FACTS RELATING TO ^THE ORIGINAL MATHUSHEK€¦ · THE 7VHJSIC TRMDE REVIEWII FACTS RELATING TO...

THE 7VHJSIC TRMDE REVIEW II

FACTS RELATING TO ^THE_ORIGINAL MATHUSHEK"Who Made Mathushck Pianos Before the New Haven Corporation Was Formed and After Mathushek Severed

Relations With That Institution—For Over Two Decades Pianos Bearing the Name of MathushekHave Been Made in This City by Legitimate Concerns, With Which the Mathusheks Have beenAllied—"Demands" Made by the New Haven Concern—Some Old Advertising Which Defines thePosition of the New York House—An impartial Review.

Now that a legal battle over the use ofthe name Mathushek seems imminent, it isan opportune time to give a history of thetwo enterprises as well as the connectionwith each of the men whose patronymic ap-pears in both of the incorporated companies,

Frederick Mathushek was born on the 9thof June, 1814, in Mannheim, Germany, andfrom his earliest youth manifested an earnestdesire to master the art of piano building.To accomplish this end was not an easy mat-ter, there being at that time very few pianofactories on the continent of Europe.

Boyish audacity, however, came to the as-sistance of the young aspirant. Being curi-ous to inspect the interior construction ofthe piano, he quietly invaded the drawing-room, in the palace of Mannheim, of the thenreigning Grand Duchess Stephany, and dis-sected that august lady's grand piano.

To his horror he was unable to replace theparts. Driven to bay, he confided his mis-demeanor to the Grand Duchess, who notonly forgave him, but, admiring his ambi-tion and search after knowledge, used her in-fluence on his behalf and obtained his appren-ticeship to one of the best pianoforte makersof the day.

At the age of seventeen he had learned allthat his master could teach him, and had ac-quired, also, local fame as a successful ex-perimenter.

Subsequently he traveled through Ger-many, Austria and Russia, working "in thepiano factories of those countries and addingto his knowledge.

» • « • • * * •Mr. Mathushek next went to Paris, where

he entered into a contract to experiment forthe celebrated piano maker, M. Pape. Wenext find him with the London house ofErard, then at the zenith of its fame. Herehe attracted the attention of the piano tradeof England, and his studio was daily crowd-ed with persons of distinction.

All this time, however, Mathushek earnest-ly desired to settle in America, in whichcountry he felt that his genius would havefree course. He landed on these shores in1849.

The same year he became associated withone of the old-time piano men of this city,John B. Dunham.

From 1852 to 1857 ^ r - Mathushek man-ufactured the Mathushek piano in this city.He then became associated with another NewYork man and between them they producedsome novelties, such as double soundingboard pianos, built oval on both sides andviolin shaped, the lifting hammer rail for softpedal purposes, etc.

A year or two later Mathushek again start-ed for himself and soon surprised the tradeby producing his mammoth grand piano, be-lieved to have been the largest ever construct-ed. It was afterwards used at Gilmore'smemorable mammoth musical festival at Bos-ton, Mass. In 1862 he invented the "orches-

tral or equalizing scale," and in 1864 broughtout the "Colibri" piano.

In 1866, through efforts made by an agentin the city of New Haven, Conn., the Mathu-shek Piano Co. was formed and incorporatedunder the laws of Connecticut.

This company flourished, selling great num-bers of "Orchestrals" and "Colibris." In1867 three of their instruments were exhib-ited at the Fair of the American Institute,New York City, and in respect thereof Mr,Frederick Mathushek received two highestdiplomas, one for the Colibri "possessinggreat power and sweetness of tone in a smallcompass," and the other for Mathushek'sconcert grand, "the best on exhibition." Atthe same time the judges of pianos at thefair signed a declaration that they awardedto Frederick Mathushek "the honor of mak-ing the best of this class of instruments thenand there exhibited, or known to us else-where."

* * * * * * * *Disagreements arose and Mr. Mathushek

came back to New York, where he continuedthe manufacture of pianos.

In 1879 the veteran piano-maker took outa patent for a method of stringing wherebythe sounding board is balanced. Of this"equilibre (or balance) system" he made aspecialty.

Mr. Mathushek was an indefatigable in-ventor, and the records of the Patent Officeshow that from 1849, the first year he landed,he was busy at work upon inventions until1879, for during that period fourteen patentswere granted him.

This piano maker was never satisfied un-less at his bench, and after returning to NewYork from his New Haven venture he be-gan to manufacture pianos.

The Review of the early eighties containedthe following advertisement:

Genuine Mathushek Pianos

GRAND, SQUAREand UPRIGHT • « « «

Under the EQUILIBRE SYSTEM.Patented February 4th, iSjq.

MATHUSHEK & KINKELDEY,129th Street, bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves., NEW YORK.

Wartr00ms'. 21b East I2btk St., N. Y.

Later Victor Hugo Mathushek, who hadworked for years with him, became associatedwith the veteran inventor, and the firm namebecame Mathushek & Son.

The Review of 1888 contained the follow-ing announcement:

MATHUSHEK & SON,Manufacturers of the

CELEBRATED EQUILIBRE SYSTEM,GRAND, SQUARE ANDUPRIGHT PIANOS &

Patented Feb. 4th i&rq. 242-244 E. 122nd St.Warerooms: 108-110 E. 125th St., N. Y.

N. B.—No connection with the Mathushek Piano Mfg-.Co. of New Haven, Conn. They can't use our equilibresystem or any of Frederick Mathushek's later inventions.

In 1890 Mathushek & Son was incorpor-ated under the laws of the State of New York,and the following were the incorporators:Frederick Mathushek, Victor Hugo Mathu-shek, Charles Jacob and C. Albert Jacob.Since that time the Mathushek pianos havebeen manufactured by a corporation, as thefactory in later years has been located at thecorner of Forty-seventh street and P>roadway.

Frederick Mathushek continued at his fac-tory work and died a number of years afterthe incorporation of the company.

* * * * * * * *The New Haven factory was some time

after the incorporation removed to WestHaven, where a special factory was erectedfor the manufacture of Mathushek pianos.This factory is in many respects perhaps themost novel in this trade, it being only onestory in height and covering several acres ofground.

The raw material starts at one end and atthe other end of this unique factory comesthe finished product.

Henry S. Parmelee was the president formany years of the New Haven corporation,and since his death the presidency has beenheld by his son, Henry F. Parmelee, a tal-ented young attorney of New Haven,

The New Haven concern now demands ofthe gentlemen composing the members of theNew York Mathushek corporation:

We hereby demand that you and each ofyou, desist and refrain, and cause your agents,servants and employees and all other per-sons acting under you or on your behalf, todesist and refrain from using the nameMathushek alone or in connection, colloca-tion or conjunction with any other word orwords in any manner in connection with themanufacture or sale of pianos; from placingor causing to be placed on pianos the nameof Mathushek in any form, or any name inimitation thereof; from selling or offeringfor sale any pianos on which the name Mathu-shek, or any name that may simulate or re-semble the name of Mathushek, is placed;from publishing or advertising the pianosmade or sold by you to be Mathushek pianosor in any manner whatsoever representingsuch pianos to be Mathushek pianos; fromrepresenting in any manner that pianos madeor sold by you are genuine Mathushek pia-nos, or the only Mathushek pianos, or theonly genuine Mathushek pianos; from repre-senting in any manner that pianos made orsold by you are the only pianos made by aMathushek or the only pianos in which aMathushek is at all interested; from repre-senting in any manner whatsoever that pia-nos made or sold by you are manufactured

by our company." * • * * * * * *

This is a case containing more than usualinterest.

We are not aware of any objection whichhas hitherto been made to prevent FrederickMathushek from using his patronymic inconnection with piano manufacturing.

While there were a number of changes inthe firm from 1879 to 1890, the name Mathu-shek was kept a dominant one on pianosmanufactured by him, no legal contentionhaving been made to prevent the continuanceof this name.

The Mathushek & Son Co., of which theoriginal Mathushek was one of the founders,has' been a company regularly incorporated.

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