website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Emil C Gaebler
Click to enlarge
Emil Gaebler
1859
-- -- ARRIVED IN WATERTOWN
A
sketch of the Concordia Musical Society, one of the city’s most famous musical
organizations of generations ago, is contained in a reprint from the October 6,
1890, issue of “Der Seebote,”
a Milwaukee publication. The article was
written by the late Emil E. Gaebler and was part of
his memoirs which the paper printed.
Part
of the article is being reprinted here.
It follows:
At the
time Emil C. Gaebler came to Watertown, in 1859,
there was an established musical society here, called the Music and Singing
Society and when Gaebler organized a new society,
called Philharmonic, there was an effort to combine the two. The two finally joined but the passive members
tried to run it and after six months the active members seceded and formed their own society in July, 1862,
called the Concordia.
Emil Gaebler had organized a musical society
in 1852 at Danbury, Conn., and was familiar with the management of the
Northeastern Singers league of New York.
He, therefore, organized the Northwest league shortly after he came to Wisconsin
and to this league the Concordia gave its support, so actively, that at the
first saengerfest held
in La Crosse in 1866 Watertown won the first prize, a silver loving cup, now on
display in the historical museum in Madison.
Thereafter
the following saengerfests (conventions or music
festivals) were held: Watertown, 1867; Milwaukee, 1868; Madison, 1869; La
Crosse, 1871; Dubuque, 1873; Watertown, 1875; Freeport, 1877; Milwaukee, 1879;
Madison, 1881; La Crosse; 1883; Watertown, 1885; Freeport, 1887; Minneapolis,
1889; Milwaukee 1891; Dubuque, 1896.
There was also a band convention in Watertown in 1879.
A
large collection of manuscript music, opera scores, and instrumental numbers
are to this day reposing in one of our local stores waiting for the day when
Watertown will again take an interest in local amateur musical activities. WDT 05 20 1935
1859
08 25 MELODEONS,
NEW MANUFACTORY ! !
The subscriber, having undertaken
the manufacturing of melodeons in this city, respectfully invites the attention
of the public to the act, and solicits a share of their patronage. The instruments I manufacture are of the very
best quality and warranted equal in all respects to any in the market.
I also keep on hand those of
the most celebrated manufacturers of the East, so the taste and wishes of all
wanting anything in that line may be suited.
The prices are adapted to
the times and are lower than in any other market in the country, New York City
not excepted.
Shop in Bertram’s Block,
Main Street, upstairs.
E. C. Gaebler,
Watertown, WD
1861
08 08 MELODEONS
Emil C. Gaebler is the manufacturer of a very fine
and superior variety of melodeon in this city.
His instruments have sold readily, and all who have purchased them have
cheerfully testified to their merits and been satisfied with the way in which
they have worked. Mr. Gaebler is an accomplished workman and musician and knows
how to give finish and tone to his melodeons.
He is a tuner and repairer and can put in perfect order most any musical
instrument which may need fitting up to make it as good as new. His rooms are in Bertram’s Block, where he will
be found ready to attend to all calls. WD
1862
01 02 “THE CREATION,” Gaebler
Conductor
The Musical
Association of Watertown will give a grand Vocal and Instrumental Concert at
Cole’s Hall, on Thursday evening, January 16th.
A large choir, accompanied by an orchestra of sixteen instruments, will
perform the first part of Hayden’s renowned oratorio – “The Creation” – and a number of miscellaneous pieces specified in the program to
be published next week. Emil C. Gaebler, Conductor.
WD
[Advertisement]
Cross
Reference: . . . My friend, the late Max H. Gaebler, tells a
story of the early days of a brewery located north of the city limits between
sixty and seventy years ago. Bad as was
the beer, the drinkers of that day made liberal concessions, but they balked at
the worst kind so that where it was undrinkable the brewer fed it to his hogs
on the farm. When the brewer's hogs lay
on their backs pawing the air and squealing in riotous glee the passing pioneer
farmers patiently driving their oxen to town knew that another brew had
miscarried. The brewery went bankrupt
and its principal asset, a thirty five gallon copper
kettle, came into possession of Joe Miller, the local coppersmith.
In 1861 an orchestra was formed in Watertown to assist the choral
society in performing Haydn's “Creation.”
Kettledrums were quite necessary but not available. So E. C. Gaebler, the conductor, commissioned Miller to build a
pair. Miller utilized the old brewing
kettle for the body of the larger one and it was a success. Eventually the drums were sold to a musical
society in La Crosse where they were long in service. When the good people of La Crosse listened to
the sonorous roll of the kettledrum, little did they suspect its turbulent
origin . . . Wisconsin Magazine
of History, Volume 4, 1921, “Chronicles of Early
Watertown” by William F. Whyte.
1863
05 02 UNDER DIRECTION OF E. C. GAEBLER: Concert
in Cole’s Hall
11 04 PIANOS, PIANOS, PIANOS
[advertisement] C. G. Heicke of Milwaukee manufactures a superior article of
pianos, equal in tone, finish and durability to the celebrated Steinway
instrument and superior to all others.
E. C. Gaebler is agent in this city, with whom
all orders can be left at his book and bindery store, in Schempf’s
block, Main Street. He is permitted to
refer to Prof. H. Hoeper, Miss M. A. McMahon, Mayor
Joseph Lindon, S. D. Day, F. Fischer, William H. Rohr, Henry Bertram and L. Charboneau, all of Watertown WR
12 10 MAGIC FLUTE
Prof. E. C. Gaebler has made arrangements for
giving our citizens a splendid musical entertainment at Cole’s Hall on the
evening of the 31st, when the fine opera of the Magic Flute will be
performed. The masterpiece of the
immortal Mozart. Presented by the
Concordia Musical Association under the direction of Prof. Gaebler. A grand romantic opera in four acts. Tickets 50 cents. Children 25 cents. Up to the 29th three tickets can be bought
for one dollar at the store of Fischer & Rohr. There will be a ball after the concert. WD
1864
02 11 GIFT CONCERT
Prof. Gaebler announces in an advertisement
his purpose to give a Gift Concert in this city on the 7th of next April. The music will be worth the price of a
ticket, yet each purchaser will draw a prize of some kind, with a chance of
getting something valuable – perhaps a house and lot, piano, sewing machine, or
some other desirable article. Every
effort will be made to render the entertainment attractive and brilliant and
give entire satisfaction to the holders of tickets. All the prizes promised will be received by
the lucky drawers of them. WD
1865
09 21 MUSIC, SUPERIOR PIANOS
Music -- We call general attention to the
advertisement of Mr. E. C. Gaebler, in another
column. The latest and most popular
music and the finest musical instruments will be found at his rooms on 4th
Street, 2d ward, at all times. He is a skillful instrument maker and gives particular attention to repairing and tuning. Those who may want such services as he can
render should give him a call.
Superior Pianos
Orders for which will be promptly attended
to.
Tuning and repairing.
He is prepared to tune and repair all kinds
of instruments and in this business he takes
particular pains to give the best satisfaction.
E. C. Gaebler,
Fourth Street, 2nd door north of Main Street.
WD
1869
09 22 STORE ON MAIN, BETWEEN
THIRD AND FOURTH
Musical.—We call the
attention of our readers who are musically inclined to the advertisement of
Prof. E. C. Gaebler in this week’s paper. The Professor has lived in Watertown for the
last fifteen years and has established an excellent reputation as a teacher of
music, and also as a manufacturer of and dealer in
musical instruments. No one can doubt
his ability to judge of the quality or value of pianos, organs or other musical
instruments, or of the correctness of any statement he may make in regard to them.
His store is between 3d and 4th streets on Main
Street, and that newly gilt sign of his marks it so prominently
that there can be no mistake or trouble in finding it.
1872
06 26 A WATERTOWN ORGAN
Prof. E. C. Gaebler
has just completed the manufacture of a pipe organ at his Music House on Fourth Street. This organ has ten stops of
which 4 are metal and is possessed of the heaviest sub-base used, with a 4 1/2
octave manual keyboard and two octave pedals.
The largest pipe in the instrument is 8 feet long and 12 inches wide,
and the smallest not quite one inch in length.
it is voiced so as to be capable of producing
as great power as can be obtained from any organ of its size. As an article of Watertown manufacture it is
well worth seeing, and we hope that Mr. Gaebler's
enterprise in the manufacture of such instruments may meet with the proper
encouragement.
1872 Watertown City Directory
1875
06 16 ST. JOHN’S CHURCH
ORGAN: Manufacture and Installation of
Prof. E. C. Gaebler is putting up in St.
John’s Lutheran Church, of this city, a magnificent pipe organ manufactured at his Temple of Music, Fourth
Street. His organ is a fine specimen
of Watertown manufacture and reflects credit on its builder. A brief description of the instrument may be
interesting.
The organ has two banks of keys, two octave of
pedals, and contains over fourteen hundred pipes from 16 feet to 3/4 of an inch
in length. There are 28 stops and
combination pedals. The case is 15 X 14
feet and 20 feet high. There are 28
gilded pipes in front, the largest of which is ten feet long and 6 inches in
diameter. The bellows furnishes 35,000
inches of wind every second. The organ
when completed is worth $5,000.
Excellent workmanship has been displayed on all portions of the
instrument. The design of the front was
drawn by Mr. L. Charboneau and, of course, is
tapestry and artistic. The gilding and
painting on the organ was done by Messrs. Degenhardt
& Bradow, Mr. W. E. Dervin
having a hand in on the finishing touches.
Of course the tone of this instrument will be
of the highest order, having passed through the hands of Prof. Gaebler, one of the foremost musicians of the state, who
has supervised every portion of the work.
Our citizens will have an opportunity of hearing this magnificent organ
for the first time on Sunday, June 27th.
It will be played by a celebrated organist from Milwaukee. We hope the day is not far distant when Prof. Gaebler
& Son will engage more extensively in the manufacture of pipe
organs. They are certainly competent to
turn out as good instruments as can be found anywhere, and we trust they may
meet with sufficient encouragement to build up a large
manufacturing interest of this kind in our midst. WR
1878
02 27 TELEPHONE LECTURE AND DEMO
The second
lecture in the Lyceum Course called out a large audience on last Friday
evening, in spite of the unpleasant weather.
The church [*]
was connected with Gaebler's
music store on 4th Street, six blocks distant, by an insulated copper wire,
which was the medium of transmission.
Prof.
Lovewell, the lecturer, traced the progress of
Telephony from Page's galvanic music in 1837 to its final development in
1872 by Bell, Gray, Edison and others.
The
different forms of apparatus were illustrated by chart diagrams, and the
Professor explained as clearly and concisely as the nature of the subject would
allow, the scientific principles of acoustics and electricity involved.
To the greater majority of the audience the most interesting
part of the entertainment consisted in their listening to the sounds
transmitted over the wire. This
continued until a late hour and afforded much amusement, especially to those
who remained in the church after the majority of the
audience had dispersed. The different
musical instruments were distinctly heard, every note being accurately
transmitted.
The singing
of Messrs. Gaebler, May and Charboneau
was much enjoyed as was also a controversy on the Silver Bill, in which Mr. J.
B. Bennett played an important part. The Watertown News, 27 Feb 1878
[*] Lyceum courses were held at First
Congregational Church, then located at 504 S. Fourth St.
1879 EMIL C. GAEBLER
PROFILE
Derived from The History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin,
1879.
Emil C. Gaebler, musical instruments and
musical wholesale, Watertown; was born in Eisenberg, Saxony, Sept. 30, 1828, and
came to Wisconsin November, 1856, locating at Lake
Mills. He received his literary
education at the college at Eisenberg, and after that taught school for two
years. On Aug. 15, 1849, he came to the
United States to look after some land that was ceded to his father by a brother
who was engaged in the Mexican war in the 15th Wis. V.I. He then went to Danbury, Conn., and became
teacher of music and languages in John W. Irwin’s Institute, six months after
which he established himself in the teaching of music, tuning and repairing
pianos, which he continued there for seven years.
On account of his health, he went to Lake Mills, Wis., and entered the
hardware business, in which he remained two years, when he went to Watertown,
and at first manufactured melodeons; afterward started the music store which he
now occupies.
He is also engaged in teaching music and leading singing societies, and is now leader of the Concordia Musical
Society.
He has been engaged for the past eight years in the manufacture of pipe
organs, and has made and placed organs in the following churches:
Emanuel Church, Lebanon, Wis.;
St. John’s
Lutheran Church, at Watertown, Wis.
(this organ has two banks of keys and twenty-eight stops);
Lutheran Church, at Lomira, Wis.;
Evangelical Church, at Ripon, Wis., and the
Lutheran Church at Fall Creek, Wis.
In 1876, he was elected School Commissioner, which position he now
holds. He married, July 3, 1849, Bertha
Von Beust; he has five children – Max H., Emeline A., Otto F., Sophie C. and Arthur.
c.1895
1898
04 13 Death of Emil C. Gaebler,
[b. Sep 30, 1828, d. Apr 9, 1898]
Emil C. Gaebler, father of Max H. Gaebler of this
city, died at his home in Milwaukee Saturday morning, after an illness of
several months. He was in the 70th year
of his age. Three sons and two daughters
are left to mourn his loss.
With the passing of Mr. Gaebler there is
removed one of the most prominent musical men this state ever possessed. His fame as a musician was wide-spread,
especially from the standpoint of a manufacturer of musical wares and as a
director. During a residence of forty
years in Wisconsin, Mr. Gaebler lived at Watertown,
La Crosse and Milwaukee, and in each of these cities he was a leader in the
musical circles in either one way or another.
Many pleasing productions here under his baton can be remembered by the
older residents. In company with John
Ulrich of La Crosse, Mr. Gaebler founded the
Northwestern Saengerbund in I860 and served as
director at several of the biennial fests.
He was also the composer of numerous works, and his skill as a builder
of church organs brought him into especial prominence.
Deceased was born in Saxony, Germany, September 30, 1828, and the career
of a theologian was chosen, when participation in the revolution of 1848 caused
him to leave Germany. He came to
Connecticut and taught music and languages for seven years, after which he
migrated to Wisconsin, living first at Lake Mills and then settling in this
city in 1858. Here he engaged in the
manufacture of organs, etc., and for many years conducted a general music
store. Later he accepted a call as
director of singing societies at La Crosse, and about eight years ago removed
from there to Milwaukee. Mr. Gaebler was married twice.
His daughter Sophie studied under Liszt and is now one of the most
accomplished pianists of the state.
While a resident here Mr. Gaebler was active
in other callings of life than music, and was one of
our leading citizens. He was greatly
interested in educational matters, particularly the public schools, and it was
he who originated our excellent system of free text books — a system that but
few cities of the state enjoy.
Mr. Gaebler’s funeral was held from his late
home yesterday morning and the remains were brought here on the noon train and interred in Oak
Hill cemetery. The Concordia Society
sang at the grave.
________________________
Cross References:
Sophie Gaebler Recalled
One of the early musical leaders in Watertown was E. C. Gaebler, a
talented man who could handle just about any kind of musical task, from playing
the piano to conducting an orchestra or even building an organ. One of his daughters, Sophie Charlotte Gaebler, had the distinction of having studied under the world renowned Franz Liszt.
Doc
WHS_005_551 <Need e-edition
subscription to open link.
Daughter Sophie
also buried
in Oak Hill Cemetery
Gaebler, Sophie,
b.
E. C. Gaebler's successor as Mr. Music of Watertown was Richard Hardege.
Emil
Gaebler home, AHI record
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin