Ernest Gabler

Biography

Ernest Gabler was among the many Germans who left their fatherland after the failure of the Revolution of 1848. Born in Glogau, Silesia, he landed in New York in 1851 and started his own business in 1854. Building a substantial piano at a moderate price, he met with considerable financial success. He died on February 27, 1883. From Spillane (1890): Mr. Gabler (deceased by the time of writing) founded the New York piano firm of Gabler & Brother in 1854, beginning manufacturing in a modest way. His business survived the panic of 1857, a downturn that drove nearly twenty small New York makers out of the trade, after which his progress was steady and successful. Many patents were granted to the firm during his tenure. At the time of writing the business was conducted by his successor, Emil Gabler.

Highlights

• German immigrant who left after the failed Revolution of 1848 and landed in New York in 1851
• Started his own piano business in 1854, building a substantial piano at a moderate price with considerable financial success
• Founded Gabler & Brother in New York in 1854
• Survived the Panic of 1857, which drove nearly twenty small New York makers out of the trade
• Firm was granted many patents under his direction

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911).

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 236, 237.

Public domain.