Franz Schwarzer: Missouri Zither Maker
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HISTORICAL REVIEW SCHWARZER'S ARION HARP ZITHER THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI The State Historical Society of Missouri, heretofore organized under the laws of this State, shall be the trustee of this State—Laws of Missouri, 1899, R. S. of Mo., 1949, Chapter 183. OFFICERS 1962-65 ROY D. WILLIAMS, Boonville, President L. E. MEADOR, Springfield, First Vice President LEO J. ROZIER, Perryville, Second Vice President LEWIS E. ATHERTON, Columbia, Third Vice President RUSSELL V. DYE, Liberty, Fourth Vice President WILLIAM C. TUCKER, Warrensburg, Fifth Vice President JOHN A. WINKLER, Hannibal, Sixth Vice President R. B. PRICE, Columbia, Treasurer FLOYD C. SHOEMAKER, Columbia, Secretary Emeritus and Consultant RICHARD S. BROWNLEE, Columbia, Director, Secretary, and Librarian TRUSTEES Permanent Trustees, Former Presidents of the Society E. L. DALE, Carthage E. E. SWAIN, Kirksville RUSH H. LIMBAUGH, Cape Girardeau *L. M. WHITE, Mexico GEORGE A. ROZIER, Jefferson City Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1965 FRANK P. BRIGGS, Macon W. C. HEWITT, Shelbyville HENRY A. BUNDSCHU, Independence ROBERT NAGEL JONES, St. Louis R. I. COLBORN, Paris GEORGE W. SOMERVILLE, Chillicothe VICTOR A. GIERKE, Louisiana WILLIAM C. TUCKER, Warrensburg Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1966 BARTLETT BODER, St. Joseph LEO J. ROZIER, Perry ville STANLEY J. GOODMAN, St. Louis W. WALLACE SMITH, Independence L. E. MEADOR, Springfield JACK STAPLETON, Stanberry JOSEPH H. MOORE, Charleston HENRY C. THOMPSON, Bonne Terre Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1967 WILLIAM AULL, III, Lexington *FRANK LUTHER MOTT, Columbia WILLIAM R. DENSLOW, Trenton GEORGE H. SCRUTON, Sedalia ALFRED O. FUERBRINGER, St. Louis JAMES TODD, Moberly GEORGE FULLER GREEN, Kansas City T. BALLARD WATTERS, Marshfield EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The twenty-nine Trustees, the President and the Secretary of the Society, the Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and President of the University of Missouri constitute the Executive Committee. FINANCE COMMITTEE Five members of the Executive Committee appointed by the President of the Society at each annual meeting of the Executive Committee constitute the Finance Committee. *L. M. WHITE, Mexico, Chairman ELMER ELLIS, Columbia GEORGE A. ROZIER, Jefferson City W. C. HEWITT, Shelbyville T. BALLARD WATTERS, Marshfield *Deceased Volume LX October 1965 Number 1 MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW Published Quarterly by THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA, MISSOURI RICHARD S. BROWNLEE EDITOR JAMES E. MOSS ASSOCIATE EDITOR DOROTHY CALDWELL ASSISTANT EDITOR The MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW is published quar terly at 119 South Elson Street, Kirksville, Missouri. Send communications and change of address to The State Histor ical Society of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. Second class postage is paid at Kirksville, Missouri. The REVIEW is sent free to all members of The State Historical Society of Missouri. Membership dues in the Society are $ 1.00 a year or $25 for an individual life member ship. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors to the magazine. CONTENTS FRANZ SCHWARZER: MISSOURI ZITHER MAKER. By Thomas M. Davis and Franz R. Beinke 1 FROM THE LOG OF THE Red Rover, 1862-1865. A HISTORY OF THE FIRST U.S. NAVY HOSPITAL SHIP. By Edward C. Kenney 31 THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF MISSOURI'S EX-GOVERNOR, LILHURN W. BOGGS. By Monte B. McLaws 50 THE CUBAN CRISIS OF 1895-1898: NEWSPAPERS AND NATIVISM. By J. Stanley Lemons 63 HISTORICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS Mark Twain's First "Literary Venture" 75 Missouri State Park Board Deposits Architectural Drawings of Anderson House in Library of Congress 76 Missouri Writers' Guild Celebrates Fiftieth Anniversary 78 News In Brief 80 Local Historical Societies 84 Commemorative Events 97 Honors and Tributes 99 Gifts 101 Erratum 104 Missouri History in Newspapers 105 Missouri Historical Data in Magazines Ill In Memoriam 113 Book Reviews 116 Book Notes 124 CAPE GIRARDEAU COMMON PLEAS COURTHOUSE Yerso Back Cover FREDERICK BATES Back Cover THE COVER: Franz Schwarzer's Special Arion Harp Zither. This Zither was considered by its manufacturer "the masterpiece in the Zither-making art . the finest Zither in the world." It was advertised in the following glowing terms: "The pillar, shell and scroll are executed in ivory by a world-famed Bavarian sculptor, especially for us and to our designs. The inlayings of gold, silver, oriede, white, green and variegated mother-of-pearl are cut and inlaid by our artists at our factory. The design is modern, and although elaborate and costly, by no means overdone. The inlay does not enhance the instrument in its musical sense, as the tonal construction is absolutely perfect. The case is in keeping with the Zither—a rich, silk plush lined, morocco covered one, fitted with nickel-plated flat and cutting pliers, nickel-plated tuning fork, ivory handled tuning hammer; beautifully carved, ivory handle, badger hair dust brush; silk plush dust wiper, with pearl initials inlaid in handle." For an article on Franz Schwarzer and Zither manufacturing in Missouri, see page 1. F: ANZ DCHWARZE MISSOURI ZITHER MAKER By THOMAS M. DAVIS and FRANZ R. BEINKE* For many manufacturers of musical instruments, the Inter national Exhibition at Vienna in 1873 was a disappointment. In the first place, Heinrich Steinweg [Steinway], whose pianos had received the highest award at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, did not exhibit. In his official report on the 1873 Exhibition, Dr. Oscar Paul, the German government's representative, complained that all of the piano makers who had improved the designs of their instru ments had modeled them on Steinway's innovations of 1867, and quoted the regrets of the Vienna Exhibition Jury that the "cele brated . firm of Steinway & Sons of New York . have not exhibited."1 Dr. Paul did not comment on another instrument produced in America, which was displayed, but which must have caused more chagrin among the Viennese than the lack of Steinway pianos. When Exhibition visitors strolled into the large Industrial Palace they were surprised to see the Gold Medal of Progress, the highest award of the Exhibition, displayed in the American musical instru ments area on a small table containing three zithers. *Thomas M. Davis, M.S., is assistant professor, English Department, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Franz R. Beinke, Union, Missouri, is Schwarzer's "grandson". Although never legally adopted. Mr. Beinke's mother, Theresa Grohe Beinke, was raised by the Schwarzers. His father worked in the zither factory and Mr. Beinke played as a child around his father's work bench. 'Oscar Paul, "German Reports," Reports of the Commissioners of the United States to the Inter national Exhibition Held at Vienna, 1873, I (Washington, 187G), 385. 1 FRANZ SCHWARZER Zither displays were not new to the European Exhibitions. The zither was the German-speaking peoples' national instrument, and Vienna was the zither capital of the world. Six separate journals devoted to zither enthusiasts were published in that city; the world's most famous concert zitherists studied there; and Anton Kiendl, the ''Stradivari of zither makers" and winner of the Gold Medal award at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, had his factory there. But of the more than thirty manufacturers who entered zithers, only the American-made instruments were singled out for revealing "significant progress in new inventions [and] in the introduction of new materials and contrivances." Inside the sounding hole of the winning instruments a small, white label read: FRANZ SCHWARZER MANUFACTURER OF ZITHERS WASHINGTON, MISSOURI Just as the award of the Gold Medal to an unknown American came as a surprise to zither makers in Europe, it may also surprise Missourians to learn that Franz Schwarzer, the world's most famous zither maker of the latter half of the nineteenth century, lived and worked in Washington, Missouri. Schwarzer's factory, during the peak years of production, employed about twenty-five men. His instruments were sold in large numbers, not only in this country, but in every major nation in Europe, and in such places as Chile and Peru. Wherever German-speaking people gathered, Schwarzer instruments were found. By the time the factory closed in the 1920's, over 11,000 Schwarzer instruments—twenty types of Franz Schwarzer, Missouri Zither Maker 3 zithers, mandolins, and guitars—had been produced. Schwarzer's story illustrates the contributions which old world cultures have made to the heritage of Missouri, and it is also a record of a time when the products of Missouri craftsmen were recognized for their artistry throughout the world. Most of the information about Schwarzer's early life is contained in a small packet of letters which were preserved by Theresa Grohe Beinke.2 Written in a small German script, most of the letters were discarded except for the formal, elaborate letterheads. Often the lower half of the paper has been torn off, and only the letterhead has been saved; but there is usually a paragraph or more of informa tion on the back, and quite often, the date of letter has been pre served on the front of the fragment. Schwarzer's father, Anton, was a building contractor and furniture maker in Olmutz, Austria.3 He also apparently made musical instruments of some kind, for in a fragment of the Olmutz newspaper, his shop is referred to as an ''instrument-manufacturing concern" [Instrumenten-Erzeugungs-Geschafte].4 None of the letters refers to his mother, Maria Strand Schwarzer, who apparently died shortly after Schwarzer's birth on October 8, 1828. It was not until the 1840s that the small German craftsmen were replaced by the larger shops of the accelerated German industrial revolution.5 Although Anton Schwarzer's business was not ex tensive, he was successful enough to send Franz to the Olmutz Gymnasium and later to the Vienna Polytechnic Institute.6 The 2The Schwarzers had no children. Although only distantly related to Theresa Grohe Beinke and her brother Herman C.