Collection Guide
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Howe (Richard J.) Collection of Musical Instrument
Literature
ARS.0167
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
Multiple languages
Contributing Institution:
Archive of Recorded Sound
Title: Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature
Identifier/Call Number: ARS.0167
Identifier/Call Number: 966
Physical Description:
440 box(es)
353 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1838-2002
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.
Physical Location: Stanford Archive of
Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94305-3076".
Language of Material: The collection
is primarily in English. There are additionally some materials in German, French, Italian,
and Dutch.
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.
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
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.
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.
Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Literature, ARS-0167. Stanford Archive of Recorded
Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.
35 audio discs were removed from the Howe Collection and interfiled in the Stanford
University Archive of Recorded Sound's disc collection.
Total discs removed: 35 (12" discs (27), 10" discs (5), 8" soundsheet (1), 7" discs (2)).
The following discs were removed (listing title of disc, manufacturer name, issue number,
and size of disc):
• 5 American Mechanical Musical Instruments, Americana Recording Studios, AR LPMS 2049 (12"
disc)
• Selections from Olde Tyme Musical Museum, Americana Recording Studios, AR LPMS 2050 (x2)
(12" disc)
• APM Celebrates A Century of Sound (1877-1977), Antique Phonograph Monthly, 410782A&BX
(8" soundsheet)
• Before Talkies & TV: Wurlitzer Model O Theatre Player, Audio Fidelity Records, AFSD
6204 (12" disc)
• Come to the Fair: Wurlitzer Model 1957 /band Organ, Audio Fidelity Records, AFSD 6144
(12" disc)
• Merry Go Round Music, Audio Fidelity, AFLP 901 (10" disc)
• Circus Calliope Music, Audio Fidelity, AFLP 904 (10" disc)
• Old Music Box Melodies (set of 3 discs), Bornand Music Box Record, RB 1 (RB 101, RB 102,
RB 103, RB 105, RB 106) (10" disc)
• Symphonion Music Box: The "Eroica" Three-Disc, Bornand Music Box, RCB-7 (12" disc)
• Afternoon in Amsterdam: Featuring Gavioli Draaiorgel "Jupiter", Capitol Records, T-10003
(12" disc)
• Albert Bock's Drehorgel-Souvenirs, Chor Music, CM 2045 (x2) (12" disc)
• Berlin das ist die ganze Welt, Chor Music, CM 2093 (x2) (12" disc)
• Wurlitzer/Weber Orchestrions: The Amazing Mechanical Concert Orchestras, Concert
Recording, CR-M050 (12" disc)
• Fairground Favorites, Concert Recording, CR-M052 (12" disc)
• America 1900: 110 Key Gavioli Organ, Concert Recording, CR-M053 (12" disc)
• Dennis James at the Fotoplayer, Concert Recording, CR-M109 (12" disc)
• Sidewalks of New York, Columbia Records, M 34159 (12" disc)
• Music of the Street Organ, Decca Eclipse, ECS-R 2075 (12" disc)
• Marching With the Mammoth Gavioli: Mammoth Gavioli Fair Organ, Decca Eclipse, ECS-2083
(12" disc)
• Life of the Party, Disneyland Records, WDL-3001 (12" disc)
• "Messin' Around" Featuring Jimmy Blythe, Euphonic Sound Recording, EES-102 (12" disc)
• Dutch Band Organ, Everest Records (Everest Tradition), 2082 (12" disc)
• Die Spieluhr, Fernsehmeister Schuhknecht (no issue number) (12" disc)
• Draaiorgel "De Gouwe", Gemini, GMX 5017 (12" disc)
• Regina, Holley Brown Productions, RMB-5000 (12" disc)
• Het Wonderbaarlijke "De Cap" Orgel "Napoleon", Omega, 35.880 (7" disc)
• The Steinway Pianola Meets Rocky Horror, Recorded Publications Company, RH603 (12"
disc)
• Robert Stolz von der Rotenrolle, Siegfrieds Mechanischem Musikkabinett, SMMK 06 (12"
disc)
• Music Machines – American Style, Smithsonian Institution Press, ABR-1054 (7" disc)
• "Roaring" '20's Music: Recordings of the Coinola and Seeburg Orchestrions, Clark's
Trading Post, SAAB-1304 (on cover: MC-1927) (12" disc)
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