S. Brainard Sons

S. Brainard Sons

Company type	Private
Industry	Music publishing, musical instruments retail
Founded	1836
Founder	Silas Brainard, Henry J. Mould
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Silas Brainard, Charles Silas Brainard, Henry Mould Brainard, Thomas Sidwell, Katie Sidwell Stege
Products	Music scores, song collections, periodicals, musical instruments (pianos)

S. Brainard Sons—also known as S. Brainard's Sons or S. Brainard & Sons—functioned as a music publishing firm, periodical producer, and retailer of musical instruments. Initially based in Cleveland, Ohio, the company later moved its headquarters to Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1836 by Silas Brainard in partnership with Henry J. Mould, the enterprise focused on producing music scores and song collections, including works with political and patriotic themes. Among its publications was the periodical Western Musical World, which was subsequently renamed Brainard's Musical World. Notable institutions such as the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library maintain archives of their sheet music and periodicals.

History

After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Brainard acquired the printing plates of Chicago-based publisher Root & Cady, facilitating its expansion and relocation to Chicago. The company also retailed pianos from Chickering & Sons. Upon Silas Brainard’s passing in 1871, control of the firm transferred to his eldest sons: Charles Silas Brainard (1841–1897) and Henry Mould Brainard (1844–1918). During this era, Henry operated a Steinway piano dealership in Cleveland.

The late 1880s saw the company broaden its geographic reach. In 1886, Arthur W. Brainard moved to California and played a role in founding Sierra Madre, while Charles and Henry shifted the business operations to Chicago by 1889, where it continued until the 1930s.

From 1899 through 1909, Thomas Sidwell held the presidency of S. Brainard Sons. After his death, leadership passed to his widow Katie (née Kate H. Sim), who remarried Edward Albert Stege in 1910. Soon after, Katie Stege (under the name K. Sidwell), Edward Stege, and C.C. Beekman formed "The Edward A. Stege Co.," a corporation focused on printing, engraving, and bookbinding services.

Music periodical

The company issued its music journal from 1864 until 1895, at which point it merged with Etude. Each edition included profiles of musicians and competed with Root and Cady’s Song Messenger of the Northwest. The publication counted Karl Merz among its editors.

Selected publications

• School Chimes, A New School Music Book (1874) authored by hymn writer James Ramsey Murray
• Six Songs (1863) composed by Emily Bruce Roelofson
• "Weston's March to Chicago" (1867), a composition by Edward Mack
• "Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door"
• Fanny Crosby’s Six Songs by Wurzel (1855), featuring titles such as "O How Glad to Get Home," "Honeysuckle Glen," "The Church in the Wood," "All Together Now," and "Proud World, Good-by." Among these, "Rosalie, the Prairie Flower" achieved remarkable success with over 125,000 sheet music copies sold and approximately $3,000 in royalties for composer George Frederick Root; Crosby herself received minimal financial benefit.
• Francis Boott’s "The Convict's Lullaby" (revised edition 1874)
• William Krell’s "Mississippi Rag" (1897) alongside "Shake Yo' Dusters of Piccaninny Rag"
• Eben Eugene Rexford’s "Rosa Lee" (1890), set to music by H. C. Verner
• Lucia di Lamermoor (1868), arranged by Justin Holland

Further reading

• Bomberger, Elam Douglas (1999). Brainard's Biographies of American Musicians. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. xi–xvi. ISBN 0-3133-0782-2.