Henry Barnes Tremaine

Background

Henry was born on July 20, 1866 in Brooklyn, N. Y. He was the son of William Burton Tremaine, and Emeline Cornelia (Dodge) Tremaine. He was a descendant of Joseph Truman who settled in New London, Connecticut, in 1666.

Education

He was educated in the public schools of Brooklyn.

Career

At sixteen entered the employ of Hastings & Company, paper merchants of New York City. In 1888 he joined the Aeolian Organ and Music Company, of which his father was manager, a firm which in 1887 had acquired the business of the Mechanical Orguinette Company. The product of the company was a small mechanical organ, played by a crank that turned a paper music roll. Tremaine saw immediately that, though the promoters of the organette were offering it as a toy, it had possibilities as a musical instrument, and he accordingly proposed that a better instrument be introduced which would appeal to adults as well as children.

In 1890 he succeeded his father as manager. In 1894 he acquired the sales rights of the Vocalion organ, and in the same year a mechanical device for playing it, the Orchestrelle. In 1895 the name of the company was changed to the Aeolian Company, and three years later Tremaine was elected president.

When in 1896 the pianola, a mechanical device for playing the piano, was invented, Tremaine acquired it for the Aeolian Company. This led to the formation of the Aeolian, Weber Piano and Pianola Company in 1903.

Subsequent activities of the firm included the manufacture of phonographs and records (1913 - 25), and the development of the Duo-Art (1914), a device similar to the pianola, but one which automatically reproduced the expression and nuances of living pianists in its performance.

Tremaine's ability to anticipate changes in taste was shown not only by his development of mechanical musical instruments but also by his choice of locations for the firm in New York City. He seemed to know what sections would become fashionable shopping centers. When he joined the firm at 831 Broadway, the owners had difficulty in paying the rent. Tremaine insisted that they move (1891) to West Twenty-third Street, where the rent was higher, and the same intuition guided him in subsequent moves. He also gave his business an international aspect by the establishment of foreign branches--London (1898), Berlin (1901), Australia (1905), and Paris (1907)--and furthered musical activities by establishing concert halls in the United States and abroad.

Although he labored under severe handicaps of health and during his active career was forced to be absent for more than half of his usual working hours, he possessed a remarkable faculty for judging situations and solving problems in absence.

In November of 1930 he resigned the presidency of the Aeolian Company, and became chairman of its board of directors. He died suddenly in Washington, D. C.

Achievements

• Henry Barnes Tremaine was an outstanding manufacturer of mechanical musical instruments. He was awarded several foreign decorations, among them the Order of Leopold, the Order of Philip the Magnanimous (Belgium), 1922; the Order of St. Gregory the Great (papal), 1923; and the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1926; he became a member of the Legion of Honor in 1927.

Connections

He was married to Maud Aline Cooke of New York City, Apr. 2, 1890, and had two daughters and a son.

Father:

William Burton Tremaine

Mother:

Emeline Cornelia (Dodge) Tremaine

Spouse:

Maud Aline Cooke

References

• The history of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman family in America; Vol: 2 1901 Hardcover
• The history of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman family in America; Vol: 1 1901 Hardcover
• The history of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman family in America; Vol: 4 1901 Hardcover
• The history of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman family in America; Vol: 3 1901 Hardcover