Ferdinand Mayer

Tchaikovsky Research
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Ferdinand Mayer (1843-1920)
pictured in 1898 with his sons William (left), Albert, and Ferdinand H. Mayer

German-born representative of the piano manufacturers William Knabe & Co. in New York (b. 14 June 1843 [N.S.] in Sondershausen; d. 28 August 1922 in St. Petersburg, Florida).

Mayer came to New York in 1860 at the age of 17, and became a naturalized American citizen four years later. In 1867 he started work with the New York piano manufacturers Marschall & Mittauer, and when that firm was disbanded two years later he was taken on by Albert Weber, founder of the Weber firm, rising from the post of junior salesman to manager of the firm's New York headquarters. After spending five years in Chicago as associate manager for Weber's, he returned to New York in 1888 as a representative of William Knabe & Co. [1].

Tchaikovsky and Mayer

It was in this capacity that Mayer found himself accompanying Tchaikovsky for part of his American tour in April and May 1891. The composer at first appreciated Mayer's attentiveness, writing on the second day of his tour that "The sincere friendliness of this dear German astonishes and touches me. Being the representative of a piano manufacturer, he has not the slightest self-interest in attending to a musician who is not a pianist" [2].

However, a week later Tchaikovsky had begun to find his host's attention somewhat oppressive. "After an excellent lunch I went for a walk along Broadway, alas, with Mayer", he wrote in his diary. "This good-natured German cannot understand that his sacrifice for my sake is unnecessary, and even onerous for me. How enjoyable it would be to walk alone! But Mayer is prepared to neglect his business duties in order that I ought not to be left alone. And so, despite my pleading that he should go home and deal with his business affairs, he trailed around with me on foot for an hour-and-a-half!" [3]. He was also later a reluctant guest at Mayer's country "dacha" [4].

When on 14/26 May 1891 Mayer asked Tchaikovsky to write a testimonial for Knabe's pianos, the composer refused to state publicly that he found Knabe's pianos "indisputably the best in America", on the grounds that he considered Steinway's to be superior [5]. Nevertheless, a compromise was reached with a re-worded testimonial, and the composer and Mayer ended his visit on good terms [6].

The year after Tchaikovsky's visit, Mayer accepted an offer of employment from the firm of Chickering & Sons to become manager of their New York branch. In 1896 he returned to Knabe's as a senior manager, and four years later he became their European representative in Berlin. After Knabe's became part of the American Piano Company in 1908, Mayer's employment came to an abrupt end, and he sued for breach of contract [7]. In 1919 he returned from Europe to spend his last years in New York.

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

No letters from Tchaikovsky to Ferdinand Mayer are known, but 2 letters from Mayer to the composer, dating from 1891, are preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, Nos. 2298–2299).

Notes and References

  1. Information from "Ferdinand Mayer Honored" in The Music Trade Review, 26 December 1898 [N.S.], p. 13. See: http://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1898-26-12/MTR-1898-26-12-11.pdf (last accessed 25 April 2015).
  2. Diary entry for 15/27 April 1891.
  3. Diary entry for 22 April/4 May 1891.
  4. Diary entry for 1/13 May 1891.
  5. Diary entry for 2/14 May 1891.
  6. Diary entry for 7/19 May 1891.
  7. Piano, Organ and Musical Instrument Workers' Official Journal, vol. 11 (1909), p. 9.