Mason and Hamlin

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Mason and Hamlin is a piano manufacturer based in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The nineteenth century

Mason & Hamlin was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1854 by Henry Mason, son of Lowell Mason, the American hymn composer and musical educator, and Emmons Hamlin, a mechanic and inventor who had worked for melodeon makers Prince & Co. in Buffalo, New York.[1]

They originally manufactured only melodeons,[2] but in 1855 introduced the organ-harmonium or flat-topped cabinet organ. This design placed the bellows vertically and underneath the reeds, and served as the model for the suction operated American-style reed organ.[3] By the early 1870s they were considered the largest and most important manufacturer of reed organs, employing about 500 and producing as many as 200 instruments a week.[1]

Mason & Hamlin began manufacturing pianos in 1883, initially only upright pianos which featured a patented screw stringer method of tuning and maintaining string tension.[4] In 1895, the piano department was completely reorganized by Richard W. Gertz, who had designed new scales for them earlier that year. Gertz was elected secretary of the company in 1903, and president in 1906,[5] and patented the tension resonator, a device meant to prevent sounding boards from flattening which was first applied to grands in 1900 and which continues to be used in all Mason & Hamlin pianos.

[edit] The twentieth century

By the turn of the 20th century, the Golden Age of the Piano was in full force and the most illustrious concert artists of the day aligned themselves with piano manufacturers. Sergei Rachmaninoff's 1924 recording of his Second Piano Concerto was made using a Mason & Hamlin. Composer Maurice Ravel said of Mason & Hamlin pianos, “While preserving all the qualities of the percussion instrument, the Mason & Hamlin pianoforte also serves magnificently the composer’s concept by its extensive range in dynamics, as well as quality of tone. It is not short of being a small orchestra. In my opinion, the Mason & Hamlin is a real work of art.”[6] Many piano aficionados today prize Mason and Hamlins made during this period.

In 1930, Mason & Hamlin became part of the giant Aeolian American Piano Company. The depression hit piano manufacturers hard, and in 1932, Aeolian closed the original Mason & Hamlin factory in Boston, although they continued applying the brand to pianos made elsewhere.[7] World War II brought the American piano industry to a halt, since basic piano building materials like iron had to used for the war effort. Mason & Hamlin turned from making pianos to building airplane gliders. This continued until the end of the war.[8] Beginning in 1945, Mason & Hamlin pianos were made in the Aeolian American plant in East Rochester, New York. Between 1983 and 1995, Mason & Hamlin changed ownership several times.

Since 1996, Mason & Hamlin has been a subsidiary of Burgett, Inc., which also owns PianoDisc, a maker of reproducing piano systems of the same name. Mason & Hamlin manufactures its pianos in Haverhill, Massachusetts and distributes them throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. Mason & Hamlin is a member of NAMM, the International Music Products Association and PMAI (Piano Manufacturers Association International).[8]

[edit] Today

In January 2007, Mason & Hamlin added a new Model B (162.6 cm, 5'4") to its already successful family of four grand piano models; the Model A (174cm, 5'8.5"), the Model AA (193cm, 6'4"), the Model BB (212cm, 6'11.5"), and the Model CC-94 (285cm, 9'4").[9] Various woods and finishes are available. The A and BB Models are also available in an art case. The company also offers one upright piano model, the 50" Model 50.

[edit] Crown Retention System

The crown, or the slight bowing of a soundboard, is an essential principal behind a piano's ability to have power and tone. This crowning increases the amount of energy transferred from the piano strings through the bridge of the soundboard. Without the right amount of crown, a piano will lose volume, sound lifeless and flat and the value of that piano diminishes greatly. Restoring crown typically means replacing the soundboard.

In 1900, Richard Gertz developed a system, exclusively for Mason & Hamlin, that would permanently preserve the original power and tone of all Mason & Hamlin pianos throughout the life of the piano. The system is called the Mason & Hamlin Crown Retention System.

Mason & Hamlin builds the rims of its pianos using hard rock maple. The inner rims are built to be 50% thicker than industry standards. This extra thickness gives the rims increased resistance to spreading and helps to preserve the crown of the soundboard, as well as giving the piano powerful tone and increased sound projection.

The Mason & Hamlin Tension Resonator is a steel truss rod spider that is attached to the inner rim at precisely calculated points. This adds strength and rigidity to the rim. The Tension Resonator locks the rim into its permanent shape which in turn preserves the crown of the soundboard. This crown retention system is unique to Mason & Hamlin pianos.

[edit] Events

Apr 20, 2008 Anton Kuerti will be playing Ludwig van Beethoven's "Appassionata" on the Mason & Hamlin CC-94 concert grand. The recital took place in the new Mason & Hamlin Easter Canada showroom at 4:00 PM on April 20, 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Cabinet and Parlor Organs" The Great Industries of the United States J. Burr & Hyde, Hartford. 1872 p.109-121
  2. ^ Samuel Atkins Eliot A History of Cambridge, Massachusetts The Cambridge Tribune, Cambridge MA 1913. p.297-298
  3. ^ Robert F. Gellerman The American Reed Organ and the Harmonium The Vestal Press, New York. 1996. p.19
  4. ^ "Improved Upright Pianos" The Manufacturer and Builder vol.16, no. 12, December 1884 p.282-283
  5. ^ Alfred Dolge Pianos and their Makers vol.2, Covina Publishing Company, Covina CA. 1913. p.144-150
  6. ^ "History", Mason & Hamlin Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Larry Fine, The Piano Book. ISBN 1-929145-01-2
  8. ^ a b "Mason & Hamlin", Grove Music Online, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007. (Requires subscription).
  9. ^ "Our Pianos", Mason & Hamlin Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.

[edit] External links