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Ragtime Music in
Canada
Chapter 4: Piano Manufacturing in
Canada
By Ted Tjaden
[return to
Table of Contents] [go to
Chapter 5]
Canada
had a strong history in the manufacturing of
quality pianos. Dr Carmelle Bégin in Opus: The Making of
Musical Instruments in Canada [archived
version] describes the early history of
piano-making in the "history" chapter:
Piano
making began in Québec, thanks mostly to
artisans of German and British origins.
Frederick Hund was the first piano maker to
carry on his trade in the city, in 1816. A
number of other piano makers, including Thomas D
Hood, achieved success in the first half of the
nineteenth century. In 1851, there were four
piano makers in Toronto, ten in Montreal and
three in Québec. From the time of Confederation
to the turn of the century, several piano
manufacturers prospered, including Heintzman,
Mason & Risch, RS Williams, Willis, and
Lesage. However, few of the firms survived the
1930s depression. By 1980, only Heintzman and
Lesage pianos were manufactured in Canada.
| In Downright
Upright: A History of the Canadian Piano
Industry (Kelly:1991), Wayne
Kelly paints a vivid picture of the early
days of the industry, with there being
over 220 individual organ and piano
manufacturers in the past 175 years (Kelly:
1991:13), with most of them long since out
of business. But these Canadian-made
pianos, many of them exported to the
United States or Europe, were well made
and remain playable and valuable as
antiques. Many Canadian piano players are
familiar with the famous Canadian piano
brands, including Bell, Doherty, Dominion,
Heintzman, Lesage, Mason & Risch,
Nordheimer and Sherlock-Manning. |
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Kelly
(1991:14) describes the importance of pianos in
these terms:
The
piano was the first and only form of creative
expression most households would know. Many
hours each week were spent in the presence of
the keyboard .... "Mail order" brides moving to
the Canadian west often insisted that log cabins
and sod huts be equipped with a piano. In
schools, lodges, church basements, community
halls, and public buildings in every corner of
the province, the piano was a piece of standard
equipment.
An advertisement
for Mason & Risch pianos in the December 21,
1910, The Gazette (from Montreal)
boasts that the "advent of Mason & Risch in
the piano field was practically the renaissance of
the piano in Canada."
Many of
the Canadian piano manufacturers would provide
customers or prospective customers with a copy of
free sheet music, with the cover often providing
some advertising for the company. Most of these
compositions, some of which are set out below,
were not of high quality.
Samples
of Piano Company Sheet Music
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Adams, Frederick. The Newcombe
March and Two-Step. Toronto,
ON: Newcombe Piano Co, 1901 or 2.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada [top]
|
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Berger, HL. Mason and Risch Two
Step. Toronto, ON: Imperial
Music Publishing House, 1900?
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Carkeek, William. The Derby:
Two-Step. Toronto, ON: Frank
Stanley Piano, 191-?
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Duganne, Mahlon. The Ennis: March
and Two-Step. Hamilton, ON:
Ennis & Co, sd.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Fritz, Carl. Karn Piano Intermezzo.
Woodstock, ON: DW Karn Co, 19??
[view sheet
music]
Source:
University
of Toronto Music Library [top]
|
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Glionna, James. The W-R: Two Step.
Toronto, ON: Whaley, Royce & Co, 1895.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Gustin, Louise. Dominion March:
Two-Step. Toronto, ON:
Imperial Music Publishers, 1899.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Havermeyer, Theodore. Silver Bell:
Two-Step. Guelph, ON: Bell
Organ & Piano Co, sd.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Hulme, D'Arcy. Heintzman & Co
Waltz. Toronto, ON: Heintzman
& Co, 1899.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Léon, Paul. Ever Ready: March
Two-Step. Toronto, ON: Whaley
Royce, sd.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
University
of Toronto Music Library [top]
|
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Sekinger, Louis. Toronto Exposition
March. Toronto, ON: Whaley,
Royce & Co, 1899.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Stephenson, Harry. Doherty Rag.
Clinton, ON: W Doherty Piano & Organ
Co Ltd, 1913.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Tapley, Byron. The Berlin Polka.
St John, NB: GR Davis, 1901.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
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Tarbox, Charles Smith. The Bell
Waltzes. Toronto, ON: Imperial
Music Pub House, sd.
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Library
and Archives Canada
[top]
|
In the next chapter, I discuss the
ragtime revival in Canada that started in the late
1950's.
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