About Us
Theodore Presser is one of the country’s oldest classical music publishers. Located in Malvern, PA, the company maintains its own production, editorial, performance promotion and licensing & copyright departments as well as a full-service print shop. We also assist many orchestras, ensembles and universities throughout the world with our music rental and custom print departments.
In
October 1883, with $250 in cash, Theodore Presser began publishing The Etude music magazine in Lynchburg,
Virginia. The immediate success of this magazine for piano teachers prompted him to seek larger publishing
facilities in Philadelphia the next year, and to invent mail-order subscriptions for national sales.
His need for repertoire for The Etude led him to publish new music, at first only in the magazine
and then separately as Theodore Presser Company. Presser purchased The John Church Company (Sousa’s primary
publisher) in 1930 and acquired Oliver Ditson Company in 1931. Through Ditson, Presser traces its origins to
1783, making it the oldest continuing music publisher in the United States. In 1972 Presser acquired
Elkan-Vogel and its US distribution rights for European publishers including Durand, Leduc, Lemoine, and
many others.
Theodore Presser formed the Presser Foundation in 1916, nine years before his death. The Presser
Foundation created a retirement home for piano teachers, and 100 years later still awards scholarships and
endows schools to further the cause of music education.The Theodore Presser Company remains dedicated to
carrying out the aims and goals Mr. Presser established more than a century ago: service with integrity, to
music and musicians, commitment to quality, and a vision for the future.
In
the 1950’s, composer George Rochberg became Presser’s editor and recruited William Schuman to join the
catalog, marking the beginning of Presser’s role in American symphonic and recital music. Today Theodore
Presser Company is a celebrated leader in this field.
