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Ragtime Music in Canada
Chapter 4:
Piano Manufacturing in Canada
By Ted Tjaden
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[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
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]
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In the next
chapter, I discuss the ragtime revival in
Canada that started in the late 1950's.
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