Music Trade Review

Issue: 1895 Vol. 21 N. 14

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
94 PAGES WITH SUPPLEMENT.
VOL. XXI. No. 14.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East FourteentH Street. .New York, October 26,1895,
The Piano Industry in New York,
ITS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH.
k
HE short period of our
national history has fur-
nished an unexampled pro-
gress in productive industry,
and in all the elements of a
great and increased material
prosperity.
Take the evolution of the
music trade industry right
here in New York since the day when
George Ulshoefer exhibited "a patent high
strung pianoforte" of his own manufac-
ture in the coffee room of the City Tavern,
in 1785, and what a glorious history is re-
corded!
Throw aside for the moment its commer-
cial and technical aspects, and consider the
important part this industry has played as
a factor in our civilization. Through its
aid the humanizing influence of music has
been disseminated throughout our country,
thus elevating the human mind to a higher
plane of intellectual and spiritual attain-
ment.
From all nations have been recruited the
skillful hands and tireless minds which
helped to lay the foundation of our great
art industry.
And what a grand structure has been
raised by patient toil, indomitable energy
and intelligent foresight!
When this country was in its swaddling
clothes New York, as a piano center, did
not cut much of a figure. It took the
people some time to realize that they were
not chained in complete dependence upon
the workshops of Europe. They had won
the right to political freedom and thought,
and soon realized that industrial freedom
could only come through self-help in the
form of home manufactures.
The universality of this feeling led to a
demand for home products, and, as a matter
of course, for skilled mechanics. This re-
sulted in a "tide of emigration to these
shores, bringing not only the practical
thinkers who worked at the bench, but men
skilled in the arts, hence at an early date
New York was able to boast of a settlement
of musicians and art patrons who helped
sow the seeds of that culture which found
its fruition in a new atmosphere of musical
taste and refinement.
With this environment the piano became
a necessity.
New York slowly but surely usurped the
place then held by Boston and Philadelphia
as a center of art and literary activity,
and followed suit in piano making, a su-
premacy which it has since held and main-
tains to-day.
THE PRECURSORS OE THE PIANO—IMPORTERS
AND MANUFACTURERS.
Long before this country was emanci-
pated from foreign political domination
and entered into business on its own ac-
count, spinets and harpsichords were com-
mon in the homes of every family having
any claim to -distinction in New York.
They were imported by general merchants
in the same manner as books, paintings
and furniture, and among those distin-
guished in that business—some of whom
imported pianos in later years—were Levy,
Goelet, Campbell, Gault, Rivington, Astor
and others.
In the meantime, spinet and harpsichord
making was not unknown in New York, and
it is on record that one, Tremaine, a skillful
cabinet maker and musician, incidentally
made a harpsichord of "a most agreeable
and melodious volume and tone character,"
which was used in the old John Street
Theatre in 1759, at a benefit performance
arranged by a company of London thes-
pians just in town. In addition to his
ability in this direction Tremaine was an
able histrion, who held no insignificant
place on the New York stage until after the
Revolution.
Another manufacturer of harpsichords,
and it may be said the first general dealer in
guitars, drums and all sorts of musical in-
struments, was David Walhaupter, who, in
an advertisement in the New York Journal
$t.oo PER \ EAR.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
in 1773, announced this fact from his ad.
dress "at the upper end of Fair street.
Around that period and up to the close of
the last century, a number of dealers came
to the surface who made repairing a spec-
ialty. In the files of the New York Journal
we find many announcements of interest in
this connection. For instance, in that
paper of May 14th, 1775, w e ^ n ^ William
Pierson announcing from his address "at
the sign of the Dial, Hanover Square,"
that he teaches vocal music and the harpsi-
chord, also tunes harpsichords and other
musical instruments. Others mentioned in
later issues were William C. Hulett and
Gilfert, who kept a regular line of pianos
and musical instruments, and Joseph Adam
Fleming, who advertised himself in the
Independent Gazette for May, 1785, as
"harpsichord and pianoforte maker from
Europe," with his significant postscript:
"Harpsichords and other instruments
made, sold, bought, and exchanged or let
out at quarterly payments at 27 Crown
street." Later John Jacob Astor, who was
engaged since 1789 in the fur exporting
busniess, and who imported pianos and
other merchandise for retail trade. Astor
was succeeded by Michael and John Paff in
1802, which business subsequently fell into
the hands of Wm. Dubois.
'"_.
THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF PIANOS.
The first definite evidence about the early
manufacture of pianos in New York ap-
peored in Louden s Register, under date of
February 12th, 1792, and is as follows:
"Messrs. Dodds & Claus, musical instru-
ment manufactory, 66 Queen street, an-
nounce that the forte piano has become so
exceedingly fashionable in Europe that few
polite families are without it. This much-
esteemed instrument forms an agreeable
accompaniment to the female voice, takes
up but little room, may be moved with ease,
and consequently kept in tune with little
attention, so it is on that account superior
to the harpsichord. The improvements
which Messrs Dodds & Claus have made in
the forte piano have rendered it much more
acceptable than those imported. The in-
troduction of their newly invented hammers
and dampers is acknowledged to be a great
improvement, as also the means they have
taken to prepare their wood to stand the
effect of our climate, which imported in-
struments never do, but are sure to suffer
Continued on page
Seven.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
EDWARD L\MAN
Editor and Proprietor,
PUBLISHED
EVERY
SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage) United States and
Canada, $300 per year; Foreign Countries, I4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts . special dis-
count is allowed.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency foriii, ehould
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Cla> r Matter.
"THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
IMPERIAL NEW YORK.
HIS issue of THE Music TRADE REVIEW
will show to the world something of
the musical industries of the Empire State.
It will give the reader a fair, although not
a complete, idea of the resources of New
York in our musico-industrial line.
It will show more—as it gives a fair an-
alysis and showing up of the different per-
sonalities who have contributed in a force-
ful manner toward the development and
extension of the musical affairs of the nation
and of the world.
It will show not alone manufacturers,
but portraits of dealers as well.
The New York Number certainly takes
pre-eminence as a trade journal, and it is in
many respects one of the most remarkable
trade publications ever issued.
It closes a most notable series. A series
which have been educational as well as inter-
esting—a series which have been the means
of bringing the trade in widely separated
sections of the country into closer acquaint-
ance.
It was more than a year ago that we
commenced with the California Number—
then the Western—the Canadian—the New
England—the Southern, and now the New
York Number.
T
Hundreds of portraits of dealers and
manufacturers have been published, and
copies of the papers have been scattered
throughout the world. They have been
preserved as volumes of reference, as in
each number there has been much valuable
historical data. They have been read with
as much interest in other parts as in the
particular section of which they were de-
scriptive. The New York Number is the
greatest journalistic triumph of the series,
in that we have relied only upon a single
State for such a great issue. This, we be-
lieve, has never been attempted before in
journalism, but THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
maps out original lines—it does not adhere
to the old beaten paths.
The management of this paper has not
sought patronage outside of the limits of
the Empire State. Not one firm in any
other section of the country has been solic-
ited, directly or indirectly, for an advertise,
ment, and yet, through the New York
Number of THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, the
whole world learns of the music trade in-
dustries of this imperial State. The men
who have made this issue possib'e will re-
ceive their reward in the widely diffused
knowledge of their wares.
Some idea of the great work necessary in
the preparation and successful publication
of such a journal, may be estimated when
we say that a number exceeding ten thou-
sand of this edition has been printed. We
would refer to the specially designed covers,
the beautiful art display and arrangement
of the advertising pages. The printing and
typography of the paper must compel ad-
miration from all readers.
As a trade paper is to a large degree a
reflex of that trade, then such a publication
as this dignifies the music trade of this
great State before the world. It also fur-
nishes conclusive evidence that New York
is well maintaining her supremacy as the
leading State of the Union in the particular
field of which this paper is an exponent.
To enter into detail as to the number of
establishments, the value of leased property,
direct investment, miscellaneous expenses,
number of employees, total annual wages,
cost of materials used, value of products and
all that, belongs to a statistical report and
which very few men care to go over in its
dry details. Sufficient is it to say that the
number of men and capital employed in the
sale and manufacture of musical instruments
in the Empire State exceed several times
the amount invested in any other State.
We can, however, in a general way, say a
few words about New York city, which
will serve to show the tremendous force
which this great metropolis exercises upon
the nation and upon the world.
There are over 25,000 manufacturing es-
tablishments in this city alone, which spend
every year over $60,000,000 for their mis-
cellaneous expenses. They pay out over
$370,000,000 for the materials used in their
manufactures. They pay out over $250,-
000,000 in wages every year. In fact, the
total value of products from the different
industries in New York in 1890 approxi-
mated $800,000,000. The total trade of New
York, covering export and import trade
as well as the value of local manufactures,
amounts to 3 1 »7 2 9>248,190, of which, less
than $1,000,000,000 represents our foreign
trade, over $770,000,000 representing the
value of our local manufactures in one year.
We can, however, more properly appre-
ciate the extent of this vast amount of com-
merce by pointing out that it means a com-
bined foreign and domestic trade exceeding
over $144,000,000 every month in the year.
That it means a combined foreign and
domestic trade exceeding $33,250,000 every
week in the year, and that it means an ag-
gregate of business exceeding $5,500,000
each and every business day in the year.
Great as New York is to-day, it will be
greater a few years hence, and we look for-
ward with interest, with pride and with
pleasure to the growth of that Greater New
York which will make the imperial city of
the Empire State the largest and most im-
portant commercial center in the universe.
Think of what the growth and expansion
of the music trade manufactures of this
city and of tne great commonwealth of
New York will mean a quarter of a century
hence. At that time THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW may be publishing, weekly, such
gigantic editions as we present to our read-
ers to-day.
New York is proud of her past, enthusi-
astic over her present, and carefully guard-
ing her glorious future. Small wonder
that the manufacturers in other great com-
mercial centers turn with longing eyes to-
ward the great purchasing power and the
enormous wealth of the Empire State's six
and a half million of people.
No State furnishes such a field for com-
mercial development, and thus it will
always remain. New York city stands at
the gateway of the new world, gladly and
hospitably receiving the thousands from
over-crowded Europe as they are borne up
the beautiful Narrows past the majestic
Statue of Liberty. She knows her strength,
can afford to be generous and recognize all
other commercial centers, all other great
States as equals in every sense in their ex-
ercise of independence in the sisterhood of
States, but, after all, there is but one im-
perial New York, and upon her brow she
wears the crown of glory.
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