[Harp-L] Re: Gettysburg Harmonica-Wilhelm Thie, Vienna

[MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]

Hello, Gary Hodgson and Dean Knudsen. Here's some information about the  
harmonica  #GETT 28263, exhibited at the Gettysburg National Military Park,  
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
According to Dean's description, the harmonica is a "tremolo" harmonica, in  
the "Veinnese System" of note placement. Wilhelm Anton Thie (1833-1905) is  
responsible for the invention of the tremolo harmonica, Viennese System,  
according to Martin Haffner and Lars Lindenmuller in their book, "Harmonica  Makers 
of Germany and Austria," published by the Deutsches Harmonica Museum,  
Trossingen Germany.
 
Wilhelm's father, Friedrich Wilhelm Thie (1803-1869), was a Prussian  
immigrant to Vienna, and started making harmonicas in Vienna, Austria, 1834.  That 
was 23 years before  C.A.Seydel harmonicas, and 33 years before the  Hohner 
harmonica company was founded in Trossingen, Germany.
 
When the first tremolo harmonica was invented is uncertain, but it was  
possibly between 1853 and 1863 at the earliest. This is a guess only. Wilhelm  
would have been 20 years old in 1853, but probably didn't succeed his father as  
president of the company until at least 1863, when he was 30 years old.  
Friedrich would have been 60 years old in 1863. 
 
According to Wilhelm Koch (1873-1936), also a  harmonica manufacturer,  the 
Vienna System (tremolo harmonica note placement system) was invented by  
Wilhelm Anton Thie. 
 
The tremolo-type harmonica has two reeds for each note, one on top of  
another, each in a separate hole.The two reeds are tuned to the same pitch, then  
one is sligtly de-tuned, so that the reeds create a tremolo (wavy tone) effect  
when played together, without any physical efforts by the harmonica player 
other  than inhaling or exhaling into the harmonica.
 
Dean, if you can read the patent dates (in the circles on the covers) on  the 
brass-looking harmonica covers, you will know when your display harmonica  
was patented, and this may tell harmonica historians when the tremolo harp was  
invented.
It will also tell whether your display harmonica was possibly at the actual  
battle of Gettysburg, or if it was found there years after the battle. Please  
let us know at Harp-L.org.
 
I hope this information is helpful. John Broecker. I highly recommend the  
above book.
 
 
.
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