Holton (Leblanc)
Encyclopedia
Holton is a musical instrument manufacturer owned by Leblanc
, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments
' Conn-Selmer
division. Founded by trombone
player Frank Holton in 1898 in Chicago
, the firm built wind instruments in Elkhorn, Wisconsin
from 1918 until 2011.
. In 1885 he had partnered with James Warren York
in York & Holton, York's successor to the instrument maker Smith & York which became J.W. York and Sons before Holton established his own company in 1898. Frank Holton's wife Florence was a music teacher. They had no children. Frank Holton, though not an instrument maker himself, expanded his company to manufacture instruments which was his occupation until retiring at age 80. Frank Holton died after a protracted illness on April 16, 1942 at the age of 84.
. Unable to make the rent at times, Holton was known to pawn instruments at a shop on Clark street between 1898 and 1900.
By 1907, a skilled horn maker had been hired and the production of Holton instruments required the construction of a factory on the West side of Chicago. It would be home to Frank Holton & Company for only a decade.
moving over 200 employees and 85 car
loads of machinery from Chicago
. The city had lured Holton to Elkhorn through the efforts of a group of local businessmen, who, acting under city mandate, built the new factory which was turned over to Holton and Co. upon their arrival. That building remained as the core of the Holton factory until the decision in 2011 to merge Holton horn production with King and Conn instruments in Eastlake Ohio.
While the factory had been paid for by the city of Elkhorn, the cost of training skilled labor resulted in the first profits there not being seen until 1920.
Along with machinery and employees, Holton brought the company band to Elkhorn which would quickly merge with the storied Elkhorn Band, which had been founded in 1840 by Charles Seelye only 3 years after the town of Elkhorn itself. The band had served as the 12th Regimental Band from 1861 to 1864 during the Civil War.
Already building a full line of high-end brass instruments, Holton recognized the growth of music in the schools and began selling student-line instruments built by other workshops under the trade names Pertin and Beaufort. In the early 1930s, the Holton Collegiate line of student horns built at the Holton factory was introduced. The defunct Collegiate line was re-introduced in 2005 by the modern Holton Company again targeting a balance of quality and price suitable for school music programs.
In addition to building the company in Elkhorn, Frank Holton also built a subdivision of 5 and 6 room bungalows in 1919. The 25 homes were priced in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
During World War II
, the company performed defense work, as did most all instrument manufacturers. Following the war, Elliot Kehl secured a controlling interest in the company and began development of several new products including the Farkas Model french horn and a new line of saxophones.
purchased the Holton company to form a band instrument company with a full line of instruments. Under Leblanc and subsequently Selmer, Conn-Selmer
, and Steinway Musical Instruments
corporate parentage, the company continues to build brass band instruments in both student and professional lines. Some of the headline products built during the post-acquisition period include:
Holton currently produces cornets, trumpets, french horns and trombones as well as Holton oil.
Among these were :
Not all ventures with artists were successful. The Holton Falcone Model baritone horn, developed at the end of the 1970s with input from the namesake of the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival
was dropped after only a short run when Leonard Falcone
refused to endorse or play on the production version.
Leblanc
Leblanc is a French surname and may refer to:* Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, American journalist* Alfred LeBlanc , French aviator* André LeBlanc , haitian comic artist...
, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments
Steinway Musical Instruments
Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. is a musical instrument manufacturing conglomerate.Through acquisitions and mergers, the company has acquired a large number of musical instrument brand names and manufacturing facilities...
' Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn.-Founding:In the late 1800s,...
division. Founded by 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...
player Frank Holton in 1898 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the firm built wind instruments in Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County...
from 1918 until 2011.
Frank Holton
Frank E. Holton was born March 10, 1858 in Allegan Michigan to farmers Otis (b.1827) and Hanna A. (b.1829) Holton. He grew up with three sisters: Emma E. Holton, Alice Holton and Leona Holton. By the time he was 34, Frank Holton was an accomplished trombone player and principal trombone of the Sousa Band, a role that would later be filled by Arthur PryorArthur Pryor
Arthur Willard Pryor was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. In later life, he was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders during the 1930s.Pryor was born on the second floor of...
. In 1885 he had partnered with James Warren 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...
in York & Holton, York's successor to the instrument maker Smith & York which became J.W. York and Sons before Holton established his own company in 1898. Frank Holton's wife Florence was a music teacher. They had no children. Frank Holton, though not an instrument maker himself, expanded his company to manufacture instruments which was his occupation until retiring at age 80. Frank Holton died after a protracted illness on April 16, 1942 at the age of 84.
Chicago
Frank Holton's first business venture on his own was a small rented shop with a desk, two counters and two chairs that he had to paint himself at Clark and Madison streets in Chicago, Illinois in 1898, where he sold used instruments and his own formula slide oil for tromboneTrombone
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...
. Unable to make the rent at times, Holton was known to pawn instruments at a shop on Clark street between 1898 and 1900.
By 1907, a skilled horn maker had been hired and the production of Holton instruments required the construction of a factory on the West side of Chicago. It would be home to Frank Holton & Company for only a decade.
Elkhorn
In April 1918, Holton opened a factory in Elkhorn, WisconsinElkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County...
moving over 200 employees and 85 car
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
loads of machinery from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The city had lured Holton to Elkhorn through the efforts of a group of local businessmen, who, acting under city mandate, built the new factory which was turned over to Holton and Co. upon their arrival. That building remained as the core of the Holton factory until the decision in 2011 to merge Holton horn production with King and Conn instruments in Eastlake Ohio.
While the factory had been paid for by the city of Elkhorn, the cost of training skilled labor resulted in the first profits there not being seen until 1920.
Along with machinery and employees, Holton brought the company band to Elkhorn which would quickly merge with the storied Elkhorn Band, which had been founded in 1840 by Charles Seelye only 3 years after the town of Elkhorn itself. The band had served as the 12th Regimental Band from 1861 to 1864 during the Civil War.
Already building a full line of high-end brass instruments, Holton recognized the growth of music in the schools and began selling student-line instruments built by other workshops under the trade names Pertin and Beaufort. In the early 1930s, the Holton Collegiate line of student horns built at the Holton factory was introduced. The defunct Collegiate line was re-introduced in 2005 by the modern Holton Company again targeting a balance of quality and price suitable for school music programs.
In addition to building the company in Elkhorn, Frank Holton also built a subdivision of 5 and 6 room bungalows in 1919. The 25 homes were priced in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
Post Frank Holton
After retiring, at age 82 Frank Holton sold the company to employee William Kull. The company was run from that point forward by sales manager Elliot Kehl, though Kull would retain the title CEO until he died in 1944.During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company performed defense work, as did most all instrument manufacturers. Following the war, Elliot Kehl secured a controlling interest in the company and began development of several new products including the Farkas Model french horn and a new line of saxophones.
Modern subsidiary
In 1964, the woodwind manufacturer LeblancLeblanc
Leblanc is a French surname and may refer to:* Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, American journalist* Alfred LeBlanc , French aviator* André LeBlanc , haitian comic artist...
purchased the Holton company to form a band instrument company with a full line of instruments. Under Leblanc and subsequently Selmer, Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn.-Founding:In the late 1800s,...
, and Steinway Musical Instruments
Steinway Musical Instruments
Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. is a musical instrument manufacturing conglomerate.Through acquisitions and mergers, the company has acquired a large number of musical instrument brand names and manufacturing facilities...
corporate parentage, the company continues to build brass band instruments in both student and professional lines. Some of the headline products built during the post-acquisition period include:
- The Holton Collegiate and New Collegiate line of student instruments
- The Maynard Fergusson Trumpet series
- The Farkas Model french horn
- The Merker-matic Model french horn
- The Harvey Phillips Model tubas
- Frank Holton's trombone slide oil (the original formulation) and valve oil.
Holton currently produces cornets, trumpets, french horns and trombones as well as Holton oil.
Holton artists
The Holton company relied on endorsement by leading artists as one of its primary marketing tools. Often these artists collaborated on the design of instruments that they would then play and promote. Some would subsequently leave Holton to build instruments themselves.Among these were :
- Frank Holton (1858–1942), the former lead tromboneTromboneThe 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...
with the Sousa Band and an accomplished performer who could demonstrate his product. - Ernst Albert CouturierE.A. CouturierErnst Albert Couturier was a cornet player, feature soloist/headline act on cornet, composer, inventor and brass band instrument manufacturer.- Life :...
(1869–1950), cornetCornetThe 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...
virtuoso and instrument maker behind the Holton Couturier New Model, performed as a Holton artist from 1907 until starting his own firm in 1916. - Vincent BachVincent BachVincent Bach was a musician and instrument maker, who founded the Vincent Bach Corporation.- Vincent Schrotenbach :...
(1890–1976), cornetCornetThe 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...
and trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
player and manufacturer of trumpets and mouthpiecesMouthpiece (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...
performed as a Holton artist in 1917 prior to starting his own firm the next year. - Edward LlewellynEdward Llewellyn (trumpeter)Edward Llewellyn was an American trumpet player, cornetist and composer.Edward Llewellyn was the son of Welsh-born trumpeter James D. Llewellyn , who emigrated to the United States in 1855 and was a featured cornet soloist at the 1893 World's Fair....
(d. 1936), principal trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
of the Chicago Symphony, began performing as a Holton artist in 1919. - Renold SchilkeRenold SchilkeRenold Otto Schilke was a professional orchestral trumpet player, instrument designer and manufacturer. He founded and ran Schilke Music Products Incorporated, a manufacturer of brass instruments and mouthpieces.-Youth:...
(1910–1982), principal trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
of the Chicago Symphony and instrument maker, performed as a member of the Holton-sponsored Chicago Symphony Brass Ensemble in the 1950s. - Philip FarkasPhilip FarkasPhilip Farkas was principal hornist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for many years; he left in 1960 to join the music faculty at Indiana University Bloomington. He wrote The Art of French Horn Playing which is considered by many to be the seminal work for horn players...
(1914–1992), principal horn of the Chicago Symphony, left what became Schilke Music Products in 1956 and joined with Holton, designing the Holton Farkas Model french horn. - Maynard FergusonMaynard FergusonMaynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
(1928–2006), trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
and flugelhornFlugelhornThe 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...
virtuoso and namesake of the Holton Maynard Ferguson Trumpet line, performed as a Holton artist and designer starting in the 1960s. - Harvey PhillipsHarvey PhillipsHarvey Phillips was a professor emeritus of the , Indiana University, Bloomington and dedicated advocate for the tuba.-Biography:Phillips was a professional freelance musician from 1950 to 1971, winning his first professional...
(1929–2010), tubaTubaThe 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...
player, professor, creator of the Harvey Phillips Foundation and Tuba Christmas, and namesake of the Holton Phillips Model Tuba teamed with Holton in the 1990s.
Not all ventures with artists were successful. The Holton Falcone Model baritone horn, developed at the end of the 1970s with input from the namesake of the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival
Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival
The is an amateur tuba and euphonium festival and competition, held annually the second week in August at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp at Twin Lake, Michigan.- Origin and goals of the festival :...
was dropped after only a short run when Leonard Falcone
Leonard Falcone
Leonard Falcone was best known as Professor of Baritone and Euphonium at Michigan State University where he also served from 1927 to 1967 as Director of Bands. The school's Spartan Marching Band transitioned from an ROTC auxiliary to a nationally known Big-10 conference marching band during his...
refused to endorse or play on the production version.
External links
- Holton Horns Holton website.
- Leblanc Clarinets Leblanc website.
- HoltonLoyalist.com The Holton Loyalist website of the history and instruments of the Frank Holton & Co.
- Holton Saxophones - Serial Numbers Frank Holton & Co. saxophones - Annotated serial number chart published by Sax on the Web