Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 177
Scan 177
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
11 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 151. See the scan on archive.org.
1"In old-style voicing and tuning instruments William Goodrich has scarcely been surpassed. His reeds in particular were smooth and harmonious and mingled well with the diapasons without overtopping them and destroying their character." 32
3Ebenezer Goodrich was born November 2, 1782 in Templeton and went from there to Boston at an early age and earned his first money there by "drumming for the Ancient and Honorable Artillery, having previously been drummer for his father's company in Templeton. He not only had unusual mechanical genius, but was also a great lover of music, played the organ, violin and clarinet. [He also taught organ playing, and met his wife through teaching her.] His music teacher was Francisco Masi, an Italian of celebrity. From correspondence with his son in Brooklyn [1902] it appears that Mr. Goodrich had a most excellent ear for music as was evident in the voicing of his organ pipes. With these qualifications added to this mechanical ability, he made rapid progress in his brother William's factory. He could build every part of an organ from bellows to swell.
5"Their shop was located on [address hidden], Boston, where they also engaged in the manufacture of pianos. Timothy Gilbert, one of the veteran piano makers of Boston, worked in their shop. . . . Eben Goodrich at that time introduced the sounding board now [1902] in general use. Before that, the short board of the harpsichord was used. But his greatest invention was the musical reed of the reed organ which he then used merely as a stop in his parlor organs." 33 When the brothers had a disagreement Eben set up in business for himself and while William was building an organ in the Orthodox Church in Dover, New Hampshire, Eben was putting up one for the Unitarian Church there.
7"Lowell Mason, who was an intimate friend, urged him to make an entire reed organ. Later on, Mason's son, in company with Hamlin, of the well known firm of Mason & Hamlin, commenced the manufacture of entire reed organs. . . Mr. Goodrich used the reed-stop in his organs 14 years before any other reed was known. After his death numerous letters were found to brass founders, giving directions for forms and dimensions of castings for his plates. An old Chinese instrument [Cheng] made of cane
932 Parker, Richard G. A Tribute to the Life and Character of Jonas Chickering, published 1854, footnote p. 45.
1033 Goodrich, Henry A. Church Organs: Some of the Early Builders in New England pp. 8 & 9.
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