Name: | Aeolian Company, The; New York (USA) |
Abbreviation: | aeolian-ny |
Products: | Model types |
Summary: |
The Aeolian Company Founded in 1887 by William Tremaine The Company manufactured musical instruments included the Aeolian and the Orchestrelle - roll-operated reed organs, the Pianola, the Pianola Piano, the Aeolian Pipe Organ, the Aeolian Vocalion - an acoustic gramophone with a cable-controlled volume control, Vocalion gramophone records, the Duo-Art reproducing piano, and standard pianos and reed organs as well as millions of music rolls needed to feed the fashionable instruments. By 1930 the rise of the radio, the electric gramophone and the “talkies” led to the demise of the mass market for roll-operated instruments. In the early 1930s Aeolian merged with some of its main competitors to become the Aeolian American Corporation, continuing with the manufacture of normal grand pianos until its liquidation in 1985. |
Founded: | 1887 |
Closed: | 1985 |
Production: | 1887 - 1986 |
History: |
The Aeolian Company was founded by William Tremaine on the 26 July 1887 in Meriden, Connecticut, as the Aeolian Organ & Music Co. as a result of an alliance between the Mechanical Orguinette Company of New York, and the Automatic Music Paper Company of Boston to manufacture mechanical self-playing organs. It became the Aeolian Company in 1895 to manufacturer the very popular player piano. By the early 20th Century the company was one the world’s leading manufacturers of organs and player pianos. By 1903, the company had acquired several organ and piano companies, including George Steck & Co., Weber Piano Co., and others. This increased their control of the industry with piano player factories in New York City, Garwood, Meriden and the Steck and Weber piano factories in Gotha, Germany and Hayes, England. They marketed products throughout the world and set up companies in Britain and Australia. In 1916 the Aeolian Company started making Vocalion phonographs and in 1917 Vocalian Records. In 1932, the company merged with the American Piano Company, joining a long list of manufacturers to be included under the American Piano Company name (including Chickering, Mason & Hamilin, Stoud, Vose, and a host of others). With this merger, the Aeolian and American Piano Company names joined to become the Aeolian-American Company. The firm declared bankruptcy in 1985. |
This manufacturer was suggested by Gidi Verheijen.
Country | Year | Name | 1st Tube | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
USA | 16 | Vocalion Style D | Aeolian model Vocalian Style D Case Woods: Selected Mahogany or Oak. Finish: Sta... | |
USA | 23 | Jacobean Vocalions Style 1624 | The sturdy characteristics of the Jacobean Period are obtained in both Console and Standar... | |
USA | 23 | Jacobean Vocalions Style 1623 | The sturdy characteristics of the Jacobean Period are obtained in both Console and Standar... |
Further details for this manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):
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