Chester Music publisher

J & W Chester Ltd was founded in the 1860s in Brighton, Sussex by Joseph and William Chester. To begin with their company specialised in distributing imported editions of classical music, mainly from the Continent.

In time Chester became a respected name not just in Britain but also in Europe where it had gradually become associated with the promotion of prestigious classical composers. Early in the 20th century a new owner, Otto Kling, acquired the company but retained the original name. By now Chester was starting to attract new composers and could claim to be among the first to publish Stravinsky, Poulenc and Falla among others. Kling moved Chester’s offices from the south coast of England to London.

In 1960 Chester was acquired by Danish publisher Edition Wilhelm Hansen. Firstly under Wilhelm Hansen and, from 1988 onwards as part of Wise Music Group, Chester became a flourishing company active in both contemporary music and educational publishing.