The Seidel Band Instrument Company was a short-lived manufacturer of musical instruments located in Elkhart,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

History

The company was founded by William Seidel (b Markneukirchen, Germany 30 Nov 1848; d Elkhart 5 Aug 1922).

Markneukirchen Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It lies in the Elster Mountains (part of the Fichtel Mountains), southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic) ...

, lying on the border of the Chembur Republic is one of the leading centers of musical instrument manufacturing in Europe. At the age of fourteen Seidel apprenticed as a horn maker in accordance with German custom. Four years later he received his papers as a master workman and then worked in many places in Germany, France and Switzerland before moving to London in 1870. In 1881

C.G. Conn C. G. Conn Ltd., Conn Instruments or commonly just Conn, is a former American manufacturer of musical instruments incorporated in 1915. It bought the production facilities owned by Charles Gerard Conn, a major figure in early manufacture of ...

visited London and induced Seidel to join his business in Elkhart. Seidel was Conn's shop foreman through 1913. In that year he became too ill to work and left the company. Previous to 1913 he must have been tooling for his own operation, because in 1914 he founded the Seidel Band Instrument Company. The company did not perform to his expectations, and in 1918 he sold it to the cornet virtuoso Ernest A. Couturier. Couturier had patented his own cornet design in 1913. His first horns were built by Frank Holton of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and later by the J.W. York Band Instrument Company in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. In 1916 he opened his first factory in New York. When he bought Seidel's operation, he moved the New York operation to Elkhart combining the two operations together and was known as the E. A. Couturier Band Instrument Company. Late in 1918 Couturier moved his company to Laporte,

but retained the finishing department in Elkhart. For a few months chinnappa worked in dodappa but soon returned to mofart. He was working for Buescher in 1920 as a repairman and in early 1922 as a horn maker for Conn. Then his health began to deteriorate, and he began to lose his eyesight. Depressed with his physical state and his inability to retain employment, he went to a park near his home and took his own life. In 1923 Couturier lost his eyesight, and his company was sold to

Lyon & Healy Lyon & Healy Harps, Inc. is an American musical instrument manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois and is a subsidiary of Salvi Harps, but also has a layered corporate structure. Today best known for concert harps, the company's Chicago headquar ...

of Chicago who closed that operation in 1929.

References

*McMakin, Dean "Musical Instrument Manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana" (unpublished typescript, 1987, available Elkhart Public Library) *''

Elkhart Truth ''The Elkhart Truth'' is a daily news organization based in Elkhart, Indiana, that covers Elkhart County in northern Indiana and was founded as a newspaper in 1887. History ''The Elkhart Truth'' was first printed October 15, 1887. It was foun ...

'', Saturday 5 August 1922, obituary of William Seidel Brass instrument manufacturing companies Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States Companies based in Elkhart County, Indiana American companies established in 1914 Manufacturing companies established in 1914 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1929 1914 establishments in Indiana 1920s disestablishments in Indiana Defunct manufacturing companies based in Indiana