The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music publisher in the United States. It has been owned by Carl Fischer Music since 2004.

History

Theodore Presser

Theodore Presser was born July 3, 1848, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to German emigrant Christian Presser and Caroline Dietz. As a young man, he worked in an iron foundry helping to mold cannon balls for the army during the Civil War. This activity proved too strenuous for his young physique, and at 16, he began selling tickets for the Strokosch Opera Company in Pittsburgh. In 1864, he began working as a clerk at C.C. Mellor's music store in Pittsburgh. He eventually achieved the position of sheet-music department manager. Presser began his musical studies at 19 by learning to play the piano. At 20, he began studies music at

Mt. Union College The University of Mount Union is a private university in Alliance, Ohio. Founded in 1846, the university was affiliated with the Methodist Church until the spring of 2019. In the fall of 2020, Mount Union had an enrollment of 1,958 undergraduate ...

, where he stayed for a year, and then worked as a piano teacher at Ohio Northern University for two years. Further studies were completed at Miami Conservatory of Music, the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

, and the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany under

Reinecke Reinecke is a surname. Notable people with the name include * Carl Reinecke (1824–1910), German composer, pianist and conductor * Edwin Reinecke (1924– 2016), former Lieutenant Governor of California * Hans-Peter Reinecke, actor * Hermann Rein ...

, Jadassoh, and Zwintscher. His late start in learning to play the piano handicapped his technique. Theodore Presser's house in Lynchburg, Va

He is credited as the founder of the Department of Music at

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

, where he taught 1876–1878. While there, he founded the Music Teachers National Association. His studies in Germany lasted from 1878 to 1880. He then became director of music at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. In October 1883, while working at Hollins, he began publication of '' The Etude'' music magazine with only $250 in cash. The immediate success of his new magazine prompted him to seek larger publishing facilities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1884. Presser died in Philadelphia on October 28, 1925. He married Helen Louise Curran (1890; d. 1905) and Elise Houston (1908; d. 1922). He is interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

The Presser Company

Presser's need for music content within ''The Etude'' resulted in his establishment as a dealer and publisher. Following the purchase of the John Church Company in 1930, the Theodore Presser Company acquired the Oliver Ditson Company in 1931. Through this acquisition, Presser traces its origins to 1783, when Batelle's Book Store (later the Oliver Ditson Company), began a music-publishing business in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1972, the Theodore Presser Company acquired Elkan-Vogel and its locally represented agencies (including Hamelle et cie., Henry Lemoine et cie., and others), making the Theodore Presser Company a major distributor of French music in the United States. On August 31, 2004, Presser closed its retail music stores in both King of Prussia and Center City Philadelphia. The company now focuses primarily on publishing and distribution activities from its headquarters. In 2017, Presser acquired Columbia Music Company, founded by Sophocles Papas. In addition to its own catalog, Presser represents the music of more than 70 U.S. and foreign publishers, including Universal Edition, Peermusic Classical, Éditions Alphonse Leduc, and

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it also ...

Presser Foundation

The publishing company that Presser founded was so successful that in 1906, Presser was able to express his appreciation to those who made this success possible by establishing the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers located on West Johnson Street in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. His philanthropic zeal is continued to this day through his foresight in forming the Presser Foundation in 1916, nine years before his death. Each year, the Presser Foundation awards scholarships, grants, and funds specifically to further the cause of music and music education in America.

Composers published by Theodore Presser

* Samuel Adler * William Albright *

Martin Amlin Martin Amlin (born June 12, 1953) is an American composer and pianist. He was born in Dallas, Texas.Martin Aml ...

* Daniel Asia * P.D.Q. Bach *

Seymour Barab Seymour Barab (January 9, 1921 – June 28, 2014) was an American composer of opera, songs and instrumental and chamber music, as well as a cellist, organist and pianist. He was best known for his fairy tale operas for young audiences, such as ' ...

Irwin Bazelon Irwin Bazelon (June 4, 1922 in Evanston, Illinois – August 2, 1995) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Contemporary American composer Irwin Bazelon's music is known for its interesting rhythms and its emphasis on th ...

Warren Benson Warren Benson (January 26, 1924 – October 6, 2005) was an American composer. His compositions consist mostly of music for wind instruments and percussion. His most notable piece is titled ''The Leaves Are Falling''. Biography Benson was born in ...

* Chester Biscardi * William Bolcom * Victoria Bond *

Louis Calabro Louis Calabro (November 1, 1926 – October 21, 1991) was an Italian American orchestral composer. Calabro studied piano and composition at Juilliard School of Music. Vincent Persichetti was his principal teacher there. Louis Calabro was a mu ...

* Ronald Caltabiano * Chen Yi * Valerie Coleman * Ruth Crawford * Daniel Dorff * John Downey * Henri Dutilleux * Donald Erb * Eric Ewazen * David Felder *

Carlos Gardels Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhe ...

* Ricky Ian Gordon * Adolphus Hailstork * Iain Hamilton * Donald Harris *

Michael Hersch Michael Nathaniel Hersch (born June 25, 1971) is an American composer and pianist. Biography Early life and musical education Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Reston, Virginia, Hersch was introduced to classical music at the age of 18 ...

Lejaren Hiller Lejaren Arthur Hiller Jr. (February 23, 1924, New York City – January 26, 1994, Buffalo, New York)Lejaren ...

* Katherine Hoover *

Huang Ruo Huang Ruo (黃若, born 1976) is a Chinese-born composer, pianist and vocalist who now lives in the United States. Biography Born on Hainan Island off the southern coast of China in 1976, Huang was taught piano and composition from the age ...

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

* Stephen Jaffe * Robert Jager * Martin Kennedy * Earl Kim * William Kraft * Ezra Laderman * Henri Lazarof *

David Leisner David Leisner is a classical guitarist, composer, and teacher at the Manhattan School of Music. He previously also taught at the New England Conservatory. Prior to being disabled by focal dystonia Focal dystonia, or focal task specific dystonia, ...

* Gerald Levinson *

Peter Scott Lewis Peter Scott Lewis (born August 31, 1953 in San Rafael, California) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. Career Lewis's works have been commissioned and/or performed by the Rotterdam Philharmonic; Princeton Symphony Orchestra; ...

* Lowell Liebermann *

Philip Maneval Philip Maneval (born 1956) is an American composer and arts administrator. As a composer, Maneval has written more than 35 solo, chamber music and orchestral works which have been played by groups including the Chicago String Quartet and Miami S ...

* James Matheson * William Mayer *

John Melby John Melby (born 1941) is an American composer. Life and work John Melby is most widely known for his numerous compositions for computer-synthesized sounds, particularly in combination with live acoustic instruments. In addition to electronic mus ...

* Robert Moevs * Robert Muczynski * Jeffrey Mumford *

Jeff Nichols Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Nichols is most known for his films ''Take Shelter'' (20 ...

* Carter Pann * Thomas Pasatieri * George Perle * Vincent Persichetti *

Marta Ptaszynska Marta Ptaszyńska (born 29 July 1943) is a Polish composer, percussionist and professor of music at the University of Chicago. She has been described by the Polish Music Center of the University of Southern California as "one of the best known Poli ...

* Shulamit Ran * Behzad Ranjbaran *

Jay Reise Jay Reise (born 1950) is an American composer. Biography Reise spent his childhood surrounded by classical music and jazz, but began his composition studies with Jimmy Giuffre and Hugh Hartwell in 1970. After graduating at Hamilton College in 1 ...

* George Rochberg * Bernard Rogers *

Carl Ruggles Carl Ruggles (born Charles Sprague Ruggles; March 11, 1876 – October 24, 1971) was an American composer, painter and teacher. His pieces employed " dissonant counterpoint", a term coined by fellow composer and musicologist Charles Seeger to ...

* Peter Schickele * Gary Schocker * William Schuman *

Amy Scurria Amy Scurria (born September 24, 1973) is an American composer. Biography Amy Scurria was born into a military family and showed an early interest in music, memorizing the piano assignments of her sister Jackie. At age 11 she took lessons under t ...

* Sophie Seipt * Roger Sessions * Ralph Shapey *

Louise Siddall Louise Siddall (27 January 1879 - 8 December 1935) was an American composer, organist, and music educator. Siddall was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Ellen and Henry A. Siddall. Her father was a member of the North Carolina 26th Regime ...

* Netty Simons *

Nellie Bangs Skelton Cornelia (“Nellie”) Pomeroy Bangs Skelton DePue (August 8, 1855 - November 23, 1911) was an American composer, pianist, singer and vocal coach who toured the United States as a pianist. She published and performed as Nellie Bangs Skelton. Skelt ...

Hale Smith Hale Smith (June 29, 1925 – November 24, 2009) was an American composer, arranger, and pianist.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene"African Heritage Symphonic Series" Liner note essay. Cedille CDR061. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he learned pian ...

Julia Frances Smith Julia Frances Smith ( January 25, 1905 – April 18, 1989) was an American composer, pianist, and author on musicology. Life and career She was born in Denton, Texas. She graduated from University of North Texas College of Music (1930) and the ...

Louise Spizizen Louise Fleur Meyers Schlesinger Spizizen (August 24, 1928 - July 2, 2010) was an American composer, critic, harpsichordist/pianist, and singer. She is best remembered today for her research and controversial claim that pianist Johana Harris actually ...

Louise E. Stairs Louise E. Simpson Stairs (March 24, 1892 - November 1975) was an American composer, organist, and pianist, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Sidney Forrest. She composed several cantatas, as well as piano and vocal works for children. St ...

Steven Stucky Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. Life and career Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, where, as a teenager, he ...

* Robert Suderburg * Francis Thorne *

George Tsontakis George Tsontakis (born Astoria, Queens, New York City, October 24, 1951) is an American composer and conductor. Early life and education He was born in New York City, and is of Greek descent. Tsontakis studied composition with Hugo Weisgall and ...

J. Lilian Vandevere J. Lillian Vandevere (Jul 1885 – 10 May 1957) was an American author, composer, and music educator. She is best remembered today for her compositions for rhythm band and toy orchestra, and her work on the California State Series textbooks for musi ...

* Cecile Vashaw * Marion Verhaalen *

Hazel Volkart Hazel O. Cline Volkart (20 May 1907 – 21 May 1985) was an American composer, music educator, and pianist. Volkart studied music at the Oklahoma College for Women, the Kansas City Conservatory, the University of Missouri (Kansas City), and the ...

* Marion Vree * Melinda Wagner *

Caroline Holme Walker Caroline Holme Walker (June 14, 1863 – January 19, 1955) was an American composer, pianist, and teacher who transcribed bird songs into standard musical notation. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Walker studied with Anna Strothotte, James Nor ...

* David Ward-Steinman *

Mabel Madison Watson Mabel Madison Watson (December 16, 1872 – September 12, 1952) was an American composer who taught piano and violin students. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to James Madison Watson and Emma Hopper Watson. Her father wrote several school tex ...

* Alliene Brandon Webb * Hugo Weisgall * Dan Welcher * Richard Wernick * Roger Zare * Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

References

External links

Theodore Presser Company (Official Site)The Presser FoundationComplete Listing of Composers Published by Theodore PresserComplete listing of Music Publishers Affiliated with Theodore PresserCarl Fischer Music
* (publisher page) {{Authority control Music publishing companies of the United States Companies based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Sheet music publishing companies United States National Medal of Arts recipients Publishing companies established in 1883 1883 establishments in Pennsylvania