Firth

Contents

History

Firth of New York was the publisher of Stephen Foster's songs, from the 1850s onwards.

John Firth was born in Yorkshire, England in 1789. In 1810 he arrived in New York and after military service in the War of 1812 both he and his future partner William Hall (1796-1873) found work with the instrument maker Edward Riley.

Firth left in 1815 to establish his own shop and was joined in 1821 by Hall thus creating the firm Firth & Hall. In addition to manufacturing musical instruments the firm published sheet music at least as early as 1833. In that year Sylvanus Billings Pond (1792-1871) was admitted into partnership and the firm was renamed Firth, Hall & Pond.

The business re-organized again in 1847 when Hall left establishing his own firm William Hall & Son while Thaddeus Firth and William A. Pond (d.1885), sons of the two remaining partners, were admitted into the firm which was renamed Firth, Pond & Co.

In 1863 the firm was split up, with the Ponds forming William A. Pond & Co., and the Firths forming Firth, Son & Co. John Firth died on September 10, 1864 and the firm continued to be run by his son Thaddeus until it was sold to Oliver Ditson Company in March, 1867.

Firth primarily published popular songs and piano pieces. By far, its most valuable commodity was the popular songs of Stephen Foster.

Editions

Imprints, Addresses, Agencies

Imprints

  • John Firth (1815-1820) - Probably manufactured instruments only.
  • Firth & Hall (1821-1832) - Imprint was still in use in the 1840s.
  • Firth, Hall & Pond (1833-1847)
  • Firth, Pond & Co. (1847-1863)
  • Firth, Son & Co. (1863-1867)

Addresses

  • 1 Franklin Square, New York (1832-1856)
  • 239 Broadway, New York (1846) - address for Firth, Hall & Pond at same time that Firth & Hall were located at Franklin Square
  • 547 Broadway, New York (1857-1863)
  • 563 Broadway, New York (1864-1867)

Plate Numbers

Firth & Hall and Firth, Hall & Pond appear to have used either no plate numbers or an abbreviation of the work's title followed by the number of plates. Plate numbers for Firth, Pond & Co. and Firth, Son & Co. were issued in a fairly regular chronological fashion in the format of ####..

Firth & Hall and Firth, Hall & Pond

Plate Composer Work Year
Isle of Sheppy Waltzes. 7 Bristow Isle of Sheppy Waltzes 1840
Rory O Moore Var. 6 Bristow Rory O'Moore 1842
3074 Malibrán There is No Home Like My Own (arr. for harp by Labarre)
3249 Wallace Le rêve, Op.21 1843
3846 Wallace Grande valse de concert, Op.27 1845
3904 Saroni Music From Afar 1846
4010 Wallace La belle anglaise 1846
4048 Heinrich The Tribute - pt.2, The City of Fraternal Love 1846
4138 Saroni Atlantic 1847
4193 La Hache Winter 1847
4194 Saroni Autumn 1847
4195 Scharfenberg Spring 1847
4196 Timm Summer 1847

Firth, Pond & Co. and Firth, Son & Co.

Plate Composer Work Year
470 Zorer The May Breezes (trans. English by Leland) 1849
472 Underner Magdalena Polka 1849
610 Zorer Der vogel und die schlinge 1850
644 Hoffman Grande Fantasie on Here's To You, Harry Clay 1850
664 Abbott The Badger Polka 1850
797 La Hache Woodman, Spare that Tree 1850
821 Wels Grand Funeral March (arr. piano solo) 1850
874 Wels The Polka for the People 1850
931 Wels Solitude and Memory, Op.6 1851
950 Taubert 4 Gesänge, Op.74 (no.1 arr. for Guitar by Zorer) 1851
1026 Dressler The Sea Steamer Schottisch, Op.16 1851
1083 Brown Happy Family Polka 1851
1094 Wels The Opal Waltzes, Op.8 1851
1102 Leutner The Gipsey Polka (arr. for solo piano) 1851
1555 Dressler The Blossom Schottisch, Op.8 1852
1624 Messemaeckers La favorite, Op.59 1852
1668 Wels Spirito Gentil, Op.9 1852
1883 Wels 3 Lays of the People, Op.10 (no.1) 1853
1884 Wollenhaupt Grand march de concert, Op.19 1853
1925 Wels 3 Lays of the People, Op.10 (no.2) 1853
1928 Wels 3 Lays of the People, Op.10 (no.3) 1853
2048 La Hache Sicilienne in C major 1853
2279 Phelps The Bamboula Polka 1853
2393 Wels The Sigh, Op.21 1853
2436 Grobe Massa's in the Cold Ground with Variations, Op.367 1853
2561 Wels Grand Triumphal March, Op.14 1853
2578 Wels Omar Pasha's March, Op.22 1853
2599 Gottschalk L'Etincelle, Op.20 1854
2624 Wels Trill Schottisch, Op.17 1854
2662 Phelps Come in Beautiful Dreams 1854
2664 Foster Ellen Bayne 1854
2796 Foster Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair 1854
2809 Wels Le tremolo, Op.23 1854
2924 Kleber The Gazelle Schottisch 1854
3342 Herz Variations Brillantes on 'The Last Rose of Summer', Op.159 (arr. for piano 4-hand) 1855
3392 Schulhoff 3 Impromptus, Op.8 (No.1) 1855
3476 Dressler The Copyright Schottisch, Op.63 1855
3623 Wels Joie du cœur mazurka, Op.29 1855(?)
3666 Bellak Scenes from Martha, Op.501 1856(?)
3674 Bellak Kleber's Rainbow Schottisch, Op.546 1856
3848 Mason 3 Valses de Salon, Op.7 (No.1) 1856
3851-52 Mason 3 Valses de Salon, Op.7 (Nos.2 and 3) 1856
3913 Bellak Crown Diamonds 1856
4035 Mason 3 Preludes, Op.8 1856
4056 Berg Reminiscences of the North Star, Op.25 1856
4082 Satter Méditation religieuse, Op.6 1857
4206 Wels Le Bonheur, Op.35 1857
4213 Mason Lullaby, Op.10 1857
4280 Wels Transcription et variation sur 'Di provenza il mar', Op.45 1857
4380 Goldbeck La Blonde, Op.43 1857
4939 Gottschalk Columbia, Op.34 1860
4984 Grobe Dixie's Land, Op.1250 1860
5077 Warren Christ the Lord is Risen Today 1860
5282 Foster That's What's the Matter 1862
5924 Bishop I'll Never Forget Thee, Dear Mary 1866

Catalogs

Sources Consulted

  1. "Firth, Pond & Co." Wikipedia.
  2. "Firth Pond and Co." - New York Makers" McGee Flutes.
  3. Groce, Nancy. Musical Instrument Makers of New York (Pendragon Press, 1991). Google Preview.

Authority control

  • VIAF (Firth, Pond & Co.)
  • VIAF (Firth, Hall & Pond)
  • VIAF (Firth & Hall)

Links

Category:Scores published by Firth