10/17/2022
About the maker! Boston Clarinet history
Mr. Harry Bettoney came from England to Boston in 1893 and got a job in the orchestra at the old Park Theatre playing the clarinet.
In 1897 he went into business with W. H. Cundy, a music engraver and publisher who had started in Boston in 1855.
In 1900 he started for himself at 48 Hanover Street and imported clarinets and woodwinds and "introduced" into the United States the Buffet "Clarinet" made in Paris by Crampon. (made by M. Buffet and his wife Mme Crampon) however "Whitmore & Boris" of 178 Washington Street, Boston, and in business only a few years, imported the very first (Buffet "Clarinet") just two weeks ahead of Mr. Bettoney
After three or four years Bettoney bought out Mr. Cundy.
Soon after 1900 Bettoney also bought out instrument maker and repairer "E. H. Wurlitzer"
One year later Bettoney began to make flutes and piccolos while continuing to import clarinets.
His place soon became a service station for New England for repairing all kinds of woodwind instruments.
The making of clarinets of which this company is now a leading manufacturer, was begun in 1912.
The factory is located in Jamaica Plain.
In 1919 the Cundy-Bettoney Co. bought out the "Boston Musical Instrument Company", the oldest manufacturer of brass instruments in
the United States, established in 1841 and incorporated January 1, 1913.
The Boston Musical Instrument Company were known for over three generations for their high grade "Boston 3 Star Trumpet". (Did BMIC originally manufacture the Boston "Wonder" clarinet? The silver one I own says "Pat. Pending" below the mouthpiece - ser. no. 4-83 under the lower register keyword and "Boston Wonder" identified on the bell as TRADE MARK reg'd U.S. Pat. Off.)
Eb and Bass Clarinets, oboes and bassoons cannot be made in the United States to advantage except in a quantity which exceeds the demand in the U.S.A.
In March 1930, Bettoney established - as an experiment - a "branch factory" for making these instruments (Eb and Bass Clarinets, oboes and bassoons) at Markneukirchen (a town in the Vogtlandkreis district in the Free State of Saxony) Germany (close to the Czech border) which is a center of skilled musical instrument workers.
A full line of woodwinds and "Silva Winds" are made there.
They are (then imported) adjusted, finished and tested in the main factory in (the USA at) Jamaica Plain.
This company makes instruments of varying prices to suit all purses, supplying many for school use, the different grades being indicated
by trade names.
They also carry the necessary accessories and repair each kind of instrument.
In the woodwinds they make the following:
Flutes:
C and Db metal, Boehm system, with tone holes made by a patented process, three grades, both American and French models in the highest grade.
Piccolos:
C and Db, three grades, Boehm system, Bettonite and metal.
Wood and "Bettonite" Clarinets in Boehm and Albert systems.
Bb , A, C, and Eb , 3 grades but not all in each pitch.
Metal Clarinets:
five grades in Boehm and three grades in Albert systems.
Bb, A and Eb in the best grade, covered keys on two grades.
Alto E in metal, Boehm system, best grade only!
Bass Bb in metal, Boehm system, best grade only!
Oboes:
Conservatory system two grades
Oboe-Sax:
Oboe tone, sax fi*****ng, Grenadilla wood
Bassoons:
Paris Conservatory and Germany style models, maplewood, hard rubber lined.
Figures are not available for the total number made to date of each kind of Bettoney woodwind.
The largest volume is in clarinets of which 6228 were made in 1931 as compared with 556 flutes and 174 piccolos.
woodwind repair tec specializing in vintage and antique band instruments
