Excerpt from New Illustrated Catalogue Containing Descriptions and Engravings of the Henry F. Miller Piano-Fortes: With a Sketch of the Manufacturer, a Description of His Establishments, and a List of Styles With Engravings, and Numerous Testimonials and Certificates From the Most Distinguished Educators and Musicians O manufacture piano-fortes which surpass all others, requires a most persistent effort on the part of the manufacturer to secure certain practical results. The best pianos, from a musical standpoint, can only result from a scientific method of construction, - and no matter how faithfully they have been made, they will not compare favorably as musical instruments with the musically successful piano of the few leading houses without such skill. In some cases, where there are science and experience in the construction of the pianos, it does not necessarily follow that there is also the disposition to do faithful work and to use only the best materials, as in the case of the large establishments which manufacture medium grade or pianos for low prices. Hence, there is a difference between the pianos of various manufacturers. We do not hesitate to call attention to these facts, because we conscientiously believe that in the henry F. Miller pianos will be found the combination of a disposition to use the best materials, to employ the most faithful and skilled workmen - with a. Large experience, and a scientific knowledge how to construct the piano so as to produce the best results from a musical standpoint. From the commencement the rapidity with which these pianos have supplanted others, and taken the leading position in the estimation of the musical profession, is only to be accounted for on the presumption that the most successful results have been obtained. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from New Illustrated Catalogue of the Henry F. Miller Piano-Fortes For a period of ten consecutive years the Miller pianos were purchased for the public schools Of Boston, and also for other public institutions Of the city. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Calixa Lavallée, the composer of “O Canada,” was the first Canadian-born musician to achieve an international reputation. While primarily remembered for the national anthem, Lavallée and his work extended well beyond Canada, and he played a multitude of roles in North American music as a composer, conductor, administrator, instrumentalist, educator, and critic. In Anthems and Minstrel Shows, Brian Thompson analyzes Lavallée’s music, letters, and published writings, as well as newspapers and music magazines of the time, to provide a detailed account of musical life in nineteenth-century North America and the relationship between music and nation. Leaving Quebec at age sixteen, Lavallée travelled widely for a decade as musical director of a minstrel troupe, and spent a year as a bandsman in the Union Army. Later, as a performer and conductor, he built a repertoire that prepared audiences for the intellectually challenging music of European composers and new music by his US contemporaries. His own music extended from national songs to comic operas, and instrumental music, as he shifted between the worlds of classical and popular music. Previously portrayed as a humble French Canadian forced into exile by ignorance and injustice, Lavallée emerges here as ambitious, radical, bohemian, and fully engaged with the musical, social, and political currents of his time. While nationalism and nation-building are central to this story, Anthems and Minstrel Shows asks to which nation – or nations – Lavallée and “O Canada” really belong.