Music Trade Review

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August 20th, 1881.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
DOMESTIC
VOL. V.
-AJSTID E X P O R T
NEW YOEK, AUGUST 20TH, 1881.
19
TK.A.3DE.
Xo. 2.
plaintiffs to open all business letters which were ad- Holland's home production is on the decline;
dressed to him while he was away. On the same the Dutch naturally make better merchants than
day that he left the city a letter arrived, addressed manufacturers, being as shrewd as they are phleg-
to him, from a piano firm in the East containing matic, and have not been slow to learn that they
statements which aroused their suspicions. Later can buy better and cheaper instruments than they
in the day a telegram was received from Azel which can make.
stated that his wife, who lived in Oakland, would In Denmark and Scandinavia I found the piano
DIRECTOHY
open his letters, and thus Sherman & Hyde were makers quite busy and contented; Sweden and
OF THE
prevented from making further discoveries until Norway are the only European countries where
some time in the Fall of that year, when they re- they still ma,ke square pianos, except the few that
ceived a letter from J. P. Hale, another manufac- come from Stuttgart. They make nice creditable
MUSICTTRADES.
turer of pianos, acknowledging having paid a com- work there and are enjoying the advantages of
mission of $10 on each piano bought for Sherman heaj^ and steady labor; but their styles are hardly
& Hyde by Azel. Leander T. Sherman also was in- up to our advanced American taste. They have
BOSTON, MASS.
formed while in the East, by Von Minden, that com- also successfully commenced making their own
MANUFACTURERS.
missions had been paid. Mr. Sherman also found actions there.
A UTOMATIC MUSICAL PAPER CO. Music Paper for Mechan-
that a musical-instrument dealer named Zoebish I abstained from carrying out the Russian part
ical Musical Instruments.
227 to 233 Cambridge Street.
had paid Azel $200 commissions. The complaint of my programme, since all business there is more
"CtMEKSON PIANO CO., manufacturers of Grand, Square and ends by praying for judgment in the sum of $1,610. or less prostrated under their unsettled and un-
Upright Pianos,
The defendant denied all the allegations of fraud, happy political affairs.
595 Washington Street.
and alleges that his salary was not equal to his ser- The piano interest in Germany, which used to be
vices as salesman. When he entered the employ flourishing in many small places all over the
WORCESTER, MASS.
of Sherman & Hyde, he made it one of the con- country, begins to concentrate into big moneyed
MANUFACTURERS.
ditions that he would be allowed to return to his concerns and to gravitate towards the large cities.
W. INGALLS & CO., Organ Reed Boards, Parker Tremolos
Q • and Octave Couplers,
occupation as agent. Sherman & Hyde agreed, I found quite a number of the small manufacturers
25 Hermon Street.
and he was allowed to retain whatever commissions of former years changed into dealers altogether or
he could obtain. He also claimed that the action at least buying more than manufacturing. They
G KETTELL, Piano Punchings,
was debarred by Section No. 338 of the Civil Code. are all using our heavy American felts now, and I
D.
6 Lincoln Square.
was more than satisfied with my own business
I am regularly supplying all the large
The Industrial Exhibition of the New England there.
AGENTS AND DEALERS.
manufacturers there and am, from my frequent
Manufacturers
and
Mechanics
Institute
was
to
LELAND & CO., Chickering, Knabe, Hallett, Davig &
visits and our lively business intercourse, inti-
S. 0 Co., and Fischer Pianos ; Peloubet & Co. and Smith have been opened in Boston on the 18th instant. mately acquainted with all of them. Although all
The display of Pianos and Organs from nearly our American progress finds prompt and apprecia-
American Organs, Shoet Music and Band Instruments.
every manufacturer in the country promised to tive recognition there, still I must say that the
Kullak, who at Berlin is at the head of a conser- be very large.
American piano is no longer copied there so closely
vatory of 1,100 pupils, and who has more applica-
as it used to be some years ago. As they have
tions for instruction than he can entertain, received
WHAT ALFRED DOLGE SAYS.
much less room to fill with music in a country
from a clergyman of New York State a letter asking rj^HE following is the substance of a highly where people are continually elbowing one an-
about terms and how much commission would be JL interesting conversation with Alfred Dolge, other, than we have with our boundless Western
allowed to him if he placed under Kullak's instruc- who has just returned from an extended five plains, they make their pianos, of course, lighter
tion several young ladies whom he was about to months' business trip through Europe, looking and better adapted to small rooms and audiences
conduct to Europe. The musician sneered and nothing the worse for the immense wear and than we. But they are very painstaking and pro-
said, " That is just like the Americans."
fatigue which his rapid mode of traveling and gressive for all that, and I noticed many valuable
working necessarily entailed. He expressed him- improvements and new inventions, among which I
will only mention a new Grand Action patented by
self about as follows:—
AN ACTION FOR COMMISSIONS.
E. Westermayer, of Berlin, which is simple, ex-
In
England,
among
our
cousins,
where
every
A CLERK SUED BY HIS EMPLOYERS.
good American traveler makes his first halt, I found tremely reliable, and answers with wonderful pre-
r I iHERE has recently been an interesting case on business somewhat quiet, but not enough so to cision.
_L trial in Department No. 7, of the Superior look discouraging. I noticed that the importation A prominent and promising feature of German
Co art, San Francisco, before Judge Evans. The of cheap foreign pianos, which I had seen flourish- industrial
"are their large Provincial Exhibition*
case is that of Sherman & Hyde, music dealers, ing a few years ago, is fast dying out now, on ac- or Fairs, of life
which they had four this year, at Stutt-
against Azel M. Benham, formerly in the employ count of the decided progress made by the smaller gart,
Breslau and Halle. They all were
of the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs allege in their com- and middle-class English manufacturers within the really Frankfort,
grand and important affairs, brought out the
plaint that from the 1st of May, 1874, to November, last few years. I was also pleased to learn that best efforts
of their districts to a highly gratifying
1875, defendant was a confidential clerk and sales- the old controversy between machine and hand extent and have
no doubt done very much good by
man, who, in consideration of the salary which was made hammers has now been definitely settled stimulating ambition,
facilitating the exchange of
to be paid to him, was understood to devote him- there also in favor of the former, by acclamation or ideas and opening new
channels of trade. The
self entirely to the service of plaintiffs. Having plebiscit or whatever you will call it; the machine-
among the piano makers, of course, had the
had much experience in buying and selling pianos, made hammer is now generally conceded to be the judges
hard time of it, but wrestled manfully with
the plaintiffs employed him for that purpose and thing. This fact and the increasing home produc- usual
paid him a higher salary than they would other- tion, had, of course, a stimulating effect on the de- the vexed question of the best piano.
Quite a number of the large German piano manu-
wise have done. During the time he was in their mand for my felts, especially the heavier grades,
employ he had bought for them ninety-six pianos and I can safely say, that the amount of orders facturers are now sending their sons here for a
or two to study American methods; a practice
from R. Von Minden, a piano manufacturer in New
by me during my stay at London far ex- year
which will prove equally beneficial to German
York, for plaintiffs to sell, and was supposed to taken
ceeded
my
not
over-moderate
expectations.
have bought them on terms most favorable to The piano business of France is anything but pianos and American piano materials, and should
plaintiffs ; but about that time they discovered that animated and far behind her many other and excel- therefore be warmly recommended to all other
a secret agreement had existed between Azel and
industries; her export and her production are civilized nations.
Von Minden, by which Azel received $10 for every lent
both falling off. The main reason seems to be that Austria, though yet maintaining her good old
piano bought for Sherman & Hyde. It was in April, the
French are too conservative or too little pro- reputation, still is losing ground. Protective
1877, that they discovered that the agreement ex- gressive
with regard to some of the vital points of tariffs keep her instruments out of Russia, Ger-
isted, and they did not discover it sooner because the piano;
they still reverently adhere to their flat many and Italy, and the unremunerative prices,
Azel was an active member of a Christian church,
scales
and
little thin hand-made hammers, and especially in grand pianos, caused by cheap com-
and attended and was a leader of prayer meetings
suffer
the
inevitable
consequences: a light, weak petition, practically prevent her manufacturers
and Sunday schools. He professed great piety,
tone,
lack
of
power,
volume
and brilliancy. The from following up all more expensive modern im-
and his manners were exceptionably plausible. His
provements; their workmanship, however, con-
address was full of suavity, and he professed the workmanship, inside as well as outside the piano, tinues as excellent as ever.
highest regard for plaintiffs personally and the is extremely neat, accurate, tasteful and highly
greatest, devotion to their interests, and thereby finished; if they would only reform their hammers In Italy I found a brisk, healthy and promising
gained their confidence and friendship. They re- and scales, they might still march in the front business life ; this country is commencing its
posed the most implicit trust in him, and would rank, which they so fondly believe their originalj second (or rather third) era of development, pros-
perity and importance, has already a production of
have intrusted all their worldly possessions to his mission on earth.
honor. They were not on guard against his machi- Belgium has a nice brisk flourishing piano busi- 7,000 pianos a year (nearly all in the Northern
nations, and never suspected until April, 1877, ness, but it does not extend much beyond her provinces) and bids fair to leave France and Aus-
when he was about to go East, that he would deceive frontier. Here as well as in Holland I found many tria behind in the long run. The Milan Exposi-
German instruments where formerly the French tion was a really imposing affair, and although
some of the best houses were not represented there,
them. Shortly before he started East he authorized j had been predominant.
The man who does not advertise has it
done lor him finally under the head ot
'* failures in business.**
MUSICAL PROFESSION