- Mike Keller
My primary source for
the much of the initial information contained here was Dr. John
Swain’s J.W.York
Research Site. I also have been collecting
information about York instruments and documentation (RSYII)
for about 17 years (including those instruments in my personal
collection).
Using these specific instruments, their 18
patents, the licenses that York used, the forms of engraving and
contemporaneous paper documentation I have attempted to transform Dr.
Swain’s Provisional
Serial Number List into something more definitive.
In 1887 the company was renamed "York &
Son" in recognition of JW York’s son, Charles E. becoming
a principal in the company (SW).
By 1890 York was operating a
repair plant and making a few small instruments (cornets and
trombones). New models were added until 1898 when the company was
making a complete line of cup mouthpiece brass instruments."(45)
In 1894 York hired workmen from Courtois
and Besson (S21), so they were obviously involved
in brass manufacture. Seven instruments have come to light bearing
the "York & Son" name as makers which are unserialized.
One of these is a beautifully made slide trombone, highly embossed
and engraved with a lake scene which is owned by the author.
All four "DeMaer" instruments are
marked with "York & Son" as agents (RSYII)
and also have no obvious serial numbers. The New Langwill Index has no mention of any "DeMaer",
in Paris, nor anywhere else (NLI). It is the
author’s assumption then, that these may have been also of
early York construction. No "DeMaer" instrument has yet
surfaced which does not bear the York name.
In 1897 Alfred J. "Bill" Johnson becomes company foreman
(SW, MK).
The oldest "York & Son"
instrument that I am aware of is an "Imported By” cornet
bearing serial number 80 (RSYII).
A York advertisement in the Music Educators Journal
states that the 3 winners in the “Old York Instruments In
Service Today” contest all had serial numbers in the 7xx range
and were produced in 1894 (MEJ). Cornet 910
(RSYII)
has “York and Sons” engraved on the bell, but has “York
& Son” on the valve block, so it must have been made very
close to the name change. Working backward at this approximate build
rate would put the beginning of serialization at 1890, which would
conveniently coincide with York’s description in the Grand
Rapids Herald (S45). This sequence
continues until the plant is closed.
In 1898 the company
is renamed "York & Sons" in recognition of JW York’s
second son (Frank W.) becoming a principal in the company (SW).
The oldest "York & Son"
instrument that I am aware of is a cornet bearing serial number 910
(RSYII).
The company, with experienced personnel, is well positioned to have
an established run rate as it enters the twentieth century, not only
having the main office and factory in Grand Rapid, Michigan, but also
a branch office in Chicago (YMJ). In fact, the 1898 edition of York’s
Musical Journal contains references to York having built and sold Eb
soprano and Bb cornets, band and orchestra horns, baritones, slide
trombones and also Eb and BBb basses. In the same publication
soloist Steve Crean "agrees to select and test all Cornets made
by us". It also describes hiring a Mr. W. A. Goble as head of a
testing department and being responsible for testing each BBb bass,
Eb bass, baritone, and slide trombone.
York & Sons
cornet numbered 1266 was "Presented to C.S. Miller by the CC
band in November 1899" (YL).
1902 marked the introduction of the valve
trombone. The earliest recorded example so far is numbered 6372
(RSYII).
In 1903 the "Professional" model cornet was announced and
put into production (7).
The earliest such cornet recorded thus far (RSYII)
is numbered 7040.
There is also a cornet numbered 8497,
which is engraved as being presented on Christmas, 1903 (JS/aI).
Therefore it was undoubtedly made before that date.
In 1908, the present plant at 1600 South
Division Avenue was built. York produces 300 instruments per month.
There are 130 workers. (S22)
The
oldest instrument having the High/Low Pitch change loop engraved "pat
July 12, 1910" recorded thus far (RSYII)
is an Improved Band and Orchestra Horn numbered 23877. They would not
know of the actual status change of the patent (and therefore marked
"pending") until July 12, 1910, so that any horn so marked
should have not been made before the July date.
In 1911 the Grand Rapids Band Instrument
Company was founded with the same owners at the address
(BMIMHP).
York
advertised that "1912 was largest volume year in the 30-year
history of the company, but 1913 will be larger" (18)
In
1913 came the announcement of the Al-Tru cornet (20),
the oldest of which recorded thus far is numbered 36738
(RSYII).
Since
most of the 100xx series "Couturier Wizard" cornets are not
marked with Couturier’s
patent (Sep 23, 1913) , I have placed them in 1913. The
normally numbered "Couturier Wizard" cornets I have placed
in 1914.
In 1914 the factory was making 39,600
instruments per year (S22).
A guarantee certificate for cornet 41607
dated 9/21/1915, "#95 Cornet Outfit--C" (RSYII).
Tuba 52796 is described as: "Owner told
by a former York employee that the SN places the date of manufacture
about 1917" (YRS/aI)
Saxophone 50012 "comes with an original
authenticating letter from the York Company... that states the
saxophone was new in 1918" (RSYII).
In 1926 the company name changed to York
Band Instrument Company (S24),
and the first such engraved instrument recorded (RSYII)
is numbered 89367.
York was awarded two saxophone
patents concerning tone holes in the later part of the
1920s: 1690862 and 1673195.
York alto saxophone 92259 is reported to have unusual tone holes, and
the marking "pat. apld. for". These patents were applied
for in 1925 and 1926 and granted November 6, 1928, and June 12, 1928,
respectively.
BBb Tuba 91818 was made in 1928 and was
dated though contact by Dr. Swain with the original owner (JS/aI).
The “York and Sons” signature is
used until 1928 (S30).
The oldest recorded engraving thus far is Bass 89379 made in 1927
(RSYII).
112,000
at ca. 1937: An instrument with this approximate serial number was
dated through contact with the original owner (JS/PSN),
"Bill" Johnson's Airflow design patent for trumpets and
cornets was filed Nov 24, 1939, and issued Apr 2, 1940.
The earliest such horn that I have recorded is cornet 120319
(1937?), which is constructed to this design including a
reverse-rolled rim, but is not marked "Airflow". The
latest horn marked "Airflow" is trumpet 124155(1940).
What was the delay in production? In December 1940 York was sold to
Carl Fischer Musical Instruments (SW), but Bill
did not transfer his design patent along with the company (62).
The result of this, I can only assume, is the cause of conventional
cornets being engraved with the "Airflow" name in the
1950s.
York company was purchased by Carl
Fischer. There is a plan to double production and employment”
(46).
In 1950 serial numbers were in the
150,000 range (S10).
186549 @ 1953: This is based on an invoice
for a part for an instrument with this serial number (48).
In 1964 the York company is dissolved in
Michigan (S9)
and registered in the State of New York (S25)
In
1957, a cornet and a trumpet, both with the number 207xxx, were
chosen by the original owner at the plant from current production,
per the 2nd owner (RSYII).
In 1970, York is sold to Tolchin
Instrument Company (S24). In 1971, Tolchin
Instrument Company closed the factory. (SW)
The
numbers for 1958-1971 are very subjective. They were created by
taking the last number I have obtained in what seems to be an
unbroken sequence of serial numbers (up to cornet 325547 (RSYII)),
and distributing them until the factory was closed in 1971.
Relationships with Blessing, Boehm & Meinl, and other
manufacturers were created once Carl Fischer took over the company in
December, 1940 (46).
Proprietary
rights were ultimately purchased in 1976 by Boosey and Hawkes
(SW)
The record, itself, is broken into six
sections:
-
1: York instruments from 1887 - 1971 that were likely built in
the Grand Rapids factory which fit into the 1 - 325547 serial number
sequence.
-
2: York instruments which, while they may have numbers that
fit into the above sequence, were clearly made much later than their
number would indicate. Also included in this list are instruments
likely not made in Grand Rapids, some instruments that were at least
partially constructed by Blessing, and instruments that were made in
West Germany by Boehm and Meinl which were imported by Carl Fisher.
I have included all York Master (65),
Artist, and other instruments that bear numbers outside the subject
serial number range or are stamped as being made in other countries.
Also included are instruments made by other makers with a “York”
brand that have some interest to the study of York instruments in
order to show their serial number ranges.
-
3: York instruments which are likely made during the period in
study in Grand Rapids, but are not serialized.
-
4: Grand Rapids Band Instrument Company instruments. With
enough information, perhaps eventually we may be able to reconstruct
a list for these, too. It seems that once Fisher acquired York,
these horns were then rolled into the regular production sequences
as made by York", sometime between 1942 and 1971.
-
5: York mouthpieces
-
6: Miscellaneous York items
Anomalies and items which may require future
revisions
- "Couturier Wizard Model" cornets which bear serial
numbers in the 10000 range. This number would indicate a 1904
manufacture date. Yet Ernst Couturier’s own patent wasn’t
until 1913. Perhaps an unused block of earlier serial numbers was
used for the initial run of these instruments. Because of this, I
have placed them into 1913.
-
York Bb tenor saxophone 105483, whose number would indicate a
1931 manufacture date, but which is engraved "16/Cleveland
Board of Education/6-25-30".
- Dr. Swain’s Provisional Serial Number list stated
“109,000 at ca. 1933: An instrument with this approximate
serial number was dated through contact with the original owner.”
This revised list now puts that number at 1933. Since the rest of
the serial numbers that he documented in this way now line up, is it
possible that this instrument was actually a Grand Rapids Band
Instrument Company number?
footnotes
- 7. "York and Sons New Cornet,"
The Music Trades, Vol. 26, No. 4, July 25, 1903, p. 40
-
18. Advertisement, The Metronome, Vol. 24, No. 3, March, 1913
-
20. Advertisement, The Dominant, Vol. 21, No. 6, August
-
45. "York Instrument Company, formed in 1882, A Leader,"
Grand Rapids Herald, February 9, 1937
-
46. "York Company Sold, Will Expand," (Grand Rapids Herald?) December 5, 1940
-
48. Packing list for a shipment to Arne B. Larson, December 12,
1953
-
62. Lou Van Koevering,. "The Manufacturers/York
Instruments/Re: York Patents". Online posting. Feb 2nd, 2007,
12:30pm. Horn-u-copia. 16 August, 2007.
-
63. Lou Van Koevering, "The Manufacturers/York
Instruments/Grand Rapids Trumpets". Online posting. Nov 26th
2005, 1:22 PM www.horn-u-copia.net
23 April, 2008.
-
64.
Lou Van Koevering, "Stencil
Horns/Speculations/York/Pepper?". Online posting. Nov 18th,
2005, 6:14PM.www.horn-u-copia.net 23 April, 2008.
-
65. R. W. Denney, Jr., "Rick’s Tuba Page/My Tuba
Collection". Web page, Mar 9, 2007. www.rickdenney.com 23
April, 2008.
Additional Research and Correspondence
-
S9. Telephone interview with Ralph Wells, former York employee,
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2 February 1984
-
S10. Telephone interview, John Swain with Gene Pilszuk, former
York employee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2 February 1984
-
S21. Grand Rapids Press, 28 April 1894
-
S22. Grand Rapids Press, 19 December 1908
-
S24. Grand Rapids Press, 5 December 1971
-
S25. Summary of Information from the county records
-
S30. Interview with Robb Stewart, Arcadia, California, March,
1995
-
BMIMHP. Brass Musical Instrument Makers History Pages. Web
Site: http://www.brasshistory.net/
2 August 2020
-
JS. Swain, John. J.W. York Company Research Site.http://web.archive.org/web/20061007070406/http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/jswain/brass/yorkcont.htm
-
MEJ. “Front Matter.” Music Educators Journal,
vol. 21, no. 4, 1935, p. 1 JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/3384595.
-
MK. Kriven, Martin. A Century of Wind Instrument Manufacturers
in the United States, 1860-1960, State University of Iowa, PhD, 1961.
University Microfilms International
-
NLI. Waterhouse, William. The New Langwill Index: a Dictionary
of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors. Bath, England: The
Bath Press, 1993
-
SW. Frederickson, Brian. Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind. Edited
by John Taylor. Gurney, Illinois: Windsong Press, Ltd., 1996
-
YL. The York Loyalist. Web site:
https://www.yorkloyalist.com/,
2 August 2020.
-
YMJ. J.W. York and Sons. York’s Musical Journal, Vol. XI,
No.1, 1898
Update 1: 6 Jun 2010 Add “York &
Son” years to beginning of guide, which begins start of
serialization.
Update 2: 17 Oct 2011: Make adjustments to years 1906-1915 for the first
appearance of the 1910 High/Low Pitch loop patent 963768, build of
the Couturier "Wizard" in 1913-1914, sales receipt &
warranty dated 8/26/1911 for cornet 28582, and license of the William
S. Haynes Drawn Tone Holes patent 1119954,
which was issued Dec 8, 1914. Adjustments also to years 1929-1940 to
accommodate Feather-Touch instruments which are marked "Pat Apld
For”. Patent number 1922685 was
filed on Sep 26, 1931 and was granted on Aug 15, 1933.
Update 3: 4 Aug 2020: Changed
footnotes and research to be consistent with Dr. John Swain’s
York Research Site. Noted record collection now of over 5,200
Grand Rapids instruments and added new sections (5. Mouthpieces &
6. Miscellaneous York items).
Created new introduction including explanation use of serial
numbers. Added new documentation
for start of serialization and revise entire chart with information
in the Surviving Instrument record.
