Background: Harmonicas and Hohner
An ancient predecessor of the harmonica was first created in China, about 4,500 years ago. It was not until 1800s, however, that an instrument with an array of reeds, able to produce discrete tuned notes and chords, assumed the convenient sandwich form of the harmonica.
Troy, NY Record, March 13, 1971
A footnote: John Sebastian Jr. of the Lovin' Spoonful, who
is mentioned above, is the son of the first man to promote,
arrange, and perform classical music using harmonicas.
The growth of watchmaker Hohner's new business was astounding. For example, in 1862, only five years after he made his first "production" harmonica, his company had a distribution branch in the U.S. - and it was giving harmonicas to parents of Civil War soldiers, so that they could send the pocket-sized instruments to their sons in uniform. Harmonicas had never been heard in North America before the 1860s, and now they would be heard everywhere that soldiers traveled. In Hicksville and other places, new immigrants from Europe doubtless brought more harmonicas to rural America. For the next thirty years and more, America's appetite for harmonicas was insatiable: Referenceforbusiness.com reports that in 1900 alone, Hohner sold almost three million harmonicas to Americans.
Hohner main headquarters and factories
Trossingen, Germany c. 1920
theharmonicacompany.com
Global demand was similarly high; by the late 1930s, the company employed five thousand workers.
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