Edmund Gram
born 1863 · American (born of German parents)
Biography
Edmund Gram was born in Buffalo in 1863 to German parents. As a boy he ran a small printing business from his father's basement, using the proceeds to pay for music lessons; he studied piano and organ and became a church organist in Milwaukee at fifteen, a post he held for twenty-five years. His father steered him toward a business/legal education instead of music, but bookkeeping bored him and he took up conducting the Lyra Male Chorus of Milwaukee. In 1883 he opened a piano and music business in Milwaukee, becoming a dealer for Steinway and Sons, The Aeolian Company, and Everett Piano Company, and built his reputation for integrity. He partnered with Max Richtsteig to realize his ambition of building his own piano, and the first Gram-Richtsteig piano was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of his business. In 1912 he built a large new music store on Milwaukee Street. He managed the Theodore Thomas Orchestra's Milwaukee concerts for five seasons, served as treasurer of the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association, sat on the Advisory Board of the National Piano Merchants' Association, and acted as State Commissioner of Wisconsin. Edmund Gram was described as a man congenial to Max Richtsteig, sharing his ideals and his ambition to build a piano of the highest order. The two formed a partnership under the name Gram-Richtsteig Company in October 1908, a business that grew quickly, with piano sales doubling in both 1910 and 1911.
Highlights
- Established a piano and music business in Milwaukee in 1883, becoming a representative for Steinway and Sons, The Aeolian Company, and Everett Piano Company
- Partnered with Max Richtsteig to found the Gram-Richtsteig piano factory, producing its first piano to mark the 25th anniversary of his business
- Served as organist in a Milwaukee church for twenty-five years, conducted the Lyra Male Chorus of Milwaukee, and managed the Theodore Thomas Orchestra's Milwaukee concerts for five seasons
- Partnered with Max Richtsteig in October 1908 to form the Gram-Richtsteig Company, sharing his ideals and ambition to build a top-quality piano
Source
Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), pp. 94, 95, 96, 97.
Public domain.