Seidel Band Instrument Company
Encyclopedia
The Seidel Band Instrument Company was a short-lived manufacturer of musical instruments located in Elkhart
, Indiana
.
, lying on the border of the Czech Republic is one of the leading centers of musical instrument manufacturing in Europe. At the age of fourteen Seidel apprenticed as a horn maker in accordance with German custom. Four years later he received his papers as a master workman and then worked in many places in Germany, France and Switzerland before moving to London in 1870.
In 1881 C.G. Conn visited London and induced Seidel to join his business in Elkhart. Seidel was Conn's shop foreman through 1913. In that year he became too ill to work and left the company. Previous to 1913 he must have been tooling for his own operation, because in 1914 he founded the Seidel Band Instrument Company. The company did not perform to his expectations, and in 1918 he sold it to the cornet virtuoso Ernest A. Couturier
.
Couturier had patented his own cornet design in 1913. His first horns were built by Frank Holton of Chicago and later by the J.W. York
Band Instrument Company in Grand Rapids
. In 1916 he opened his first factory in New York. When he bought Seidel's operation, he moved the New York operation to Elkhart combining the two operations together and was known as the E. A. Couturier Band Instrument Company. Late in 1918 Couturier moved his company to Laporte
, Indiana
but retained the finishing department in Elkhart.
For a few months Seidel worked in Laporte but soon returned to Elkhart. He was working for Buescher in 1920 as a repairman and in early 1922 as a horn maker for Conn. Then his health began to deteriorate, and he began to lose his eyesight. Depressed with his physical state and his inability to retain employment, he went to a park near his home and took his own life. In 1923 Couturier lost his eyesight, and his company was sold to Lyon & Healy of Chicago who closed that operation in 1929.
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...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
History
The company was founded by William F. Seidel (b Markneukirchen, Germany 30 Nov 1848; d Elkhart 5 Aug 1922). MarkneukirchenMarkneukirchen
Markneukirchen is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It lies in between the Erzgebirge and the Fichtelgebirge in the Elstergebirge, southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Asch ....
, lying on the border of the Czech Republic is one of the leading centers of musical instrument manufacturing in Europe. At the age of fourteen Seidel apprenticed as a horn maker in accordance with German custom. Four years later he received his papers as a master workman and then worked in many places in Germany, France and Switzerland before moving to London in 1870.
In 1881 C.G. Conn visited London and induced Seidel to join his business in Elkhart. Seidel was Conn's shop foreman through 1913. In that year he became too ill to work and left the company. Previous to 1913 he must have been tooling for his own operation, because in 1914 he founded the Seidel Band Instrument Company. The company did not perform to his expectations, and in 1918 he sold it to the cornet virtuoso Ernest A. Couturier
E.A. Couturier
Ernst Albert Couturier was a cornet player, feature soloist/headline act on cornet, composer, inventor and brass band instrument manufacturer.- Life :...
.
Couturier had patented his own cornet design in 1913. His first horns were built by Frank Holton of Chicago and later by the J.W. York
James Warren York
James Warren York was a musician, businessman, business owner and musical instrument innovator. The "York tuba sound" is considered by most tubists to be the defining timbre of a quality instrument...
Band Instrument Company in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. In 1916 he opened his first factory in New York. When he bought Seidel's operation, he moved the New York operation to Elkhart combining the two operations together and was known as the E. A. Couturier Band Instrument Company. Late in 1918 Couturier moved his company to Laporte
LaPorte, Indiana
La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
but retained the finishing department in Elkhart.
For a few months Seidel worked in Laporte but soon returned to Elkhart. He was working for Buescher in 1920 as a repairman and in early 1922 as a horn maker for Conn. Then his health began to deteriorate, and he began to lose his eyesight. Depressed with his physical state and his inability to retain employment, he went to a park near his home and took his own life. In 1923 Couturier lost his eyesight, and his company was sold to Lyon & Healy of Chicago who closed that operation in 1929.