George Steck & Co. (United States patent, January 7, 1879) of further improvements in self-supporting, independent iron frame.

1881 Invention by George Steck & Co. (United States patent, October 18, 1881) of further improvement in self-supporting, independent iron frame.

1885 Invention by Steinway & Sons (United States patent, March 31, 1885) of double cupola iron frame in grand pianos.

1893 Invention by Henry Ziegler (nephew of William Steinway) of Steinway & Sons (two united States patents of November 21, 1893) of the grand piano with capo d’astro bar in upright form.

1894 Improvement by George Steck & Co. in self-supporting, independent iron frame in upright pianos.

1895 Invention by Henry Ziegler, of Steinway & Sons (United States patent, January 8, 1895) of iron frame with capo d’astro bar and suspended wrest plank in grand pianos in upright form.

After a careful and conservative estimate it appears that there are now engaged in the production of pianos and their component parts upward of 200 manufacturing concerns established in the United States, representing a capital of over $40,000,000, and giving employment to about 40,000 skilled artisans, to say nothing of the many millions of capital invested and the many thousands of people employed by houses engaged in the sale of these and other musical instruments.

It may not be out of place to state here that several of the New York pioneers of piano manufacturer are now (1896) still among the living. The oldest one in the world is, no doubt, Mr. John F. Luther, who will in May next celebrate his 91^st birthday in this city. Mr. Provost, high up in the eighties, is also still living. Mr. Wm. Clark, of the former firm of Nunns & Clark (son of the latter, who died in 1857), born at London, November 25, 1814, and who came with his father from England to New York in 1825, is still hale and hearty and lives at No. 7 East 129^th street, New York City. Mr. Hugh Hardman is over 80 years, Mr. James W. Vose nearly 80 years, and last but not least, Mr. Charles Fischer, the founder (in 1840, under the name of Nunns & Fischer) of the extensive house of J. & C. Fischer, at the age of seventy-seven years is still actively engaged in business with his sons. Mr. Thos. H. Chambers, the last surviving member of the once renowned firm of Dubois, Bacon & Chambers, of New York, died August 6, 1895, aged eighty-eight years, in the village of Sing Sing, NY, where he was born in 1807.

Next to pianos, no class of American instruments has attained the prominence of the American reed organs, the manufacture of which took distinct shape about the year 1850, commencing with melodeons in small square piano shape, produced in great excellence by the late George L. Prince, of Buffalo, NY, Carhart & Needham, of NewYork City, and many other makers. These readily gave way to the superb reed organs of Mason & Hamlin, of Boston, MA; the Estey Organ Company, of Brattleboro, VT; Burdett, of Erie, PA; the Fort Wayne Organ Company, of Fort Wayne, IN, and others too numerous to mention. Beside the interior capacity and the quality and quantity of tone, a variety of musical effects and the imitation of wind instruments, as well as exquisite external workmanship, were introduced by these and other manufacturers.

In good season, even before American pianos were exported, shiploads of these fine American reed organs were sent to Europe, especially to Great Britain, Sweden, Norway and other Protestant countries. Of late years, however, the importance of this branch of industry has diminished almost in the same ratio as the general interesting pianos has increased, the latter instrument becoming more and more popular. As the manufacture of the piano from year to year increased, the piano, with its larger compass and its greater variety of expression, allowing full scope for the individual touch and for novel musical effects, has gradually taken the place of the organ. It has become the most welcome instrument in the American home and family circle, being especially fitted for accompanying the voice. Of late many of the standard manufacturers of American reed organs have also gone into the manufacture of pianos, and several, such as A.B. Chase Co. and others have been very successful.

Formerly, with the exception of banjos and mandolins, all small string and wind instruments had to be imported. All this, by the constantly growing perfection of the American manufacture of these articles, has been so greatly modified that the importation of these instruments does not now cut very much of a figure. At the present time fine harps, violins, guitars, flutes and all kinds of wind instruments are successfully produced in the greatest perfection by American manufacturers in many of the larger cities of the country. They have greater durability, especially against climatic effects, than the imported articles, in which wood plays a part, can ever possess. Many millions of capital and thousands of skilled artisans are engaged in the manufacture of small musical instruments, and of late Chicago seems to make the greatest progress in this direction. Lyon & Healy, of that city, produce excellent small musical string instruments in large quantities, and their harps, which are of superb quality, are unexcelled by the best ones made in Europe. The latter are unable to withstand the effects of our severe North American climate for any reasonable length of time.

C.G. Conn, of Elkhart, IN, and Worcester, MA, also produces most excellent brass wind instruments in very large quantities. Vocalions, an English invention by Sir Bailey Hamilton, were first produced, and have been brought to high perfection by Messrs. Mason & Risch, Worcester, MA. Aeolians are also extensively manufactured and sold. Within a few years autoharps, manufactured by Alfred Dolge & Son, of Dolgeville, NY have come into great favor and are extensively produced.

The construction of church organs during the past 60 years has also reached large proportions in the United States. Everything is now manufactured, from the largest cathedral church organ down to the small portable pipe church organ. They are of the finest quality. Their most successful pioneers were George Jardine & Son, Henry Erben (father of United States Commodore Erben) and later on Mr. Roosevelt; all of them New York concerns.

By a sad coincidence and under peculiarly pathetic circumstances the last two senior members of the great organ firm of George Jardine & Sons, New York, have just passed away, both of heart disease, Joseph J. Jardine on Friday March 13, 1896, and Edward G. Jardine on Sunday March 15, 1896.

Their father, a highly skilled English church organ builder, came from London to New York, in 1836, and at once founded the firm of George Jardine & Co.

He had four sons, who were all brought up to the organ business and eventually became members of the firm. The late Edward G. Jardine, senior member of the firm, was born in England in 1830, and the late Joseph P. Jardine, was born in England in 1832. Both were taken ill on the same day and each was ignorant of the other’s sickness.

Messrs. Charles and Frederick Jardine, nephews of the deceased Edward G. and Joseph P. Jardine, are the surviving members of this justly celebrated firm of organ builders.

In all classes and kinds of musical instruments, including the comparatively modern Aeolian organ operated on the pneumatic principle, American ingenuity has achieved great triumphs and introduced many improvements, adding to the quality, and especially to the durability, of the article, so that the importation of them has almost ceased.

[1] This article is an exact transcription of from The Musical Courier with the exception of modernized spelling. The original article included no artwork.

[2] Dr. Al Rice pointed out the existence of grand pianos made in NY as early as the 1820s.

[3] Dr. Rice points out that the Mathushek firm made a small number of square pianos during the 1930s.

[4] The date of this patent is actually 1843.