 With a history stretching back to 1870, the family firm of John Scheerer
& Sons has long been one of the most important musical retailers in the north of
England. The period has seen tremendous changes both in musical tastes and the market. As
our one hundred and thirtieth anniversary looms closer it is, perhaps, time to reflect
upon these changes and look to the future.
When John Scheerer set up shop in the centre of Leeds towards the end of
the nineteenth century, the world was a vastly different place. John came from the
Bavarian area of the newly emerging Germany. Which was a well-known centre for the
manufacture of musical instruments. It stood at the crossroads between eastern and western
European culture. The greatest of classical composers hailed from the surrounding western
provinces and great orchestras grew up in the cities.
To the east, the age-old traditions of folk music enlivened the villages
and towns stretching across the Polish-Ukrainian plains and down on through the colourful
Balkan communities. Harsh existence was made more bearable by the music and festivals held
throughout the year. However, the bloody Napoleonic wars of the earlier part of the
century had unleashed forces of nationalism that had proved uncontainable. Many, appalled,
at what they saw, migrated. Great numbers, even whole communities, uprooted themselves and
left for the New World of the Americas. However, many made for the more stable and
prosperous part of the continent, Great Britain. At the height of its imperial powers, the
northern industrial belt stretching from the Mersey to the Humber was the powerhouse of
commerce, the workshop of the world. When John Scheerer set up shop it was a region rich
in musical traditions of its own. There were excellent orchestras and opera houses for the
rich but it was the working class sounds of the brass bands and folk musicians along with
the many travelling fairgrounds that gave the north its own identity. Having so many
contacts in his native lands, John was able to import fine instruments greatly appreciated
by the local musicians and listeners alike.
 Starting with string instruments, he soon branched out into all areas of music.
The shop on the busy Skinner Lane became a focal point and meeting place for music makers
of all kinds. A trade in second-hand instruments grew out of this. Having an excellent
repair shop on the premises made the company even more popular. The company still has
early catalogues, which probably date back to just before the turn of the century. An
absence of saxophones, only invented in the 1840s and not yet known in Britain, indicates
this. The catalogue demonstrates the wide range of instruments that Scheerers handled.
Right up until the Second World War they even imported pianos and made their own violin
rosins and oils. From his two marriages, John had five sons, all of whom worked in the
business for varying periods. When he retired, John Alfred Scheerer (the eldest) took up
the reins. The business continued to flourish although few changes were made to its style
of operation.
When John Scheerer senior died in 1930, his son by his second marriage,
Wilhelm (better known as Billy), bought out his half-brother. Billy stayed at the head of
the company for several decades whilst it developed even further. However, Billy was
brought up in a generation of traditions that no longer had any place after the Second
World War. He never fully accepted the ideas of Hire Purchase or electronic instruments.
Fortunately though, he appointed Alec Swain as manager in 1946. Belonging
to a newer generation and a well-respected musician to boot, he had an instinct for
spotting the coming thing. He had long been a bandmaster of dance hall bands and ran the
Yorkshire Volunteers (now the Territorial Army) Band for many years. Alec had his fingers
firmly on the beat.
Page2
|
