A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Cramer and Co
CRAMER & CO. This eminent music publishing house began business in the year 1824 in the premises now occupied by them. Mr. J. B. Cramer's popularity and influence soon drew around him a goodly proportion of the professors of the day, who with his own pupils created a large circulation for the pianoforte works of the firm. The catalogue of publications continued on the increase until, in the year 1830, the firm bought the whole of the music plates belonging to the Harmonic Institution, which contained a considerable portion of the works of Dussek, Clementi, Haydn, Herz, Hummel, Mozart, and Steibelt, besides a few of Beethoven and Moscheles, with Handel's choruses arranged as solos and duets, many of the popular songs of C. Horn, the operas 'Oberon' and 'Freischütz,' the oratorio of 'Palestine' by Dr. Crotch, and a large number of Italian songs and duets by Gabussi, Meyerbeer, Mozart, Pacini, Paer, Rossini, Vaccaj, and others, thus giving the house a very strong position in the music trade. Upon this followed the English operas of Balfe, Benedict, and Barnett, the glees of Horsley and Calcott, the songs of Neukomm, pianoforte works of Dohler, Moscheles, Thalberg, Leopold de Meyer, etc. Between 1830 and 40 Mr. Cramer was much abroad, and in 1843 Mr. Addison retired from the business and was succeeded by Mr. W. Chappell, when the firm became Cramer, Beale, and Chappell. In 1845 Vincent Wallace returned from America, and Cramer & Co. secured his 'Maritana,' publishing also, as years went on, his other successful works. In 1861 Mr. Chappell retired, and was succeeded in the firm by Mr. George Wood. Mr. Beale dying in 1863 the whole of the business fell into the hands of Mr. Wood, who still carries it on with great success, giving, however, more attention to pianoforte manufacturing than to publishing, having introduced and very extensively carried out a novel mode of supplying pianofortes on a hiring system, which seems to have become very general.
[ C. H. P. ]