Rose, John (II) (c.1550–1611), musical instrument maker

Joseph Merlin (1735–1803), ‘Ingenious Mechanick’, musical-instrument maker and flamboyant showman, is perhaps best remembered for his Museum in Princes Street, London, with its scintillating displays of automata and extraordinary inventions. Two newly identified sets of Court documents, Nicholl v. Merlin, 1779 and Merlin v. Celsson, 1779–81, now provide insights into previously unknown aspects of his business dealings and personal life. The former concerns a dispute over a house that Merlin commissioned to be built in 1776, the latter a violation of his 1774 combined harpsichord-pianoforte patent rights. Material relating to Lavigne Verel, his musical instrument foreman from 1773 to 1781, is also reported. Amongst other novel findings, perhaps the most surprising is Merlin's marriage in 1783. Contemporary primary-source material consulted includes original manuscripts held at The National Archives, UK, the Scone Palace Archives, Parish Registers, Land Tax and Apprenticeship records and numerous contemporary newspaper advertisements and notices.

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E. F. F. Chladni: The Nodal Point between Acoustician and Musical-Instrument Maker

Harmonious Triads ◽

10.7551/mitpress/3440.003.0003 ◽

2006 ◽

Keyword(s):

Nodal Point ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Instrument Maker

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Playing On: John York and the Sydney Brass Musical Instrument Factory

Sydney Journal ◽

10.5130/sj.v4i1.2797 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 66-85

Author(s):

Andrew Evans

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Capital City ◽

Business Owner ◽

George Street ◽

Instrument Making ◽

Home Entertainment ◽

Instrument Maker ◽

History Of ◽

The Many

The history of John York and the Sydney Brass Musical Instrument Factory contains familiar elements of a quintessential nineteenth-century Australian narrative. It features a skilled English immigrant who brought his family to a developing capital city and became a manufacturer and small business owner. It is an unusual story in that York practised the specialised skill of brass instrument making and repairing and was one of a handful of brass instrument makers known to have operated in Sydney at the time. At the end of the nineteenth century the significant purchasing power of an expanding Australian middle class, and a strong demand for the many musical instruments required for home entertainment, generated vigorous competition amongst Sydney’s music retailers. Cheaper British mass produced instruments were aggressively marketed by Palings and Nicholsons whose ‘emporiums’ were located at the more fashionable northern end of George Street. In order to succeed in this market, John York’s reputation as an instrument maker and repairer was paramount. This was largely founded on the promise of consistent, high quality workmanship and superior, personalised service. Even after his death in 1910, this enduring reputation sustained loyalty from York’s customers well into the middle of the twentieth century when the business continued under the management of his wife and sons.

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