Lyon & Healy

views updated

Lyon & Healy

Lyon & Healy, American firm of instrument manufacturers and music dealers. The firm was founded in Chicago in 1864 by George Washburn Lyon (b. 1820; d. place and date unknown) and Patrick Joseph Healy (b. March 17, 1840; d. Chicago, April 3, 1905) as an outlet for the Oliver Ditson Co. of Boston. The firm soon grew to offer retail music from all publishers and musical instruments, some of which they began to manufacture themselves. After Lyon retired in 1889, Healy took sole charge of the firm and introduced the famous Lyon & Healy harp. The firm also manufactured many fine fretted instruments. About 1928 the Tonk Bros. Co. purchased the manufacturing rights from Lyon & Healy for all of their instruments except for harps and pianos. Lyon & Healy continued in the retail music business until 1979 when it became Lyon & Healy Harps.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire