December 20th, 1880.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
13
mise will be effected and that Mr. Cluett will continue in business, al-
hough strong efforts are being made by outside parties to bring about a re-
between Fred H. and the old house of Cluett & Sons, from
UR Baltimore reporter has encountered, in the course of his travels jonciliation
Fred H. withdrew, June 1st, 1877, after having secured the agencies
among the trade, a highly interesting episode of that conflict which f hich
the Steinway. Chickering, and Haines, Bros. Pianos and the Estey Organ;
perpetually rages among the piano makers. I t seems that on the 4th of being
at that time the most widely known and best advertised in-
Dec. an advertisement of the Steinway piano appeared on the first page of truments
in Northern New York and Vermont. But even with the strongest
a Baltimore daily paper, in which it was stated that Mme. Julia Rive-King ' quartette " he could possibly have obtained and with a liberal supply of
never plays on any piano but the Steinway, when she has the choice of instru- ash, withdrawn from the old firm, he has been unable to succeed and is to
ments, and invariably selects it for her own concerts and for her private use. day penniless.
On the day following—viz., Dec. 5th—the enterprising Weber agent had a
Much sympathy is expressed for him in his misfortune; but right here
card inserted in the same paper, and in exactly the same place in which the
Steinway advertisement had appeared, which contained a rehash of the old we wish to condemn in the strongest terms the scurrilous and libellous arti-
against Oluett & Sons, which appeared in the Sunday Trojan Observer,
Centennial business and the names of the numerous pensioners of the Weber of le Dec.
5th, and which was calculated to do the party intended to be bene-
piano, among which we were surprised not to see that of the latest and most fiitted
thereby, more harm than good. Messrs. Cluett & Sons wish Fred
expensive acquisition, and lastly the following:
H. (who is a son and brother), no harm but on the contrary havetjnly kindly
"PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 1876.
feelings for him in his hour of adversity. They were merely his legitimate
' ' DEAR MR. WEBER :—Allow me to congratulate you on yoxir having the business competitors and the Observer's statement that Cluett & Sons
finest Grand Piano I ever placed my fingers on. I allude to the one at the caused his failure is utterly false. We have unquestioned authority for stat-
Centennial. I must acknowledge I was astonished and delighted. I am posi- ing that Messrs. Cluett & Sons tendered F. H. Cluett the loan of $15,000 on
tive, if the Centennial juiors have done their dviy honestly, victory has the morning of his failure, but it was " t o o late." Guess the Observer
perched upon your banner.
needs an "Ad." or two to keep it quiet.
"Very sincerely yours,
The following are the preferences, after paying assignee's fees and
" JULIA RIVE."
xpenses of executing the assignment in the case of Fred H. Cluett :
Of course the above could not be allowed to poison the public mind,
First class.—Mrs. Francis A. Cluett, $607,92. Second class.—Mutual
hence the active and pushing Steinway agent occupied the same place in the National Bank, Troy; Chas. B. Bishop, Troy; L. R. Avery, George L.
same paper, on the day following the appearance of the Weber card, with an hilds, as bondsmen. Third class.—-B. G. Long, Rutland, Vt.; Peterson &
account of the performances of Mme. Julia Rive-King and Franz Rummel on Packer, Troy; King & Rhodes, attorneys, Troy, $200 : Smith, Wellington &
the Steinway piano, adding thereto the following letter:
Black, attorneys, $100. Fourth class.—Chickering & Sons, New York City ;
J. Estey & Co., Brattleboro, Vt.; the Emerson Piano Co., Boston, Mass.:
" BALTIMORE, December 4, 1880.
Decker & Son, New York City; Haines Brothers, New York City; Argus,
" Mr. Otto Sutro:
" D E A R SIR:—It gives me pleasure to state that since I have used the Company, Albany, N. Y.; Journal Company, Albany, N. Y.; Troy Morning
Steinway pianos in public, I have them in my home for my own practice ex- Telegram Company, Troy, N. Y.; Gloversville Intelligencer, Gloversville,
clusively. For my own concert tours and recitals I invariably use the N. Y.; Schnectady Daily Union, Schenectady, N. Y.; Middleburgh Gazette,
Middleburgh, N. Y., and all other debts due, or to become due, provided
' Steinway.'
' ' JULIA RIVE-KING. ' '
such remainder shall be sufficient for that purpose, and if not sufficient, then
And after going over the report of the Centennial judges, winds up the same shall be applied pro rata to the payment of all said debts men-
with these words: "That should be final and convincing." But it tioned or referred to in this class according to the respective amounts.
does not seem to have been at all final and convincing, as far as the
Weber agent was concerned; for he was found on the day following in the
same position, with entrenchments thrown up and his big columbiad mounted
EXPORTS AND IMPORTS.
and ready for action in the shape of the same letter from Mme. Rive-King
PORT OF NEW YOKK.
which he had printed on the 5th, and the reserve all brought up, including
Week ending Dec. 7th, 1880.
Sternberg himself, who had before been left out; and red-hot shot was used
on the enemy in the following shape:
Exports.
Value.
Value.
" If Madame Julia Rive-King always prefers to use, and always uses a
$275 Liverpool, 13 organs,
580
Steinway Piano, how comes it, and whence came it, that a Weber Piano was Afrioa, 3 organs,
250
sent to her private parlor at Barnum's Hotel, and used there exclusively by her. Hamburg, 45 organs,
2,736 Bremen, 2 organs, .
self during her recent engagement ? Was it a case of duress ? A sympathiz- London, 64 organs,
15,980
Total,
ing public is anxious to learn.
$19,821
Reading [assertions in the light of facts, may we not give a classical con-
Imports.
struction to the situation, and view the card of Madame Julia Rive-King,
$4595
published in The American of December 6th, 1880, as " a sop thrown to Musical instruments, 30,
Cerberus ? "
Week ending Dec. 14, 1880.
This last shot was thrown in on Dec. 7th, but as will be seen below the
Exports;
enemy was far from being demoralized, and was apparently as fresh and Liverpool, 18 organs. . . . $946 Australia, 12 organs, . .
. $700
eager for the fray as in the beginning, for on the 8th inst. appeared in the Liverpool, 5 organettes, . . . 125 Venezuela, 1 organette, .
62
same paper, in the same place, the following:
Hamburg, 3 organs, . . . . 335 U. S. Colombia, 1 piano,
. 410
"BALTIMORE, December 4, 1880.
Bremen, 12 organs, . . . . (500
" Mr. Otto Sutro :
Brit. W. Indies, 1 organ, . . 120
$3,298
1
' DEAR SIR :—It gives me pleasure to state that since I have used the Stein-
Imports :
way Piano in public I have them in my home for my own practice exclu-
2 0 3 , . . . . . .
$30,905
sively. For my own concert tours and recitals I invariably use the Steinway. M u s i c a l I n s t r u m e n t s ,
STEINWAY AND WEBER IN BALTIMORE.
GREAT PIANISTS PEEFEB A WEBER GRAND TO ALL OTHERS—FOR A DUMMY.
O
JULIA RIVE-KING."
PORT
O F BOSTON.
W e e k ending D e c . 3 , 1880.
The above letter was given readily, cheerfully, and without a moment's
hesitation, and has all the more value because it is genuine, while other
Exports.
letters purporting to have been written by her, and published with her sig- England, organs
$1,927 Hawaiian Islands, organs, $100
nature attached, are not—a fact easily substantiated by competent witnesses, Scotland, organs . . . .
2,200
"
'•
pianos, 1,290
who have heard her state so repeatedly. I t will, of course, be easy to refute Nova Scotia, etc., organs, $164
1,390
the latter statement by producing the original letters, especially one exten-
"
" other musical
sively published, supposed to have been written a little over four years ago,
instruments . . . . 70
Total,
$5,751
or to obtain from Julia Rive-King a letter stating that it is genuine. If
234
either is done, the amende honorable will be made. Great stress having been
Imports.
laid in a statement in this morning's papers that a Weber Piano was sent to
England, musical instruments,
$1,640
Mrs. King's private parlor at Barnum's Hotel, it may not, perhaps, be
matter of such special congratulation when it is made known that the in-
Week ending Dec. 10.
strument was sent by Mr. Otto Sutro, the Steinway agent. Mrs. King ar-
Exports.
rived late Saturday afternoon, and said to Mr. Sutro, " I have not touched a England, organs,
$5,156
piano for several days, and my dummy piano (a key-board of two or three
British Possessions in Africa, organs, .
1,233
octaves, without sound, to lay on the lap or table), has not come to hand,
must play exercises and scales for a few minutes before the concert, but
Total,
$6,389
don't want to hear the sound of a piano, for I am sick, and scarcely able to
Imports.
play. Do not send a new piano ; any old instrument I can cover up en-
$718
tirely with blankets to deaden the sound will answer." Mr. Sutro having an England, pianos,
old Weber, sent that to her as just the thing for that purpose—a substitute
"
other musical instruments,
1,155
for the missing dummy.
Total,
1,873
This as the Irishman said " is a very purty fight, and it would be a pity
to spoil it," and no doubt our readers will wait with breathless anxiety for
POKT OF BALTIMORE .
further revelations in regard to this great struggle, and what will be the next
Imports.
move of General Weber on Field Marshal Sutro's intrenchments.
Musical Instruments, Nov. 22 to 30, inclusive, for consumption,
. . $1,173
"
"
".
"
" transportation inland, 159
F. H. CLUETT'S FAILURE.
TROY, N.Y., Dec. 13th.
Total
$1,332
ARLY on the morning of the 4th inst. strong rumors were circulated on
$1,174
the street that some prominent business man was financially embar- Musical instruments, Dec. 1 to 11, inclusive,
rassed and would in all probability have to succumb. Later in the day
F. W ' WALTEK. — Mr. F. W. Walter has rented the handsome store No.
was generally known that Fred H. Cluett, of Troy and Albany, N.Y., had
failed and made a general consignment to his father-in-law, Chas. B. Bishop 3 Fayetteville street, Raleigh, N. C., and will represent in his section the fol-
the assignment being recorded in the County Clerk's Office at 4:30 p.m lowing houses: Steinway, Grovesteen k Fuller, Davis & Co., Stieff, Pease,
No schedule of assets or liabilities has as yet been filed; but the liabilities and Heinekamp pianos, and Mason & Hamlin, Burdett, Carpenter, Taylor &
will not fall far short of $50,000. Nominal assets about $60,000, largely in Farley, and Sterling organs, and Oliver Ditson &Co. and Geo. Willig& Co.'a
long time accounts, secured by rental contracts. We understand a compro- sheet music.
E
J