76 PAGES AND SUPPLEMENT.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL. XIX. No. 18.
published Every Saturday.
An Historical Sketch
of the
Music Trade
of
New England.
Some of the Early Pioneers—The First Or-
gan in America—The American Piano
—Crehore's Contemporaries—Early
Patents — Jonas Chickering—
The Gilberts and Others—
. From 1840 to 1894.
EFORE entering upon a brief retrospect of
the evolution of the music trade industry
In New England, it will not be out of place to
delve somewhat into history and trace the con-
ditions which led up to New England's present
high plane of art endeavor and achievement,
gaining thereby an adequate understanding and
appreciation of its musical progress.
THE BIRTHPLACE OF MUSICAL EFFORT.
At the outset it will strike the student of early
musical effort in this country as passing strange
to find that in the forbidding soil, which had for
its early settlers the stern and prosaic Puritans
and their followers, American musical effort first
saw light; for, notwithstanding the general ten-
dency to sneer and make light of the work of the
pioneers of American music and song, it cannot
be denied that in the rude and unskillful efforts
of the Psalmodists of New England was born
that child of song which has struggled through
uncongenial environment, gathering strength
with each onward step, until it gradually entered
upon new conditions, and has grown to such
fair and noble proportions. It is true, however,
that its growth was stimulated rather by religi-
ous than by art impulses. None-the-less it was
the origin of musical effort in this country.
THE
FOUNDATION
OF OUR NATIONAL CIVILI-
ZATION.
What a great people were those primitive New
Englanders, and what a leading role they have
played in the fascinating drama of American
history, from the early Colonial days to our own
period. In the New England States were im-
planted the germs of American liberty and inde-
pendence. There were sown the seeds of those
frugal and industrial habits, that facility in
adapting means to ends and meeting the pecu-
liar contingencies of their lot, that still
characterize the majority of the American
people. There were laid the foundation of most
of the mechanic arts, and a judicious encourage-
ment of education and the diffusion of knowl-
edge, all combining in a vigorous civilization
which has spread itself into every section of the
*
ftew YorK, November 24, 1894.
country, building up the fair fabric of our
national civilization.
The teachings and influence of the early New
Englanders, the majority of whom were imbued
with a spirit of freedom and independence, made
possible the Revolution, from which practically
the United States can date the native growth
and development of her manufactures, literature
and art.
THE FIRST MUSICAL EFFORT.
As before remarked, it is somewhat anomalous
to find that in the home of the early citizens of
New England, who had such peculiar, and to
our eyes, absurd ideas, about literature and the
arts, should be founded the first college and the
first printing press, which was erected in 1638,
and from which, two years later, was printed the
1
' Bay Psalm Book.'' From this crude typo-
graphical effort may be dated the birth of
American musical culture, which had to fight its
way against the prejudice and bigotry of the
times. For the Puritans considered all forms of
music and all instruments unchristian.
As early as 1690 music was printed in Boston,
and some specimens exist which were printed in
1698 in the same city. Crude and full of errors,
it seems in our day, nevertheless it marks the
slow and laborious growth in musical taste
among the limited number who were so ungodly
as to espouse that " evil accomplishment."
$3 00 PKR YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
record was erected in the Queen's Chapel, Boston,
by Thomas Brattle, in 1711. It was erected
after seven months of hard fighting against
ignorance and prejudice, having remained un-
packed during that time in the porch of the
church.
AN ORGAN OF DOMESTIC MANUFACTURE IN 1745.
The birth of musical instrument manufactur-
ing in New England, can be dated from the
church organ built by Edward Bromfield, Jr., in
Boston, in 1745. It was the first organ built in
America. The Rev. Thomas Prince, thus de-
scribes this pioneer effort in the Panopolist :
" As he was well skilled in Music, he, for exercise and
recreation, has made a most accurate organ, with two
rows of keys and many hundred pipes, his intention being
twelve hundred, but died before he completed it. The
workmanship of the keys and pipes, surprisingly nice
and curious, exceeding anything of the kind that ever
came here from England; which he designed not merely
to refresh his spirits, but with harmony to mix, enliven
and regulate his delightful songs to his great Creator,
Preserver, Benefactor and Redeemer. . . . And what
is surprising was that he had but a few times looked into
the inside work of two or three organs that came from
England."
Bromfield's creation gave a stimulus to home
manufacture, for we find Thomas Johnson enter-
ing the field shortly after. He built an organ
for Christ Church, Boston, in 1752, and also an
organ for the Episcopal Church of Salem, Mass.,
part of which was preserved in Boston up to a
recent
date.
THE NAME OF WILLIAM BILLINGS A LANDMARK.
Another
noted organ builder of that period
In the early part of the eighteenth century, as
was
William
Goodrich, born in 1777, at Temple-
the narrowed minds saw light, marked progress
ton,
Mass.
His
instruments attained a special
was made against adverse conditions, and several
prominence
owing
to their unusual excellence,
publications bearing upon religious songs were
comparing
very
favorably
with the foreign organs
published, leading up to William Billings' ap-
in
use
at
that
time.
This
firm was succeeded
pearance in the field of church music. His
by
Thomas
Appleton,
an
apprentice
of William
name can undoubtedly be looked upon as a land,
Goodrich,
a
well
known
figure
during
the first
mark in the progress of musical art in America.
quarter
of
the
present
century,
and
from
whose
He was born in Boston, in 1746, and he pub-
house
sprung
many
of
the
church
organ
manu-
lished the '' New England Psalm Singer '' in
1770, which became very popular with the public. facturers known of to-day, In New England.
Billings, during the War of Independence, gave BOSTON THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE MUSIC
TRADE INDUSTRY.
himself and his musical talents to patriotic effu-
sion, and he became virtually the patriotic
The great battles fought in the Colonial days
psalm singer, and his success stimulated the for the advancement of musical culture and
ardor of the people and led the way to victory mental liberty, took place in the Capital City of
on many a field of battle.
New England—Boston. From this historic city
emanated
the printed utterances and liberal
LOWELL MASON.
thoughts
that
helped to make possible the ad-
After Billings' time the conditions were hope-
ful for the cause of musical advancement, and vancement of music and the mechanic arts.
many figures noted in this direction helped the Hence it was not surprising that in this city
successful effort and true direction of musical should be manufactured the first'organ made in
life up to the appearance of that apostle of this country. Boston, since the very earliest
musical progress, Lowell Mason, to whose labors day, has been famous as the birthplace of our
greatest educators—the noble minds that have
and efforts are due an eternal debt of gratitude.
enriched the literature of our country. But what
THE FIRST ORGAN IN AMERICA.
is more important to us, it stands forth in the
The toleration of psalmody in churches was relation of a national school to the music trade
followed in due time by a more enlightened feel- industry of this country ; principally because
ing toward musical instruments, which, for a some of the most significant technical and acous-
long time, had been considered •' Quakerish and tical traits of the piano, as it is to-day, origi-
Popish devices and snares of the evil one." nated there in part. Mr. Daniel Spillane, in his
{Continued on page 5.)
Hence the first organ of which we have a definite