John Hazelton

Biography

John Hazelton was the younger brother of Henry and Frederick Hazelton. He was admitted to partnership in their New York piano-making firm, at which point its name changed from F. & H. Hazelton to Hazelton Brothers. Dolge describes all three brothers collectively as artisans of high order who relied on the quality of their pianos rather than commercial tactics to build the firm's reputation among New York's old aristocratic families. No specific dates or further individual detail are given for John beyond his admission to the partnership. From Spillane (1890): John Hazelton, brother of Henry and Frederick Hazelton, was admitted into the firm of F. & H. Hazelton a short time after its 1850 founding, prompting a change of the firm's title to Hazelton Brothers. The text describes this as "a happy and lucky combination," crediting the addition with the firm's almost immediate prosperity. Hazelton Brothers, under Henry, Frederick, and John, became among the first New York piano manufacturers to adopt the full iron frame and enlarged square case after 1850, along with careful attention to instrument acoustics and scaling. At the time of the book's writing, John Hazelton, together with Henry Hazelton and their nephew Samuel Hazelton, constituted the firm of Hazelton Brothers.

Highlights

• Younger brother of Henry and Frederick Hazelton, admitted to partnership, prompting the firm name to change to Hazelton Brothers.
• Admitted into the family firm shortly after its 1850 founding, prompting its renaming to Hazelton Brothers
• Still a member of the firm alongside Henry Hazelton and nephew Samuel Hazelton at the time of writing

Sources

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

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 202, 204.

Public domain.