RE: [Harp-L] Harmonica in the Mexican Revolution

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

One good source of information is Hartmut Berghoff, a German writer who
has done considerable research on Hohner. His German-language book is
hard to come by, but there is a lengthy essay in English available
here:

http://es.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/2/2/338

He states that Hohner had a marketing representative in Mexico City
specifically by 1908, With Alfred Veerkamp as representative for both
Mexico and South American - basically the Spanish-speaking countries of
the new world, a very large territory. Berghoff states that Mexican
sales were negligible before Veerkamp opened the Mexico City office in
1908.

But did instruments filter down from the U.S. on the secondary market,
independent of Hohner's distribution? Possibly, but only when
sufficient quantities were available to move them beyond immediate
markets. Hohner did not begin exportation to the U.S. until about 1868
or '69, and manufacturing output was small until the introduction of
semi-mechanized methods at the beginning of the 1880s. Until that time,
Hohner had backlogged orders and buyers begging for product. Production
in 1880 was still only about 87,000. However, by 1892 it had risen to
2.1 million (remember, though, this  is for worldwide sale, not just
North America). Between 1900 and 1913 production rose from 3.1 million
to 11 million.

This puts the Mexican Revolution of 1910-17 right in the middle of a
major expansion of harmonica marketing in North America in general and
Mexico in particular. Were armonicas de boca, purchased from the mule
packs of travelling peddlers, to be found in the pockets of the troops
of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata? It certainly seems possible.

Winslow

--- victorio montes silva <silvaharp@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 
> SILVA
> INICIATIVA PARA LA PRESERVACIÒN, OPTIMIZACIÒN Y EL ESTUDIO CIENTIFICO
> DE LA ARMÒNICA DIATÒNICA
> 2007
> http://youtube.com/user/silvaharp
> http://silvaharp.spaces.live.com/
> 
> 
> Thanks David , any help is welcome.
> Indeed Have you saw this movie,I will look, you mention is the
> harmonica Hohner El Centenario.
> 
> I am conducting an investigation to commemorate the meeting between
> Pancho Villa and emiliano Zapata, which succeeded the December 4 of
> 1914.
> 
> 
> Atte.
> Victorio Montes Silva
> "El Hacedor De Armónicas"
> 04455 1681-5162
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> 
> > Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:13:09 -0800
> > From: dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Harmonica in the Mexican Revolution
> > To: silvaharp@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > I'll think about that and see what I can remember. The only
> reference I can think of is fictional, the movie ''Once Upon a Time
> in the West,'' where Charles Bronson plays the harmonica throughout
> the movie, which I believe is set during the mexican revolution. I'm
> thinking Hohner made a harmonica especially for Mexico around that
> time. It is possible that the French overlords introduced the
> harmonica in the 1860s to Mexico City, if it hadn't already worked
> its way down from the U.S. by then.
> >
> > I'll do some more thinking about this...
> >
> > Dave Payne Sr.
> > Elk River Harmonicas
> > www.elkriverharmonicas.com .
> 
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