Publisher Arthur P Schmidt

Quarter-Centennial Anniversary 

AMONG the items of interest for the present month [of October] we note that the well-known music publishing house, Arthur P. Schmidt, of Boston, celebrates on the 2d inst. its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Mr. Schmidt, who was born in Altona, Germany, April 1, 1846, entered the music business of George D. Russell & Co., Boston, as clerk in 1866. In 1876 he established a small business of his own on Winter street, and three years later went to Tremont street, where he remained until 1884, opening branches in Leipsic in 1889 and New York in 1894. Since selling the Boston retail department in 1889 his time has been devoted entirely to publishing, having moved to more extensive quarters at 146 Boylston street.

From the day of his establishment as a music publisher Mr. Schmidt has steadily pursued the policy of taking up compositions by the best American composers and publishing them with the same elaboration and detail which characterize the work of the foremost German houses, thus securing to a number of our prominent composers like Chadwick, Beach, Foote, Paine and others, the means of bringing their works before the public. This policy has been consistently followed to the present time, and to-day his catalogue, which numbers fully 6,000 works, is considered representative of American music in its best form.

In 1880 John K. Paine’s Spring Symphony was issued, being the first orchestral score ever published for an American composer.

This was followed by many other orchestral works worthy of note, and it is but justice to state that the progress made by American composers has in a large part been due to the encouragement and assistance extended by American publishers.