OTTO FRIEDRICH MESLOH1

by Karl R. Mesloh, great-nephew

The village of New Bremen has been the home of many fine musicians. One of the finest was Otto Friedrich Mesloh, born February 26, 1867, son of John Henry and Wilhelmina (Boesel) Mesloh. Although a machinist by trade, his love of music won out and Otto became a professional musician.

Otto excelled in both the cornet and flute and also played the saxophone and piccolo. As a cornetist, Otto was unique – he could walk up to a cornet suspended by a string and immediately hit “C” in altissimo (which is the highest practical note for the cornet) by simply touching the mouthpiece of the suspended cornet with his lips (brass players will know the extreme difficulty of such a feat). Otto could also sustain a single note or a trill for upwards of 3-5 minutes by a system of reserving breath while inhaling. In fact, several newspapers reported that even the audiences themselves would “gasp for breath”, fearing that Otto would completely exhaust himself while maintaining a long trill in the “Carnival of Venice” cornet solo.

Locally, Otto played with “The Big Six” of Springfield, Ohio and in Dayton. He traveled with the Waite Comedy Co., Bubb and Bennett and Waite’s Western Co. Otto then moved to Boston and played the Park Theatre for two years. In 1898, he joined John Phillip Sousa’s band as solo cornetist and was Sousa’s leading soloist for three years. With Sousa, he toured extensively all over the country, touching every state in the Union. Local cities in which performances were given included Dayton, Fort Wayne, Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus, Zanesville, Cleveland, Chillicothe, Portsmouth and Marietta.

Otto also played in various other military bands – Howson’s, the renowned 69^th Regiment Band, Callahan’s New York Marine Band, the British Guards Band and Somerset’s Military Band. Performances given during these years included open air concerts in the numerous well-known parks of New York City as well as presentations in Herald Square Theatre, Grand Central Palace, Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House.

Otto next became the celebrated member of the “Elite Musical Four”, reported in the “Atlantic City Review” as being the best and greatest musical team in vaudeville. It was a very popular group, which presented all four musicians playing selections on cornets, saxophones, xylophones or flugelhorns. While the “Elite Musical Four” were returning home to New York City on June 11, 1906, following an engagement in Atlantic City, the Jersey Flyer of the Central Railroad of New Jersey hit an open switch while traveling at 60 mph and derailed. The brakeman of the freight train, which had been shunted to a siding to let the express pass, had unfortunately not re-closed the switch, causing the derailment.

Otto’s seatmate, George Van Duzen, manager of the “Elite Four”, was thrown through the open window beside him headfirst into the marsh, suffocating in the mud. Otto nearly suffered the same fate and although pinned beneath the smoker baggage car, he was able to slightly move his head, forming a small cavity in the mire which permitted him to blow some of the mud from his nostrils and breathe sufficiently until rescuers chopped through the car pinning him.

Although believed (and reported) to be mortally injured, having suffered numerous head, chest and internal injuries, he did survive. It was next feared that Otto might never play again as a result of broken facial bones and a severely injured jaw, but he did recover and did play again.

Following a lengthy convalescence, Otto began playing once more in 1908, accepting limited engagements and teaching a private clientele of students. He next played in operatic orchestras for a number of the better-known operas (Aida, Carmen, Bal Masque, Otello, Il Travatore, La Boehme, La Traviata, Lucia d’Lammermoor, Mephistopheles) mainly performing in the cities of New York, Boston and Philadelphia. He also toured with the Jacinta Opera Co. which performed in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the New England states. Later he played in theatre orchestras in the Liberty, Knickerbocker, Gotham, Bronx, Amsterdam, New York, Daley, Imperial Lyceum, and Broadway theatres, to name a few. Theatres played other than New York City ranged from the resort cities of New Jersey and northward along the coast to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Toronto, Canada.

Otto was a jovial, fun-loving individual with a keen sense of humor. He remained a bachelor and was devoted to his parents, sisters and brothers. On his annual visits home, the Mesloh homestead reportedly “rang eloquent with melody” as his mother, Wilhelmina, and sisters, Emma and Dora, were also musicians (pianists). “Harmony prevails and with it, of course, bright cheer in the most generous measure when the musical chords are set in vibration”. On such a visit home, Otto played the cornet solo “The Lost Chord” to a packed Boesel Opera House for New Bremen’s April 12, 1912 “Home Concert”.

The train accident took its toll, however, as Otto’s health began failing following the accident. He passed away June 28, 1923 at the age of 56. Funeral services were held at his New Bremen home at 19 South Herman Street. Burial was in the family plot in German Protestant Cemetery. A young life and brilliant musical career had an untimely ending.

[The author appreciates the information received from Otto’s nieces, Louise (Henning) Laut and Margaret (Henning) Boecker, and from nephew, Karl Mesloh, Sr., as well as that of Mrs. Robert Ellis, Ed Quellhorst and Virgil Horn.] Karl R. Mesloh

EDITOR’S NOTE: Otto Mesloh’s cornet was “sold?” to Aaron Vogelsang, brother to Mrs. Robert Ellis and Mrs. Frank Quellhorst. It is now on display at the N.B.H.A. museum.