Howe-Orme: Forgotten Voices Remembered May 14, 2006

Experience the first-ever public exhibition of mandolins, mandolas and guitars highlights innovative luthier designs of the late 1800s.

The Museum of Making Music at NAMM Headquarters in Carlsbad, CA announces Howe-Orme: Forgotten Voices Remembered, a premiere public exhibition of rare and historic mandolins, mandolas and guitars manufactured by the Elias Howe Co. of Boston over 100 years ago. This exhibit represents the first-ever organized public showing of Howe-Ormes, and features choice instruments from the world-class collections of Rick Turner (Renaissance Guitars), former Youngbloods guitarist Lowell Levinger, and improvisational guitarist Henry Kaiser. The opening reception on May 13, 2006 will feature a historic performance on these little-known instruments by members of the San Diego Mandolin Orchestra.

The Howe-Orme instruments were manufactured for a relatively short time from 1897 until about 1910. Many have survived and are appreciated to this day due to the high quality of their craftsmanship and construction, and their very impressive visual appearance expressed through the beautiful work of pearl inlays and engravings and graceful forms of their body design. The Howe-Orme instrument family comprises several models of guitar and an entire mandolin family including mandolin, tenor mandola, octave mandola, and cello mandola. The multiple sizes of mandolins were analogous to the members of the violin family and very progressive for the United States market of the time. It is believed that the Elias Howe Company may have been the first on the market to introduce mandolins in a variety of sizes.

Howe-Orme instruments were awarded a series of patents for the uniqueness of their functional design features and style. The hallmark of the Howe-Orme instruments was the raised longitudinal belly ridge that appeared on both mandolins and guitars. The guitars also had easily detachable necks whose angle could be adjusted without disassembly. In addition, the mandolins were shaped like a guitar and had flat backs. Although guitar-shaped mandolins were subsequently manufactured by other companies, the Howe-Orme mandolins may have been the first such instruments on the market.

The public is invited to learn more about these rare and historic instruments that will be featured at the Museum of Making Music for a limited time. For more information, please contact the Museum at 760-438-5996.

Event submitted by Eventful on behalf of museumofmakingmusic.