Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- The Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature documents the development of the music industry, mainly in the United States. The largest known collection of its kind, it contains material about the manufacture of pianos, organs, and mechanical musical instruments. The materials include catalogs, books, magazines, correspondence, photographs, broadsides, advertisements, and price lists. The collection was created, and originally donated to the University of Maryland, by Richard J. Howe. It was transferred to the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound in 2015 to support the Player Piano Project.
- Extent:
- 440 box(es) 353 linear feet
- Language:
- Multiple languages and The collection is primarily in English. There are additionally some materials in German, French, Italian, and Dutch.
- Preferred citation:
-
Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature, ARS-0167. Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Howe Musical Instrument Literature Collection consists of over 352 linear feet of publications and documents comprising more than 14,000 items.
The collection contains a significant number of rare brochures and trade catalogs dating from 1854-1992 published by the companies which manufactured piano players and player pianos, organs, music boxes, nickelodeons, phonographs, and other mechanical music machines. Of particular importance is a definitive collection of the literature pertaining to the three major types of reproducing piano systems: Ampico, Duo-Art, and Welte-Mignon, containing more than 90 percent of the items published on these three systems in the United States, plus a substantial amount of literature on reproducing pianos from England and Germany. Nearly every major company in the mechanical music business is represented including piano players and player pianos by the Baldwin Piano Co., Chickering & Sons, Steinway, Wilcox & White Co.; organs by Estey, Mason and Hamlin, Story and Clark, Wurlitzer; phonographs and jukeboxes by Wurlitzer and RCA Victor; music boxes by Jacot & Sons, Lyon & Healy, Mermod Freres; nickelodeons by the Berry-Wood Piano Player Co., the Marquette Piano Co., Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co.; and orchestrions by E. Boecker Organ & Orchestrion Co., Ludwig Hupfeld, Limonaire Freres; and many others.
The literature is very wide ranging in its format including trade magazines, technical manuals, promotional brochures, broadsides, commercial documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, books, correspondence, sheet music, society periodicals, price lists, novelty items, Victorian-era trade cards, post cards, postal covers, and original advertisements. All of these publications and documents depict a vibrant music industry that flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries and provides insight into musical performance, musical life and society that still influences our culture today.
There is additionally a small amount of video and audio recordings.
Through a generous gesture of inter-institutional cooperation to support the Player Piano Project the collection was transferred from the University of Maryland, College Park, where it had been preserved since 1996, to Stanford University's Archive of Recorded Sound. The collection was originally created and collected by Richard J. Howe, an oil company executive and mechanical engineer as well as a mechanical music collector and author.
NOTE: There are three oversize items that are temporarily being stored in the Archive of Recorded Sound.
The items are:
• Piano key action demonstration model: Mason & Hamlin Piano Company [possibly a two key demonstration model of the grand piano action developed by Clarence Hickman]
• Carved wooden artwork advertisement: Dunham Piano Company
• Guided Fingers roll: Damp-Chaser Corporation
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is divided into the following six separate series: Series 1: Piano literature. Series 2: Organ literature. Series 3: Mechanical musical instruments literature. Series 4: Jukebox literature. Series 5: Phonographic literature. Series 6: General music literature.
- Physical location:
- Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94305-3076".
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research; material must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Contact the Archive of Recorded Sound for assistance. Some of the bound volumes are fragile and may require special care during handling.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head Librarian, Archive of Recorded Sound, Braun Music Center, Stanford, California 94305. Consent is given on behalf of the Archive of Recorded Sound as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns.
- Preferred citation:
-
Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature, ARS-0167. Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.
- Location of this collection:
-
Braun Music Center, 541 Lasuen MallStanford, CA 94305-3076, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-9312