The Chromonica did not become truly popular until the middle and end of the 1920s. Its rise was connected with a general enthusiasm for the harmonica, particularly in the United States. Hohner took advantage of this development and further fuelled it through intensive marketing.
Sonderausstellung
The Chromonica
09.09.2012 – 04.11.2012
Harmonica enthusiasm and competitions
Harmonica contests held throughout the United States were enormously popular. Young participants generally played the Marine Band or other diatonic models, but ambitious players soon moved on to the new instrument with its greater musical possibilities.
Participation in the popular competitions, often initiated by Hohner itself, became a trend, especially among young people. The orchestral idea promoted from 1922 onwards was intended both to cultivate harmonica playing and, naturally, to increase sales. Many young harmonica enthusiasts founded their own groups and ensembles.
It is unclear whether or when the best members of Albert Hoxie’s orchestra adopted the Chromonica. The large Berlin group Stern, the flagship of the German orchestra movement, did not do so until around 1950. Nevertheless, the chromatic slide harmonica appears to have achieved its breakthrough around 1930. The leading virtuosos were already playing Chromonicas by then.
The orchestra movement in the United States
The harmonica-orchestra movement, extraordinarily popular around 1925 and 1930, was a remarkable phenomenon and was even studied scientifically. The National Survey of Harmonica Bands and Classes, published in the early 1930s, evaluated responses from 1,300 leaders of orchestras and playing groups involving approximately 45,000 musicians.
Philadelphia was the birthplace and principal centre of mass orchestra formation. Albert N. Hoxie began his work there in 1921/22 and became the movement’s figurehead. A 1931 Hohner advertising brochure, The Harmonica as an Important Factor in Modern Education, described how 40,000 pupils in Philadelphia learned to play the harmonica within three years. The best formed the Boy Council Harmonica Orchestra under Hoxie’s musical direction.
In spring 1926, Hoxie toured five states with this impressive ensemble. Soon afterwards, it was honoured as the Official Band of the Sesquicentennial during celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the United States. Former member Jim Prushankin recalled in 1988 that the group mostly played classical and light-classical music in four parts with bass-harmonica accompaniment. The performances were professional and the band sounded like a symphony orchestra.
Another high point came in summer 1929, when the Philadelphia Harmonica Band performed for President Hoover, himself a harmonica enthusiast like several predecessors, including Abraham Lincoln.
The origins of the Harmonicats
Many aspiring professional harmonica players hoped to join the famous Harmonica Rascals, but few remained for long under Borrah Minevitch’s rule. Jerry Murad (1919–1996), leader of the celebrated Harmonicats—described by Kim Field as the most popular harmonica group ever—was one of them. Born in Istanbul, Murad grew up in Chicago after his parents emigrated to the United States.
He later recalled that his mother bought him a Marine Band for a quarter when he was nine. He soon learned a simple melody, but quickly realised that a diatonic harmonica could not produce all the notes he needed. His mother therefore helped him progress to a small chromatic ten-hole instrument.
Murad admired the Harmonica Rascals after seeing them live in Chicago. In 1937, he formed a trio with his school friend Pete Pedersen and accompaniment player Al Fiore. The group dissolved when Murad and Pedersen were accepted into Minevitch’s company. After difficulties with the bandleader, Murad soon left. At Fiore’s suggestion, the two joined outstanding bass-harmonica player Don Less. After a brief experiment with a singer, they were performing as the all-harmonica ensemble Harmonicats by the early 1940s.
Ensemble fever in the 1950s
Played in huge numbers on both sides of the front lines, the harmonica enjoyed another golden age after the Second World War and brought Hohner excellent business.
Small harmonica groups, generally trios or quartets, became a special phenomenon. The 1950s witnessed a true “ensemble fever”. As in many other fields, the trend came from the United States. Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats had an enormous influence in the immediate post-war period. The Hotchas in the Netherlands, Trio Raisner in France and Trio Herold in Germany all took their lead from the Harmonicats, while developing their own styles and setting trends of their own.
The Harmonicats – the most successful trio of all time
The three American players achieved their breakthrough only after securing effective management. Bill Putnam produced their first record in 1947. Peg o’ My Heart, originally intended merely as the B-side, became a gigantic hit and sold millions of copies. The Harmonicats became a household name, performed widely and enjoyed further recording successes including Malagueña and Hora Staccato. Their LP Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White even entered the charts, ranking 17th in the United States for 1960.
Their great era eventually drew to a close. Don Less left in 1972 because of internal disagreements and formed his own ensemble. Al Fiore retired in 1982, and Jerry Murad also officially withdrew. Until his death in 1996, however, Murad continued to appear with new members Dick Gardner on bass and Bob Bauer on accompaniment. The Harmonicats were enthusiastically celebrated at a gala evening during the 1989 World Harmonica Festival in Trossingen.
The Berlin scene of the 1950s
West Germany experienced a major enthusiasm for trios after the war, which Hohner naturally encouraged through advertising, competitions and German and world championships for ensembles.
Hans-Joachim Schwarz of the Berlin trio Chromonica Bebby’s recalled that the scene really took off around 1955. Harmonica playing could be heard everywhere: in streets, parks and suburban and underground trains. Complete strangers met and competed across every style of music, and many possessed remarkable solo abilities. Most used Chromonica II and III models, sometimes also Hohner Orchestra instruments. The first Berlin harmonica trios emerged from these street musicians. At the time, the harmonica was the instrument of the ordinary person.
The usual trio of chromatic melody, chord and bass harmonicas created its own musical style. Performers skilfully featured the bass and accompaniment instruments and sometimes added a whistle or miniature harmonica. A polished show was essential. Albert Raisner exploited the considerable differences in height between the members of his trio, while the Belgian Mouth Organ Swingers, later known as The Morgans, also created impressive stage performances.
“Flamboyant show, breathtaking playing” was the formula, following American pre-war models such as the Harmonica Rascals. Yet the fashion disappeared even faster than it had arisen. Most of the countless trios dissolved in the early 1960s. Engagements became scarce, and the harmonica was increasingly confined to company celebrations and private music-making. International virtuosos such as Larry Adler and the growing number of blues players helped keep the instrument alive.
The Chromonica in the concert hall
Despite major artists such as Larry Adler, Tommy Reilly, John Sebastian and today Yasuo Watani, the harmonica has remained an exception in the concert hall—but a remarkable one.
Canadian-born Tommy Reilly (1919–2000) enjoyed decades of success and became well known far beyond the harmonica world. He built a classical career on the Chromonica. Contemporary composers including Gordon Jacob and James Moody wrote works for the virtuoso, who lived in England.
Before the war, the young Reilly performed in variety theatres like many harmonica artists. During the war, he developed his classical Chromonica playing while interned by the Gestapo.
After 1945, radio broadcasts made Reilly especially popular in his adopted home of Britain. Over time, he built a repertoire of more than 20 concertos and recorded dozens of albums. He often appeared with distinguished ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Silver Concerto and other virtuosos
At Reilly’s personal suggestion, Hohner developed the top-of-the-range Silver Concerto. An advertising brochure reported that in 1967 he decided to have the world’s first concert harmonica made from silver. A London silversmith produced it by hand to Reilly’s specifications. The Silver Concert Chromonica was subsequently manufactured by M. Hohner AG in Trossingen.
Only a few other soloists performed at the level of Larry Adler and Tommy Reilly in the concert hall. One was the British musician Ronald Chesney, born in 1920. His harmonica playing caused a sensation in the 1940s and 1950s before he changed careers and became a screenwriter.
The Japanese musician Yasuo Watani, trained by Helmuth Herold in Trossingen during the 1980s, represents the Chromonica’s possibilities in classical music today. Other virtuosos with demanding classical repertoires include the Norwegian Sigmund Groven and the Austrian Franz Chmel.
Technology and model history
The fundamental difference from other harmonicas is the slide mechanism. The principle of releasing chromatic notes by operating a slide has remained unchanged for more than 100 years.
Many details have nevertheless been improved over time, from the use of different materials and advances in design and ergonomics to easier maintenance. The CX-12, for example, provides especially simple access to its interior.
During the instrument’s early decades, the development of the larger Super Chromonica and Chromonica 64 models marked important milestones by extending the range to 48 and 64 reeds respectively.
The Discovery, introduced in 2012, is an entry-level model based on the Chromonica 270.
