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WHO WAS RICHTER AND WHY IS HE IMPORTANT? very quickly became the
leader in this field of
Chronologically, the early to mid-1800s is a section where research manufacturing. Within
regarding innovations made to the harmonica gets a bit blurry, and the his first two decades in
“Richter” name pops up all over the place as a major innovator—or operation, he bought
not—of the instrument. out the competition
– In some references, a gentleman named Joseph Richter is credited including Messner’s
with developing the first diatonic harmonica that created sound company, and began
through blow notes and draw notes in 1825. exporting his harmonicas

– In other references, Richter’s name is highly questioned and the date to family in the U.S. By
of the breathing breakthrough is listed as anywhere from 1825 to 1879. the time his four sons
took over the business
– The name “aura” was altered to “aeolian” or “aeolina” in many following Hohner’s death
records, connected to a Richter. in 1904, the company
was producing over 4
– Just to add to the confusion, a Nuremberg merchant’s 1834 cata-
log shows a 10-hole harmonica with an ivory mouthpiece with no attri- million harmonicas a
bution but Embossed as a “Genuine Richter Silver Reeds” year and employed over
plenty of harmonica, this example is said to have 1,000 workers.
rumors as come from Saxony. Just five years after
to who establishing the business,
(Richter?) Hohner was exporting
created it. samples, and then The Hohner Family, 1908
boxloads, of harmonicas
– Then there are multi- to friends and family in the U.S. Making this instrument available to a
ple examples of Richter harmonicas new and growing audience in the West expanded his business exponen-
with many different Richters named as makers who tially. Thanks to the ongoing upgrades to both the design and range of
were spread across Germany – Anton Richter, Johann Richter the harmonica meant it was better able to fit in with the many different
from Regensburg, another from Bohemia, M. Johs. Richter in Saxony genres of music being played across the pond.
and the list goes on. The Marine Band harmonica is perhaps one of the most iconic ver-
sions made by Hohner. Patented in 1896, it was named after the
– The other innovation that made harmonica’s musical range ever famous band led by American Composer and Bandmaster John Philip
greater, and may have been created by a Richter, is the double holed Sousa, but was really developed for European Folk Music. Due to its
harmonica, where two notes could be played in the space that used to tonal possibilities, this harmonica became the go-to model for playing
house only one, increasing the popularity of the instrument due to its blues and country music.
ability to play more melodies. Next up in 1910 came the
ever-popular Chromatic har-
Whether the Richter surname is connected to these improvements monica by Hohner,
made to the harmonica is uncertain, but the changes made happened in allowing the player
rapid succession and made it more popular than ever. to perform music
in any key. The
WEISS HOHNER HARMONICAS Jazz age saw
harmonicas
Harmonica manufacturing caught the attention of yet another
joining the
(albeit former) clockmaker and successful businessman, 21-year-old An example of movement, and
Matthias Hohner. Apparently, Hohner payed a visit on his schoolmate the Hohner Blues performers were free
Christian Weiss – a family member of Messner who took the maker’s Marine Band to express themselves during the
construction methods and promptly opened harmonica Great Depression and beyond.
his own company in 1856. Hohner was looking for a new career and Meantime, people participating in the western expansion had many,
appeared to have overex- many hours in the saddle
tended his visit, spending or riding the buckboard.
too many hours touring The harmonica took on a
the Weiss factory. more restful and range-y,
Becoming suspicious, even melancholy tone
Weiss threw young around the campfire. The
Hohner out. Hohner had harmonicas were cheap,
seen just enough, however, small, and easily trans-
and opened his own facto- ported by the thousands
ry just one year later, 1857. of settlers who wanted and
Hohner’s name became
synonymous with the har- needed the music to create
a sense of calm on the trail.
monica, but his musical
attributes were few at best
as he could barely play the THE 20TH CENTURY
instrument. Fortunately, The list of early players
Hohner was right where who made the harmonica
he needed to be to take on a sensation included Little
mass production of the Walter, Deford Bailey (a
harmonica and introduce regular at the Grand Ol’
it to the world. Opry), and John Lee
Hohner made his first “Sonny Boy” Williams.
harmonica in 1857 and Their recordings spread

18 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles