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Samuel Nordheimer (February 6, 1824 – June 29, 1912) was a prominent businessman and music promoter in 19th century
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. In part to build this business, Nordheimer became one of the most active promoters of music in Canada. He brought prominent foreign stars to the city, such as
Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...
; opened a concert hall in Montreal, founded the Chamber Music Association, and for many years directed the Toronto Philharmonic Society.


Biography

Born in Memmelsdorf,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, in 1839 he came with his older brother
Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...
to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where their older brother
Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...
was already living. The brothers learned English and then Nordheimer worked as a clerk. The two brothers moved to
Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
in 1840 and then settled in Toronto in 1844. They established a
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
importing business, A.& S. Nordheimer Co. The business prospered and expanded. It became Canada's leading publisher of
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...
, and initially had the sole right to publish copies of ''
The Maple Leaf Forever "The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Canadian Confederation, Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in the Battle of Ridg ...
''. The company also opened branches in other cities across Canada. As well as continuing to import pianos, in 1890 the firm opened its own factory in Toronto and quickly became one of Canada's best known domestic piano brands. Nordheimer became a prominent member of the city's commercial class, serving on a number of corporate boards. In 1871, the year married Edith Boulton, Nordheimer completed work on a massive home named Glenedyth. It was located on Davenport Hill, near
James Austin James Austin may refer to: Sports * Jim Austin (baseball) (born 1963), former baseball pitcher * Jim Austin (rugby league), New Zealand rugby league player * James Austin (judoka) (born 1983), English judoka * James Austin (American football) (19 ...
's
Spadina House Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens, also known as Spadina House (), is a historic mansion at 285 Spadina Road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto's Economic Development & Culture ...
. While the house was demolished in the 1920s, the
ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.Heintzman & Co. His legacy included a section of
Castle Frank Brook Castle Frank Brook is a Subterranean river, buried Urban stream, creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River (Ontario), Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and D ...
being named after him.


Family

In 1871 Nordheimer married Edith (1847–1912) — daughter of James Boulton and Margaret Neilina. They had a son and seven daughters. Nordheimer left the Jewish faith and converted to the
Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
. His brother Abraham would remain a member of Toronto's Jewish faith. His wife,
Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...
(), was from a prominent Toronto family that had played a leading role in the
Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today’s Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...
and had built The Grange. She was an Anglican philanthropist and imperialist who became the first national president of the
Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire The Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) is a women's charitable organization based in Canada. It provides scholarships, bursaries, book prizes, and awards, and pursues other philanthropic and educational projects in various communities a ...
(IODE) in 1901 and vice-president of the Toronto South African Memorial Association at the beginning in 1904 (the association established memorials for those who had fought in the
South African War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
(1899–1902)).


See also

*
List of German Canadians This is a list of notable German Canadians. Academics * Heribert Adam – political sociologist with a focus on ethnonationalism, born in Germany * Hans Heilbronn – mathematician born in Berlin * Fritz Heichelheim – German Jewish historian ...
*
List of Canadian Jews This list of Canadian Jews includes notable Canadian Jews or Canadians of Jewish descent, arranged by field of activity. Academic figures Biology and medicine * Eric Berne (1910–1970), psychiatrist * John Bienenstock (1936– ), immunologis ...
*
Music of Canada The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been ...


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordheimer, Samuel 1824 births 1912 deaths People from Bamberg (district) Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Piano makers 19th-century German Jews Bavarian emigrants to the United States German emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada Businesspeople from Toronto