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143:. He owned the S. S. Stewart Banjo Company, which was one of the largest banjo manufacturers in the 1890s, manufacturing tens-of-thousands of banjos annually. He also published the S. S. Stewart Banjo and Guitar Journal from 1882 to 1902. He is known today for his efforts to remake the banjo into an instrument of cultural sophistication and for his high-quality banjos. For Stewart, that sophistication included learning to properly sight-read music, so as to be able to play the "proper repertoire" for middle-class citizens.
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experience, he got instruction in 1872 from George C. Dobson of Boston and Joseph Ricket of
Philadelphia. With his earlier training toward a classical-violin career, he didn't need much musical instruction; he became a good enough player, that after "several lessons, " he himself began teaching others to play.
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play at a concert, when
Stewart was a boy. He purchased a tack-head banjo (banjo with skin sound-table nailed to the instrument's head with tacks) to learn to play and was disappointed with the instrument's quality, especially when comparing it to his violin. Although discouraged by his initial banjo
217:
outside of a wooden layer. The silver folded over a wire on top of the wooden rim, and the silver and wire were sandwiched between the wood rim and the skin. Stewart felt that the silver-and-wood combination would produce the best tone, a combination of the silver ring of metal with pure tones from
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As he began selling his banjos and publishing, Stewart began competing to with his former teacher George Dobson, who had come out with a simplified way of teaching people to play. Dobson's method didn't teach students to read sheet music, and
Stewart felt they would be struck at the level of picking
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and envisioning the banjo in that setting. He pushed
European music as proper for the banjo, to make it the equivalent of the violin. In his efforts to change the banjo's image, he was facing an established culture which he considered "vulgar", the banjo frequently being the instrument of the
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934:
SAMUEL SWAIM STEWART OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA...Be it known, that I, SAMUEL SWAIM STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in
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and variety shows. Initially, he taught what was standard for banjo performing repertoire, organizing a minstrel show. Then he took a step away from the minstrel music that was the popular music of its day, embracing
European music and
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Swaim appears on his tombstone, on city directories from his lifetime (including 1879, 1880, 1889,), 1890, 1891, 1892, 1895), his church admission record in 1868, the 1870 U.S. census and US Patent number US355896A.
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wood. Having arrived at this conclusion, he committed to it, while his competition continued to develop their banjos, which eventually may have reached a quality to surpass his.
254:. These players were to take on European works by Beethoven, Paganini and Mendelssohn. He associated with some of the better banjo players of his time, including E. M. Hall,
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Stewart and his company were part of a larger movement to create the banjo into an instrument of concert halls. Others participating in this movement included
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out simple songs. He felt students should learn to read sheet music from the beginning so that they could progress into more complex and satisfying songs.
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159:. His family was well off and pushed Stewart toward a music career. He began training on the violin when he was 12 under Professor Carl Gaertner.
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189:"variety parlors and drinking saloons" and dance halls instead of in middle class homes with ladies and gentlemen. Using his
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1883 Advertisement: S. S. Stewart's
Presentation Banjo, in Horace Weston's "Seek No Further March" sheet music.
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Lew
Simmons, a 19th century musician who played blackface minstrel music inspired Stewart to learn the banjo
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1884. Stewart declares the intended venues of his instruments, concert halls, orchestra music and women's
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Swain appears on his obituary, on 8 April 1898 in the
Philadelphia Times and in the 1860 U.S. census.
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When
Stewart began learning and teaching the banjo, the instrument was embedded in an era of the
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Stewart designed the Little Wonder piccolo banjo to play very high notes in a banjo orchestra.
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1128:"Swaim Stewart in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013"
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what are generally considered collectively to be the finest banjos manufactured during the
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and wood. Wood here is inlaid. Presentation banjos were meant to be fine works of art.
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Pocahontas carving on neck of a S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo, depicting Pocahontas
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Alongside teaching, he began making banjos. His banjo rims were made of a layer of
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882:(Display inside museum). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: American Banjo Museum. 2020.
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858:(Display in museum). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: American Banjo Museum. 2020.
837:(Display in museum). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: American Banjo Museum. 2020.
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S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo from 1884 at the American Banjo Museum
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S. S. Stewart bass banjo (left) and banjeaurine. Stewart invented the
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527:"S Swaim Stewart Vital • Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials, 1720-1999"
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749:"The "Elevation" of the Banjo in Late Nineteenth-Century America"
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S. S. Stewart sheet-metal sign, used by musical instrument shops.
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S. S. Stewart’s Little Wonder Piccolo Banjo or Mandolin Banjo
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Stewart's father was a physician and "medical director" for
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Stewart was inspired to play the banjo by hearing banjoist
139:, was a musician, composer, publisher, and manufacturer of
1113:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill's Sons. 1895. p. 1808.
1094:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill's Sons. 1892. p. 1853.
1075:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill's Sons. 1889. p. 1716.
998:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill's Sons. 1890. p. 1770.
976:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill's Sons. 1891. p. 1796.
927:"S. S. Stewart. Banjo. No. 355896. Patented Jan. 11, 1887"
1056:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill. March 1880. p. 1615.
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America's instrument: the banjo in the nineteenth-century
951:"Swain Stewart in the 1860 United States Federal Census"
652:"Swain Stewart in the 1870 United States Federal Census"
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His company became a major manufacturer, competing with
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Teaching, publishing and sales career built on standards
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Stewart S. Swaim, mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert
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Stewart Swaim S., mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert
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Stewart Swaim S., mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert
502:. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
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Stewart, Swaim S., banjos, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert.
912:. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 8 April 1898. p. 6.
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Headstock a S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo sn 15667
676:. Terre Haute, Vigo County. 13 June 1878. p. 3.
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musical instrument manufacturer, composer, performer
1037:. Philadelphia: James Gopsill. 1879. p. 1551.
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1110:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1895
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1072:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1889
1053:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1880
1034:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1879
1000:STEWART S. SWAIM, banjos, 831 Arch, h 394 Aspen
995:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1890
973:Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1891
434:for a higher or lead voice in banjo orchestras
135:(January 8, 1855—April 6, 1898), also known as
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311:S. S. Stewart orchestra banjo #2, at the
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835:The Classic Era (fourth sign in series)
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193:he promoted performances and recitals.
191:S.S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal
1164:American classic-fingerstyle banjoists
856:The Classic Era (third sign in series)
747:Linn, Karen Elizabeth (Winter 1990).
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456:His full name has been written as:
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446:Signature of Samuel Swaim Stewart
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932:. United States Patent Office.
201:Building an S. S. Stewart banjo
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113:, violin, piano, organ, flute
94:, classic-banjo instrumentals
670:"Swaim's Celebrated Panacea"
32:Samuel Swaim Stewart in 1898
1174:Musicians from Philadelphia
906:"Samuel Swain Stewart Dead"
415:Advertisement taking about
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674:Terre Haute Weekly Gazette
82:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
66:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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574:"The Late S. S. Stewart"
496:Gura, Philip F. (1999).
1013:"Samuel Swain Stewart"
910:The Philadelphia Times
716:Gura, p. 138, 144, 163
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38:Background information
806:Gura, p. 161-162, 169
737:Gura, p. 140-141. 163
313:American Banjo Museum
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466:Samuel Swaim Stewart
463:Samuel Swain Stewart
133:Samuel Swaim Stewart
48:Samuel Swaim Stewart
824:Gura, p. 3, 191-192
452:Swain versus Swaim
264:William A. Huntley
244:Frederick J. Bacon
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608:Gura, p. 124, 138
580:. June–July 1898.
478:S. Swaim Stewart.
252:George W. Gregory
248:Alfred A. Farland
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1169:Banjo makers
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92:parlor music
77:(1898-04-06)
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1179:1855 births
862:Classic Era
841:Classic Era
432:banjeaurine
417:bass banjos
260:John H. Lee
240:Vess Ossman
228:Classic Era
164:Lew Simmons
1158:Categories
599:Gura, p. 7
590:Gura, p. 3
490:References
59:1855-01-08
935:Banjos...
177:blackface
147:Childhood
123:1878-1898
181:minstrel
773:3051763
297:parlors
270:Gallery
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88:Genres
930:(PDF)
769:JSTOR
860:The
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262:and
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
