GERMANY EXPORTS ON AN AVERAGE 50,000,000 MOUTH ORGANS YEARLY

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6864, 20 March 1929, Page 9

GERMANY EXPORTS ON AN AVERAGE 50,000,000 MOUTH ORGANS YEARLY

Thriving Industry Germany is the chief maker of mouth organs, says the ‘Musical Times,’ summarising au article in the ‘Berliner Tageblatt. ’ Here arc a few of what Mr.. Polly would call ‘staggering statistics.” The two chief makers employ 6,000 workmen. In addition, there are many smaller concerns, and the Saxony the home manufacture ot' jmouth organs by ‘‘cottage workers” keeps 9.000 busy. The combined mouth organ and accordion industry is the second largest department of musical-instrument manufacture in Germany. The average export is about 50,000,000 of mouth organs and 1,000,000 of accordions. What becomes of this immense output? Apparently America is the chief outside customer. The first case of mouth organs sent to the United States of America in the ’sixties marked the beginning of the great development of the Trossingen mouth organ industry. The quickly enthused Americans (who still possess the rare gift of approaching a new idea without prejudice) displayed an unexpected interest in the little mouth organ, and within a few years the instrument was thoroughly at home in even the remotest tracts of the dollar land. The demand rose at such an extraordinary rate that the supply remained inadequate for many years in spite of the constant enlargements of the factories. It is pleasant to note that Americans have been unswervingly faithful friends of the mouth organ to this day. Of the 50.5 million mouth organs exported by the German harmonica industry in 1927 no less than 22,000,0U0 or, roundly 43 per cent, went to the United States.

Originally a mere toy—and a torment to sensitive ears—it became a solo instrument of the highest order, and is now, in the true sense of the term, on everybody’s lips. The mountaineer in the German highland whiles away his time on cool summer nights with his mouth harp. To the taciturn Breton fisherman the little instrument is a faithful friend and companion throughout liis hard bfe on the expanses of the northern seas. The lazzarone of Naples in its company heeds not the scorching heat of his skies in his “dolce far nientc! ” The natives of Africa have been its most devoted admirers for the last thirty years. It is as familiar in the pampas of South America as in the enchanted world of India and China. To the sheep farmer of Australia it is as indispensable as to the workers of the illimitable cotton fields of tho Mississippi basin. The Tise of the Wurtemberg mouth organ industry from the most primitive beginnings to an industry of world renown impresses one like a story from the Arabian fairy tales. The founder and pioneer of the industry was a very young journeyman clothmaker, named Christian Messner, who, after much laborious time-wasting experimental work, carried out in the pigeon loft of his father’s house, succeeded in 1827, with tho faithful help of tho schoolmaster of the village, in producing the first workable mouth organ.

Why he used the pigeon loft for his workshop is explained by the fact that his father, a very austere craft master of tho old stamp, had little use for trickery of any sort, and looked with unconcealed disdain upon what ho considered tho silly time-wasting humbug of his off-spring. . Young Messner, however, was as thick-skulled as his progenitor, and fled from the domain of his always-grousing father to take refuge in tho peaceful habitat of the pigeons. It was there that he,made the lucky hit. As soon as he found that his mouth harps took the fancy of tho people, he chucked his job as a clothmaker and devoted all his time and energy to the more remunerative production of mouth organs. The products of his industry lio sold at country fairs and inns and to enterprising hawkers in the South of Germany. 1