Career
In 1881 he began an office manager for the J. B. Schall banjo company, giving banjo lessons and meeting prominent banjo players of the time, including East. M. Hall. He also began studying the guitar and the mandolin. He became a soloist performer, traveling the country and teaching the banjo, guitar and mandolin.
He also composed music and became a music publisher.
Places he traveled included Chicago, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, Omaha and Kansas City. settled in Kansas City about 1890, where his magazine was published, beginning with the September/October 1894 issue. was "the first legitimate, high class magazine devoted to the interests of.. players at large of the banjo, mandolin and guitar." set his own standard, keeping the tone "literary" and the content educational, and as a result, improved the overall standard for magazines of this type. In an effort to expand his magazine"s reach, moved it from the Midwest to the New England area and added content tailored toward the cosmopolitan crowd, with stylish women on the cover and stories of banjo, mandolin and guitar players who had found success and love through their music
He also branched out adding sections to the magazine for voice, violin, harp and piano. chose a non-standard niche for, promoting sheet music rather than specific musical instruments. Another content difference noted by the al Journal was that the Cadenza did not devote itself to advertising the owner"s merchandise or vilifying his competitors, unlike in other musician-oriented magazines. moved his Cadenza to New York in 1900, and it was bought in May 1908 by Boston publisher Walter Jacobs.
Jacobs ceased publication in 1924.