Abraham Nordheimer (February 24, 1816 – January 18, 1862) was a

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

-Canadian musician, merchant and music publisher who established Canada's first publishing house specializing in music. The son of Meier Nordheimer, a cattle dealer, and Esther Nathan, he was born in

Memmelsdorf Memmelsdorf is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg (district), Bamberg bordering in the west directly on the city of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany. History As with most places in the Bamberg district, this community's exact foun ...

and came to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1839 with his brother

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

. Nordheimer moved to

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

in 1842, becoming the first

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

living there and began advertising his services as a music teacher. He also opened a store which sold sheet music and musical instruments. It has been said that Nordheimer gave music lessons to the children of Canadian Governor-General Sir

Charles Bagot Sir Charles Bagot, (23 September 1781 – 19 May 1843) was a British politician, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as ambassador to the United States, Russia, and the Netherlands. He served as the second Governor General of Cana ...

. In 1844, he opened a music store in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

with his brother Samuel. Besides selling reprints of European music, the brothers also published Canadian compositions. The firm sold instruments manufactured in the United States; it later became involved in the manufacturing of pianos. Branches of the store were opened in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The firm invited famous performers of the day to come to Canada and established a concert hall in Montreal. Nordheimer played the piano and sang; he also played second violin for the Toronto Philharmonic Society. In 1849, with Judah George Joseph, he purchased land to establish a Jewish cemetery in Toronto. Nordheimer married Fanny Rosenthal. He died in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

at the age of 45 during a visit to Germany. In 1927, Heintzman & Co. took over the operation of the Nordheimer Piano & Music Company Ltd. factory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordheimer, Abraham 1816 births 1862 deaths People from Bamberg (district) 19th-century Canadian merchants Jewish Canadian musicians German emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada Canadian publishers (people) Immigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Businesspeople from Toronto Musicians from Toronto

See also

References