Harola Whistle

[Plastiman]

Hello people, newbie Australian whistler here. I have an 86 year old friend who was given a whistle by his grandfather at about the age of 12 or 13 and I was wondering if anyone had any info on it, country of origin etc. It is a Harola, cylindrical tin tube, no seams, squared mouthpiece with a poured lead or solder fipple and the makers plate is soldered onto the tube with just the word "Harola" and I think "Pty. Trademark" underneath. I believe the grandfather owned it for some time before passing it on to my friend. It is in Eb. I've done some googling and apparently the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney Australia has a Harola soprano saxophone dating from the 20's, but other than that I can find no reference at all to other instruments under this name. Any info would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers, Ian

[nikiarrowsmith]

I looked and I can't really find anything either. But no Matter what, I'd think it was valuable a) because it's so freakin old (it was your 86 year old friend's GRANDFATHER'S?? That's old) b) if a Harola sax is in a museum, Harola must mean something, and judging by the lack of much info they must be really rare. Try inquiring at a local museum of some sort of history institution. Or perhaps contacting that museum with the Harola sax?

[Plastiman]

Cheers Nik, good thought about contacting the Museum, might even do that, cya,
Ian

[nikiarrowsmith]

Quote from Powerhouse museum's website in their description of the Harola sax:

"This instrument is important as a representative example of a member of the family of saxophones and joins both alto and tenor instruments currently in the collection. ]Although the instrument is thought to have been manufactured overseas[, it is also significant for the Museum's collection as it has Australian provenance, being used by an amateur musician during the jazz era of the 1920s and is representative of the kind of instruments being used by musicians in the development of jazz in Australia in the pre-World War Two period. Other instruments from this period in the collection include drums, a zylophone and a mandolin banjo but also two other saxophones with strong Australian connections. These are an alto saxophone made by Australian JE Becker of Adelaide whilst working as an apprentice at the CG Conn instrument company in the USA, and also a tenor saxophone by Selmer previously owned and played by Greg Ham of the highly successful Australian rock band Men At Work. These instruments, together with the soprano saxophone create a story of performance and creativity by three sections of the music community; the amateur player, the professional performer and the maker."

That highlighted line is the ONLY reference to Harola at all. Obviously little is known about this maker, which is even more mysterious. You'd think the museum would have a clue right?

Hm....I'm very curious now.

[Plastiman]

I've just fired off an email to the Powerhouse requesting any information at all that they may have. Old Jim will be tickled pink that his ol' family heirloom is such a rare bird. Apparently his Grandfather came from Ireland, don't know how old he was when he came to Australia, but he brought the whistle with him. I'll keep digging, this could get quite interesting
Cheers,
Ian

[MTGuru]

I turned up a couple of Google-cached references to Harola accordions:

http://tinyurl.com/ytdp2v
http://tinyurl.com/2hdofu

The second lists a "1911 German Harola Accordion & Box", which at least gives a rough time frame of when the company was apparently active. So your whistle might be of similar vintage.

[Tucson Whistler]

Any chance of some pictures? I'd love see it.

[Cayden]

It is a bit against received wisdom that holds it that Clarke was the only whistle around (which was implied in Clarke's history of the tin whistle) but in fact there was a whole range of makers churning out very nice brass and nickel whistles (and cellulose ones) of the design you describe during the second half of the 19th century and into the early 20th. Harola seems to be just another one of those. Most names have disappeared in the mist of time undocumented, leaving only the odd whistle to be picked up in antique shops and flea markets. Some makers turned out a range of different instruments from whistles to saxophones to ocarinas. Ch. Mathieu of Paris for example was another manufacturer who made such a wide range of instruments, some of which are left in museum collections, whistles, both conical and cylindrical, being just one branch of his output.

In those days (as today I suppose) it was also common for retailers to sell instruments not manufactured by them under their own brandname.

[MTGuru]

Peter, do you know of any authoritative (and accessible) sources of information on historic whistles - books, articles, museum catalogs, even individuals? Other instruments seem to be much better documented. I can't recall seeing any whistles on display at the Musée des Instruments de Musique in Brussels a few years ago. And the Horniman Museum collection seems equally lacking.

Having once worked in instrument sales, I can attest that the kind of re-branding you describe occurred and still occurs. Even so, it still surprises me when even obscure companies leave few traces in the history.

[Cayden]

Surprising that Brussels didn't have any. Herman Dewitt collected an awful lot of traditional instruments around Flanders, quite a few whistles in his collection as well mostly French made ones but also locally made wooden ones. There are pics of whistles in several of his books. It may be worth contacting Hubert Boone at Brussels (assuming he's still working at the museum), he'll have a handle on that. I also remember the catalogue of the Brussels museum going on-line some years ago, or at planning to do so after the museums move (which is some years ago now).

Whistles are the most humble of instruments, not the first choice for authors to get excited about or write about for their thesis. You can find some information on Charles Mathieu for the other instruments he (or his company) made, finding one of his whistles mentioned in a museum catalogue is far more rare (although I did come across one during a brief search a few months ago).

My favourite puzzle at the moment is this one, lovely player, very well made (I have a number of unkeyed ones in different pitches by the same company) but is this one a one off or were many made, who's to know?




edited for typos and brainfarts

[scheky]

Let us know what you find out on that one Peter, it's a beauty.

[Cayden]

The problem is quite a few of those only have initials and a type name or designation (Dulcet, 'in tune') and maybe a logo and of those again only a few have a place of manufacture so there's no easy starting point.

For something like 'Joseph Wallis, London' you can start checking company registers etc roughly around the estimated time they were in business. Still quite a task. At least Charles Mathieu had a 'marque depose' so you can look up the registered trademarks of the day.

I also have some very well playing whistles that only have a key designation and no clue at all who made them and any guess at when some of those were made(especially the undecorated ones) is as good as the next one.

I used to have a book called 'Nazi Kitsch' by the way which I bought in a book sale, in it was a photograph of a Clarke style conical whistle decorated with a Swastika (the reason I bought the book in the first place). I dumped a lot of books moving to Clare and that was one that went.

[Plastiman]

I don't have a digi camera, but will get the son-in-law to take some piccies and we'll post them here ASAP,
Cheers,
Ian

[MTGuru]

Thanks, Peter, good information. I don't remember whistles on display in Brussels, though they may be in storage. Lots of flutina accordions and bagpipes, though, enough to make an impression. This was in the new building, the former "Old England" department store. As far as I can tell, the catalogue is not yet on-line. The Horniman catalog is. But a quick look at their "Aerophones-Duct Flutes" was disappointing.

Given the current revival of interest in whistles, humble and not so humble, I expect someone will eventually take up the task. As it is now, the history in, for example, Scotland and America seems to be a black hole. But with Ben Power here now starting doctoral work on trad instruments and makers, maybe we can twist his arm.

I'd also kill for a modern edition of your keyed whistle. I know there's a fellow in France who makes a keyed low D. But the several makers I asked a while ago about building a fully-keyed high whistle seemed decidedly uninterested. Good luck with your mystery.

[Cayden]

Well, to be honest I look at it as a curiosity, a dead branch of whistle evolution.