E. K. Blessing
Encyclopedia
E. K. Blessing is a manufacturer of wind instrument
s and accessories. The company was founded in 1906 by Emil Karl Blessing. Located in the Elkhart, Indiana
, their products include clarinet
s, flute
s, saxophone
s, trumpet
s, cornet
s, flugelhorn
s, mellophone
s, euphonium
s, trombone
s, tuba
s, and mouthpieces
for brass instruments.
24 April 1880; d Elkhart 24 Sept 1954). He immigrated to America in 1896 and came to Elkhart. His first experience in the industry was working for Buescher
, and it is said that he helped Gus Buescher design his first piston valves. Blessing worked for the Mennonite Publishing House in 1899 and 1900. He then went to Chicago and in 1903 his name appears on a payroll sheet for Frank Holton. During the early years in this country he also worked for several tool and die firms. In 1907 Blessing returned to Elkhart and began making musical instruments in the back of his house. For many years the operation was quite small. By 1926 the operation was officially known as the Emil K. Blessing Company. By 1936 it had become known as the E. K. Blessing Band Instrument Company. In 1940 it had incorporated, and in 1942 the name was changed to the less cumbersome E.K. Blessing Company, Inc. Emil was president of the company up to his death in 1954, and he was succeeded by his son E. Karl Blessing, Jr. In 1961 Paul E. Richards merged Blessing with C.F. Martin & Company to create the Richards Music Corporation. The Blessing part of the operation became known as Richards Music Corporation (Blessing Division). Karl Blessing was plant manager during those years. The corporation collapsed in 1964, and Blessing reverted to its previous identity. Merle O. Johnson, who married one of Blessing's daughters, became the new president. For many years Blessing made student line brass instruments. Merle Johnson later sold the company to his son, Randy Johnson and in 2009, Randy sold E.K. Blessing Inc. to Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.
In 2010, under the ownership of Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc., E.K. Blessing has completely redesigned its student trumpets (BTR-1266, BTR-1277), created a new line of intermediate trumpets (BTR-1460) and introduced the first truly professional trumpet made by E.K. Blessing since the 1960s (BTR-1580). Each of these trumpets is currently available and each has received rave reviews from major trumpet artists (including Lew Soloff
, Thomas Marriott and Rob Slowik).
Coming up in 2010, Blessing will be introducing a few more new instruments plus a new website.
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
s and accessories. The company was founded in 1906 by Emil Karl Blessing. Located in the Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
, their products include clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
s, mellophone
Mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
s, euphonium
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
s, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s, and mouthpieces
Mouthpiece (brass)
On brass instruments the mouthpiece is the part of the instrument which is placed upon the player's lips. The purpose of the mouthpiece is a resonator, which passes vibration from the lips to the column of air contained within the instrument, giving rise to the standing wave pattern of vibration in...
for brass instruments.
History
The company's founder was Emil Karl Blessing, Sr. (b Oppelsbohn, WürttembergWürttemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
24 April 1880; d Elkhart 24 Sept 1954). He immigrated to America in 1896 and came to Elkhart. His first experience in the industry was working for Buescher
Buescher Band Instrument Company
The Buescher Band Instrument Company was a manufacturer of musical instruments in Elkhart, Indiana.-History:The company was founded by Ferdinand August "Gus" Buescher . He accompanied his family to Goshen, Indiana and then to Elkhart in 1875. In 1876 he found employment with C.G...
, and it is said that he helped Gus Buescher design his first piston valves. Blessing worked for the Mennonite Publishing House in 1899 and 1900. He then went to Chicago and in 1903 his name appears on a payroll sheet for Frank Holton. During the early years in this country he also worked for several tool and die firms. In 1907 Blessing returned to Elkhart and began making musical instruments in the back of his house. For many years the operation was quite small. By 1926 the operation was officially known as the Emil K. Blessing Company. By 1936 it had become known as the E. K. Blessing Band Instrument Company. In 1940 it had incorporated, and in 1942 the name was changed to the less cumbersome E.K. Blessing Company, Inc. Emil was president of the company up to his death in 1954, and he was succeeded by his son E. Karl Blessing, Jr. In 1961 Paul E. Richards merged Blessing with C.F. Martin & Company to create the Richards Music Corporation. The Blessing part of the operation became known as Richards Music Corporation (Blessing Division). Karl Blessing was plant manager during those years. The corporation collapsed in 1964, and Blessing reverted to its previous identity. Merle O. Johnson, who married one of Blessing's daughters, became the new president. For many years Blessing made student line brass instruments. Merle Johnson later sold the company to his son, Randy Johnson and in 2009, Randy sold E.K. Blessing Inc. to Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.
Powell Flutes
Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. has been a leading producer of professional flutes and piccolos since 1927. The company produces handmade musical instruments in wood, silver, platinum, and gold.-Verne Q. Powell:...
In 2010, under the ownership of Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc., E.K. Blessing has completely redesigned its student trumpets (BTR-1266, BTR-1277), created a new line of intermediate trumpets (BTR-1460) and introduced the first truly professional trumpet made by E.K. Blessing since the 1960s (BTR-1580). Each of these trumpets is currently available and each has received rave reviews from major trumpet artists (including Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
, Thomas Marriott and Rob Slowik).
Coming up in 2010, Blessing will be introducing a few more new instruments plus a new website.