John Ashton was an American merchant and music publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century.Boston Directory. 1823, 1832Arlan R. Coolidge. "Francis Henry Brown, 1818-1891, American Teacher and Composer." Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring, 1961) He owned a "music & umbrella store" at no.197 Washington Street which sold "all the new and fashionable music"American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series 1 ca.1819-1844."Musical instruments, umbrellas, parasols, canes, &c. John Ashton, jun." Boston Intelligencer, Jan. 23, 1819John Ashton, jun. "Umbrellas. Large and small size silk umbrellas; gingham, oiled cloth and cotton. ... no.20 Marlboro-street, a few door south of the meeting-house." Columbian Centinel, Nov. 10, 1821 He manufactured and sold musical instruments; tuned pianos; and published and sold sheet music "of marches, waltzes, rondos, variations, quadrilles, gallopades, dances, &c. ... arranged for the band, orchestra, piano forte, guitar, flute, violin, organ &c." Among the composers represented in Ashton's stock: Comer, Joseph Haydn, Knight, Paddon, Russell, Shaw, Webb, Charles Zeuner.In 1825 Ashton took "Mr. G. Graupner's stock of music." Boston Commercial Gazette, Nov. 22, 1825Examples of titles published and sold by Ashton reside in the collections of the Boston Athenaeum, Bostonian Society, and Historic New England. The firm "John Ashton & Co." was dissolved on January 1, 1844 with notice that the business will "be continued at the old stand, 197 Washington Street, by E.H. Wade.""The business will be continued at the old stand, 197 Washington Street, by E.H. Wade." Daily Atlas (Boston), Jan. 26, 1844
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Further reading
Russell Sanjek. American popular music and its business: the first 400 years; Vol.2: from 1790 to 1909. Oxford University Press, 1988 Field Drums blog. "Pre-Civil War John Ashton Eagle Drum." 2009
Published by Ashton Ashton published numerous sheet music titles. For example: Nathan Adams. Ruins of Troy. 1826 John Holloway. Winthrop's quick step. 1835. "As performed by the Boston Band. ... Dedicated to Capt. G.T. Winthrop, the officers and members of the Boston Independent Fusiliers" Charles Zeuner. New England Guards quick step. 1835 George O. Farmer. Gen. Harrison's grand march. 1840. "Dedicated to the Boston & Roxbury Whig Associations"
External links
WorldCat. John Ashton & Co. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Double bass, 1823, instrument made by Abraham Prescott (Deerfield, N.H.), sold by Ashton Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Flute, ca.1830, instrument manufactured/sold by Ashton Johns Hopkins University, Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music. Mechanicks Quick Step. 1835. Field Drums blog. "J. Ashton Eagle Drum." 2008