Edward H. White

Biography

Edward H. White appears in Alfred Dolge's history of the player piano as co-patentee, with Wm. D. Parker, of a combination automatic upright piano and reed organ. Their application, filed November 29, 1895, was granted December 15, 1896. The invention combined a piano and reed organ but did not succeed commercially: the piano's steel strings would not remain in tune as long as the reeds did, so the two components would not consistently blend in tone. White and Parker continued their collaboration, and on April 5, 1897, they filed for a further patent covering an automatic piano player in cabinet form, containing reeds and playable either as an automatic reed organ or as a keyboard-instrument player; this patent was granted October 26, 1897. The cabinet was designed to be moved onto any piano, with mechanical fingers resting on the keys like human fingers, and its practical, durable construction won immediate public favor. White, son of Henry Kirk White, was born April 5, 1855. He inherited his father's inventive genius and made his mark by inventing the Angelus piano player, which at once brought the Wilcox & White company to the front rank of the industry. He died September 16, 1899, at the age of forty-four.

Highlights

• With Wm. D. Parker, patented a combination automatic upright piano and reed organ (filed Nov. 29, 1895, granted Dec. 15, 1896)
• The combination failed commercially because the piano's steel strings would not stay in tune with the longer-lasting reed tuning
• With Parker, patented an automatic piano player in cabinet form (filed Apr. 5, 1897, granted Oct. 26, 1897), playable as an automatic reed organ or keyboard-instrument player
• Inherited his father's inventive genius
• Invented the Angelus piano player, which brought the company to prominence
• Died September 16, 1899, at age 44

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 143, 145, 369.

Public domain.