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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
D. W. KARN.
D. W. Karn & Co.
all Canada no man has played a more ini-
portant part in the development of the mu-
sico-industrial enterprises than has D. W. Karn,
of Woodstock, Ont. The personal history of Mr.
Karn is a story of aggressive enterprise backed
by indomitable will power. His early surround-
ings were not widely different from those of
other country boys whose youth were passed
with agricultural advantages instead of mechan-
ical privileges. As a boy he was musically in-
clined, investing the first forty dollars he ever
earned in a melodeon. Being naturally of a
mechanical turn of mind, he at once decided
that his lines in the future would be cast in de-
veloping this particular branch of industry.
In 1869 he commenced in a small way, secur-
ing limited factory quarters, and machinery of
a primitive style, he launched out as a manu-
facturer of musical instruments. From the very
first his business enterprise prospered, gradu-
ally increasing his trade until it had reached
a very satisfactory output. But his onward
march to wealth and fame was not an uninter-
rupted one, and he met with reverses which
would have retarded a man of less aggressive-
ness.
It was in 1879 when his factory, which was
then an imposing one, was totally destroyed by
fire. He lost no time in wailing over his loss.
He at once commenced the erection of a new
building and within a few weeks from the time
his factory was destroyed he was again running
smoothly. His business continued to expand—
reaching foreign countries—and his organs were
received with great favor everywhere. But in
1886 he was again visited by fire which swept
away his magnificent factory property ; this
time, as before, his courage never failed him,
and his factory was speedily rebuilt on an
enlarged plan.
The present Karn factories have a capacity of
one hundred and twenty-five organs and twenty
pianos per week. They are substantially built
of brick, and provided with all modern mechan-
ical appliances for the production of musical
instruments of a high grade. Several hundred
men are constantly employed, and during the
past summer, a summer of unprecedented dull-
ness, there was no reduction of the working
hours or of the number of men employed in the
Karn factories.
It is not surprising that a man of such coura-
geous business instincts should create musical
instruments of unquestioned merit. His business
has extended to all parts of the world, receiving
one order for thirty-five hundred organs for
export trade at the Inter-Colonial Exposition
in London eight years ago. This we believe to
be the largest order ever given for organs to any
manufacturer. He has established branch offices
in London and Liverpool, England, and at Ham-
burg, Germany. These points are made dis-
tributing centres for (ireat Britain and contin-
ental Europe. He has also established agencies
in South Africa, Japan, China, India, Australia
and New Zealand and many other countries
Throughout all Canada leading dealers are
warm in their praise of the excellence of the
Karn instruments.
Some years ago he decided to add the manu-
facture of pianos to his business. In this con-
nection Mr. Karn decided that his name should
be associated only with pianos of a high grade.
He made a careful study of the situation, and
SYDNEY ASHDOWN.
the result of his investigations was that when
the first Karn piano was placed upon the mar- by branch houses in New York and Toronto,
ket it was a pronounced success—architecturally Canada. The Canadian branch is located at Nos.
and musically.
122-124 Yonge street, Toronto, and is under the
A glance at the features of Mr. Karn, which management of Mr. Sydney Ashdown, one of
are here delineated, will show that he is a man the sons oftthe founder of the business, Edwin
of strong personality, which has been fully Ashdown. The Ashdown house was perhaps
demonstrated in his life work.
the first English house to do a music business
Aside from the superintendence of his vast in Canada, and since 1889 has been consolidated
industrial enterprises, he has been prominent in with the Anglo-Canadian Music Publishers' As-
the commercial and educational development of sociation, Limited.
the city which he has chosen as his abiding
Mr. Sydney Ashdown has a thorough knowl-
place. He has been a generous giver to his edge of the music business, having made a close
native town in matters of benevolence, giving study of its various ramifications for fourteen
largely to objects which interest him, particu- years. Some idea may be formed of the magni-
larly in higher education. The citizens of tude of the Ashdown music publishing business
Woodstock have honored him with all the posi- when we state that their catalogue comprises
tions of trust within their gift. He has been upwards of thirty thousand compositions, the
Mayor of the City, Chairman of Finance, Water largest published in F)ngland, and we believe
Commissioner, and has held many other posi- second only to Ricordi, of Milan, in continental
tions of trust and honor. He has also given Europe.
with an unstinted hand toward all art and musi-
We have noticed in the published reports of
cal enterprises.
the copyright sales in England that the Ashdown
Thus we record the history of the man whose firm has always been a prominent purchaser,
early surroundings were not conducive of busi- and some idea may be formed of the vast capital
ness development, yet who, by sheer force of which it requires to conduct the business
intellectual and mechanical abilities, has forced when we state that this firm at one of the recent
his way to a high position both at home and copyright sales has paid upwards of five thous-
abroad.
and dollars for a single composition. Their
The life of D. W. Karn furnishes a forcible plates alone represent a princely sum, and, if
illustration that after all it is not so much the extended, would reach a distance of sixty miles.
earlier advantages which make the man, as it is They have published all of Sydney Smith's
the pluck and enterprise to create conditions and compositions, and this noted composer was for
overcome obstacles. It also shows that Canada twenty-five years under contract to write only
furnishes an ample field for young men with for them. During the last ten years they have
ambition and integrity who can there mount purchased copyrights of other firms to an amount
the ladder of fame round by round. It will be exceeding two hundred thousand dollars. Aside
well for the Canadian youths to study the history from their own publications, the Canadian
of D. W. Karn. They should profit by it.
branch represents leading European houses,
among whom are Boosey & Co., Chappell &
Co., Enoch & Sons, Patey & Willis, Peters, of
Leipzig, Litolff and others.
Ashdown's
Music Store.
wJK NAME familiar to music lovers in all
© ^ parts of the civilized world is " Ash-
down.'' This house was established in London
nearly seventy years ago by Wessell & Co., but
for the last fifty years has been known as the
Ashdown business (for some years Ashdown &
Parry). The business has developed gradually,
until to-day it extends all over Europe, India,
Australia and South Africa, being represented
One of the Host Readable of flusical Pub-
lications.
KEYNOTE, published by Edward Ly-
man Bill of New York, is one of the most
readable of musical publications that come to
our office. It always has excellent, original
and selected articles, and its new music is worth
possessing. The September number is just out.
Boston Times, September 9th.