Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
58
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
March 5th, 1881.
ring to trade with Mexico, "We want to sell them ploughs, not pianos.
The pianos will come by and by." The piano manufacturers will probably
dissent from this opinion and with cause, they at least want to sell pianoa
As the London and Provincial Music Trades Review ia very particular there, and it would astonish Mr. Gould to know how many have already
that its name shall be given in full whenever it is mentioned, would it be found their way to that country.
asking too much if we should request that excellent paper to give the name
The amount of enterprise displayed lately by "Ooward Lockward's Fly
of THE MUSIOAB CRITIC AND TKADE .REVIEW in full whenever it is so kind as
Sheet " is something marvelous, combining great accuracy with a remarka-
to allude to our publication, which is not merely the MUSICAL CRITIC?
ble amount of inventive ability; for instance we find in the issue of that
It is rumored that Mr. J. Burns Brown of The Mechanical Orguinette sheet for Feb. 5, 1881; among items which are supposed to be of interest to
Company, is about to take a one-thirteenth interest with E. D. Buckingham, the trade, that " B. Shoninger, of New Haven, was in New York last week,
of Utica, N. Y., and we have no doubt that the alliance will prove mutually and that B. Shoninger & Co. are now making twenty-one organs a
advantageous.
week." As Mr. B. Shoninger was not in New York during the week in
Messrs. C. D. Pease & Co., of West 43rd street, this city, have lately question, and as the concern of which he is the head has been for a year past
introduced a new pedal guard of their own design, and they are using it on making twenty-five organs every working day, the intelligence that they are
all their new pianos. It is very handsome and does its work effectually. making twenty-one organs per week must be highly gratifying to them.
The new small upright piano lately put on the market by this firm is becom-
SLOW PROGRESS OF THE EXHIBITION OF 1883.
ing quite popular.
Tj^VERYBODY connected with the project for an International Exhibition
»
Pv in this city in 1883, seems to be floundering about in a slough of
Mr. W. T. Waite, of Kansas City, called on us one day last week. He despond and hesitation, and the project does not seem to be in as forward a
reports a good trade in his locality and an active cash demand for first class condition as it was six months ago. Even the illustrious president of the
pianos.
commission, whose name was in times past a synonym for energy and deci-
The celebrated " Bradbury" Piano manufactured by Mr. F. G. Smith, of sion, has caught the infection, and seems to be as badly mixed as to the
Brooklyn, seeuis to have an especial fascination for prominent political person- qualities of the site selected and as uncertain as to the feasibility of any'other
ages. There is a Bradbury piano in the White House at Washington; A. H. location, as the weakest member of the commission. It begins to look as if
Colquitt, Governor of Georgia, has ordered a $1,000 piano for the gubernatorial the whole thing would be still-born and never proceed further than the
mansion at Atlanta, Ga.; Wm. Claflin, ex-Governor of Mass., has bought one of period of gestation.
the same kind, and Hon. Stewart L. Woodford has bought an $800 upright of
The honorable commission either did not pull together from the start,
the same make. We are sure that when Mr. Smith has completed the pile or have
not applied business principles to the solution of the questions which
of dollars which he is so rapidly accumulating in the piano business, and is they were
called upon to solve. After a deal of setting and cackling the egg
ready to enter the political arena, that a soft spot will be prepared for him, of a site was
laid, and the proper bird appointed to do the hatching; but after
and we hope that when that time arrives he will shed that old suit of clothes the nest had
been prepared and outsiders all thought that the setting
from which so much money mysteriously disappears, and get a new one.
business was progressing finely, the bird rises and coolly informs the public
The old and reliable house of Geo. Hall, of Cleveland, Ohio, sent, it is that the nest must be changed. The egg was pretty far advanced in decom-
reported, in January last, orders for 35 Bradbury pianos.
position before the setting was finally under way, and we very much fear
Things seem to be booming up at Hardman, Dowling & Peck's factory, that in spite of all the efforts of the illustrious parent-bird it will prove to be
corner of Fiity-seventh street and Tenth avenue. The firm state that they already addled and beyond hatching.
The people outside of the city seem to have taken a livelier interest in
cannot make pianos fast enough to till their orders, and when our reporter
had the pleasure of going through the factory one day last week with Mr. the matter than those of the place where it was to have been held, the sub-
Dowling, appearances certainly seemed to confirm this statement; their scriptions have come forward in a very languid manner, and the commission
great brick building was crowded with pianos in every stage of construction appears never to have recovered from the effects of the first dissension
among the original members.
and there was a small army of men at work.
We regret very much to see this condition of things in regard to the fair
Messrs. H. Behr & Bro., case makers of Eleventh avenue, wish us to matters, not only on the general account, but because we believe it would be a
make a correction in an item that appeared in our last issue, in which it Avas great thing for the music trade in this city; but Americans are a practical
made to appear that Messrs. Bebr Bros, had reduced the pay of their work- business people and very slow to take interest in any enterprise which is
men for top cleaning from 75 to 40 cents. The facts in the case are as fol- lacking in business principles.
lows : Messrs. Behr & Bro. lately introduced into their factory a machine
"Which is the proper grammatical construction: ' Some souls have music
which did the heavier part of the top cleaning that was formerly done by
the men, and as with the help of this machine a much greater amount of in them ; there is souls have none; or, Some souls have music in them ; there
none?'- Art Jabberer, Feb. 19, '81."
work could be done by the men, and with much less labor, a corresponding are souls have
papers have sense in them; there w papers has none. Some papers
reduction was made in the price of piece-work on tops. This did not suit have Some
sense
in
them
; there are papers have none—among which latter class is
the men, and a compromise was finally effected with them by which they the A. J.
were to be paid $15 per week. The action of Messrs. Behr & Bro., as can be
English musical instruments are well and prominently placed at the Mel-
clearly seen, was in no sense an attempt to reduce the wages of their work-
men, as with the aid of the top cleaning machine they could make just as bourne Exhibition, the best positions being occupied by Pleyel, Erard, Philippe,
Barnett Samuel, andBrinsmead. Inferior positions are given to all the
much money at 40 cents as formerly at 75 cents, with the addition of having Herz,
American organs.
the roughest and hardest part of the work done for them.
The Commissioners of the Sydney International Exhibition having had
The senior partner of the firm of Dutton & Son, of Philadelphia, made a their attention called to the position of inferiority accorded to such firms as
flying visit to this city on Saturday last.
Steinway, Chickerinj?, Erard, Bechstein, and 1-Jliithner by the jury on musical
instruments, who awarded ihese a " first prize " only and a "first prize with
We had the pleasure of receiving a visit from Mr. Johnson, of the New special
commendation " to Messrs. Brinsmead & Sons, have called for a special
Haven Organ Co., on Friday, Feb. 25th.
report, and have agreed, it is said, to raise the prize to these firms to the high-
The Weber strike has ended, and, as we predicted in our last issue, the est degree, i. e., first prize special.
workmen have had all their demands complied with, and again (for them)
The London and Provincial Mimic Trades Review says: "Harmoniums
"The goose hangs high."
have Kone entirely out of fashion in Australia, and so, to an extent, have
American
organs. The former have given place to cheap pianos, which can be
We saw the other day at the factory of H. Behr & Bro., of this city,
on the time payment system, and the latter are too expensive and really
the case of an upright piano which had an improvement something on the bought
plan of the cylinder desk, whereby the upper part of the case can be opened do not appear to answer expectations." Indeed !
"VVe have to announce the death, on January 18th, at Brussels, at the age of
to give out more sound, or for tuning purposes, without disturbing the flat
top, which in the improved case may be made a permanent resting place for sixty two. of H. Dehege, one of the oldest music sellers in Belgium, and the
ornaments or music. A patent has been applied for and the invention will president of the Syndicate of Music Publishers. M. Deliege was formerly head
of the short-hand writers in the Belgian Chamber of Eepresentatives.
be fully described in a subsequent issue of this paper.
Mr. W. T. Waite, of Kansas City, has taken the agency for the Sohmer
Trade in general remains quiet. We do not look for much improve-
for his locality, and we hope the arrangement will be satisfactory to both
ment in it until the weather improves, so that instruments can be shipped piano
parties.
without being delayed on the road and exposed to injury in cold and stormy
weather.
We were going to give Messrs. Kranich & Bach, of No. 237 East Twenty-
third street, a splendid notice in this issue, but our reporter, after having
made several visits and not being able to see any other representative of the
firm than the bookkeeper, came to the conclusion that the firm was in a
Kranich (Chronic) state of Bach-wardness, or else were exclusively engaged
THESE ROYAL INSTRUMENTS
in stupendous efforts to make their pianos stand in tune.
Unrivaled
for Tone and Durability,
One of our prominent makers was in Wall street last week when the
ESTABLISHED SI3STOE! 1838,
squeeze in the money market was tightest, " seeing how the cat jumped; "
Combine every practical improvement known to the modern piano, aud, with the additional
maybe he thought if she jumped low enough she might be caught, and some introduction
of our patent Gold Strings, it is the most highly improved and very lending piano of
of the big money made last year in pianos might be invested to advan- the world. Received th« highest honors at the Centennial, and wherever in competition. The
Electro Gold Wires used i a our instruments produce a decidedly more brilliant, enduring tone,
tage—or lost.
with a refined musical quality so much desired in the piano, the coating be.ng of piire Go d of the
standard and done by Cold process ; will last forever, and is an absolute security against
Messrs. Wm. E. Wheelock & Co. are again advertising for workmen on highest
rust or atmospheric action, and at lhe same time imparting elegance of appearance iound in no
pianos. What is the matter? Is the neighborhood of One Hundred and other make. Too much cannot be said in favor uf these (iold otriug Pianoa.
An immense demand has already sprung up lor all our siyl.-s—Grands, Squares and Uprights,
Forty-ninth street and Third avenue malarious, or do the men find Wheelock
camion the public against m srepresentation. All other manufacturers are, compelled to use
& Co. harder nuts to crack than the average piano manufacturer?
The B. Shoninger Organ Co., of New Haven, Conn., have contracted for
7,000 packing cases for organs, a pretty good sign of their confidence in an
active trade in their goods this year.
Messrs. Vose & Sons have removed to spacious warerooms at 535 Wash 1103 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia,
ington street, Boston, Mass., next to the Boston Theatre.
3 East Fourteenth Street, New York,
Mr. Jay Gould said during a late interview with a Herald reporter, refer-
493 Washington Street, Boston.
TRADE CHAT.
SCHOMACKER
Gold String Pianos,
SCHOMACKER PIANO-FORTE M'F'G CO.,