Frank A. Lee

Biography

Frank A. Lee joined the John Church Company of Cincinnati in 1883, and in November of that year the Everett Piano Company was started in Boston through his efforts, its name chosen by John Church for its euphonious clarity. Although Church and his associates, long-time piano dealers, had intended to build a commercial piano, Lee, upon becoming Everett's president, changed that policy and set out to make pianos of the highest order. It took years of perseverance and discouraging trials before the Everett piano won recognition as an artistic instrument, but Lee never lost faith, and with his superintendent John Anderson's artistry he eventually saw Everett concert grands used by Reisenauer, Dr. Neitzel, Chaminade, Carreno and other leading virtuosos. The John Church Company, which also controls the Harvard Piano Company of Dayton, Kentucky, and maintains a large music-publishing catalogue, has been guided by Lee as president since 1894. Lee appears in a gallery of portraits of presidents of the National Association of Piano Manufacturers of America and is identified as its president in 1908. No further biographical detail is given in the text beyond his name and portrait as printed.

Highlights

• Joined the John Church Company of Cincinnati in 1883, and that November helped start the Everett Piano Company in Boston
• As president of Everett, changed the firm's policy from building a commercial piano to producing pianos of the highest artistic order, ultimately used in concert by Reisenauer, Neitzel, Chaminade and Carreno
• Became president of the John Church Company, guiding the company (and its subsidiary Harvard Piano Company) since 1894
• Served as president of the National Association of Piano Manufacturers of America in 1908

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), p. 337.

Public domain.