White, Smith, & Perry
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music publishing |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Founder | Charles A. White, William F. Smith, J. Frank Perry |
| Fate | Sold music catalog to Edwin H. Morris & Co. in 1944; ceased printing operations in 1973 |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
| Products | Sheet music, music journals (The Folio, The Organist's Quarterly Journal and Review) |
White, Smith & Company was a music publishing enterprise headquartered in Boston, established in 1867 by Charles A. White, William F. Smith, and J. Frank Perry under the original name White, Smith, & Perry. Charles A. White, an accomplished composer credited with more than 1,000 songs, was one of the pioneering songwriters to create a thriving publishing operation. The company's achievements were largely driven by White’s own works, such as his 1870 popular piece "Put Me in My Little Bed," alongside widely sold sheet music like "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me" (1869), which reached sales nearing 200,000 copies. During the early 1870s, the firm also issued compositions by James A. Bland, a prominent songwriter of that period.
When Perry departed in 1874 to launch his own firm, White and Smith rebranded the business as White, Smith, & Co. The company expanded steadily and gained recognition for publishing White's "Marguerite" in 1882—a title that sold over one million copies over twenty years and was incorporated into Denman Thompson’s enduring theatrical production The Old Homestead. By 1890, White, Smith operated nine branch offices and had become one of the largest music publishers in the United States.
Following William F. Smith’s passing in 1891, Charles A. White purchased his shares and formed a partnership with his son Daniel L. White. Upon Charles White’s death in 1897, the firm was incorporated as White-Smith Music Publishing Company with Daniel assuming the presidency. Later, the founder’s grandson, also named Charles A. White, took over as president in 1919. In 1944, the company sold its music catalog to Edwin H. Morris & Co., yet continued its printing operations under the name White, Smith Printing Co. until ceasing activities in 1973.
Journals
Beginning in September 1869, the company issued The Folio, which was available by annual subscription for $1. Dexter Smith—a Boston-based poet and critic—served as its inaugural editor. This periodical included poetry, fiction, updates on the music industry, and featured sixteen pages of sheet music per edition primarily intended to promote the publisher’s offerings. Publication of The Folio ended in October 1895.
Additionally, White, Smith produced The Organist's Quarterly Journal and Review, a publication dedicated exclusively to organ music.
See also
External links
- "White, Smith & Company" entry at International Music Score Library Project
Access issues of The Folio:
- Volumes 8–11 (1873–1874)
- Volume 20 (1881)
- Volume 42 (1895) via Hathi Trust
Browse sheet music:
- "Put me in my little bed" composed by Charles A. White at the Library of Congress
- "Da, da Gussie dear" by Charles H. Yale at the Library of Congress
- "Kentucky babe" held at the New York Public Library
- "Shew Fly! Don't bother me" available at the Library of Congress