Powell Flutes
Encyclopedia
Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. has been a leading producer of professional flute
s and piccolo
s since 1927. The company produces handmade musical instruments in wood
, silver
, platinum
, and gold
.
; d Feb 3, 1968 Needham, Massachusetts
) started playing flute as a young boy in Kansas. His family were all musicians, but their trade was silversmithing. Verne was always encouraged to enjoy music, but he was trained by his family in jewelry making and engraving. In 1910, Verne visited Chicago to attend a recital by renowned flutist Georges Barrère
. Barrère was performing on a silver flute, something Verne had never heard before. Verne was impressed with the sound, and set out to make a silver flute for himself.
Verne melted down various bits of silver (including a "handful of silver half-dollars," 7 spoons and 3 watch cases) to create the parts of the now infamous "spoon flute." Upon completing the instrument Verne began performing on it regularly. In a short time, William Haynes owner of the Wm. S. Haynes Flute Company of Boston, Massachusetts heard of Powell's instrument and asked to see it. Upon review, he offered Verne a job at his shop.
In 1916, Verne Powell joined the Wm. S. Haynes
Company to make wooden flutes and piccolos. By 1926, Powell was the shop foreman at Haynes and was running much of the business. Later that year, he left Haynes to make his own flutes. In 1927, Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. was incorporated at 295 Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1961, Powell sold his company to four employees who ran the company until 1984 when two employees, Jim Phelan and Rob Viola, became the owners. In 1986 Steven Wasser bought the shares belonging to Mr. Viola and gained controlling ownership. Jim Phelan left the company in 1989 to pursue other interests, and Mr. Wasser became the full owner.
In 2011, Steven Wasser is still the owner and President of Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. The company shop is now located in Maynard, Massachusetts.
In 2005, Sonaré Winds created a line of trumpet
s with partner Cliff Blackburn, which are made in Elkhart, Indiana by the E.K. Blessing Co. but have a leadpipe
and mouthpiece made by Cliff Blackburn.
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 and piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
s since 1927. The company produces handmade musical instruments in wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
.
Verne Q. Powell
Verne Q. Powell (b. 7 Apr 1879 Danville, IndianaDanville, Indiana
Danville is a town in Center Township, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Hendricks County. -History:...
; d Feb 3, 1968 Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
) started playing flute as a young boy in Kansas. His family were all musicians, but their trade was silversmithing. Verne was always encouraged to enjoy music, but he was trained by his family in jewelry making and engraving. In 1910, Verne visited Chicago to attend a recital by renowned flutist Georges Barrère
Georges Barrère
Georges Barrère was a French flautist.-Early life:Georges Barrère was the son of a cabinetmaker, Gabriel Barrère, and Marie Périne Courtet, an illiterate farmer's daughter from Guilligomarc'h. They married in 1874. They had previously had a son Étienne, out of wedlock, in 1872...
. Barrère was performing on a silver flute, something Verne had never heard before. Verne was impressed with the sound, and set out to make a silver flute for himself.
Verne melted down various bits of silver (including a "handful of silver half-dollars," 7 spoons and 3 watch cases) to create the parts of the now infamous "spoon flute." Upon completing the instrument Verne began performing on it regularly. In a short time, William Haynes owner of the Wm. S. Haynes Flute Company of Boston, Massachusetts heard of Powell's instrument and asked to see it. Upon review, he offered Verne a job at his shop.
In 1916, Verne Powell joined the Wm. S. Haynes
William S. Haynes
William S. Haynes was the founder of the William S. Haynes Flute Company of Boston. The company was founded in 1888 and is one of the world's leading makers of concert flutes...
Company to make wooden flutes and piccolos. By 1926, Powell was the shop foreman at Haynes and was running much of the business. Later that year, he left Haynes to make his own flutes. In 1927, Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. was incorporated at 295 Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1961, Powell sold his company to four employees who ran the company until 1984 when two employees, Jim Phelan and Rob Viola, became the owners. In 1986 Steven Wasser bought the shares belonging to Mr. Viola and gained controlling ownership. Jim Phelan left the company in 1989 to pursue other interests, and Mr. Wasser became the full owner.
In 2011, Steven Wasser is still the owner and President of Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. The company shop is now located in Maynard, Massachusetts.
Famous customers
- Ian AndersonIan Anderson (musician)Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
of Jethro TullJethro Tull (band)Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with... - Colonel Catherine "Cady" ColemanCatherine ColemanCatherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut...
, Astronaut
Sonaré Winds
In 2002, Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. created a division called Sonaré Winds. Sonaré flutes are intermediate level instruments which feature a body and handmade Powell headjoint (both made at the Powell shop). The scale, headjoint and soul of the Sonaré flute have the Powell sound, without the high cost of a handmade Powell instrument.In 2005, Sonaré Winds created a line of 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 with partner Cliff Blackburn, which are made in Elkhart, Indiana by the E.K. Blessing Co. but have a leadpipe
Leadpipe
In a brass instrument, a leadpipe is the pipe or tube into which the mouthpiece is placed.For example, on the illustration of a trombone, the leadpipe would be between #3 and #4, the mouthpiece and the slide lock ring. In the illustration of a French horn, the leadpipe is #2.Some instruments have a...
and mouthpiece made by Cliff Blackburn.