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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
February 5th, 1882.
204
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
CHICAGO TRADE.
sition Universelle," in Paris, 1878, where the Stieff
piano was awarded the "Medaille d'Argent," and
"Diploma d'Honnenr," over all competitors.
During the past twelve months the firm have sold
one dozen of their celebrated pianos in the State
of Massachusetts alone, although the bulk of their
trade comes from the South and West.
MASON & HAMLIN ORGAN COMPANY.
annual meeting of the stockholders of the
x Mason & Hamlin Organ Company was held
on January 25, at the office, No. 154 Tremont
street, Mr. Henry Mason in the chair. After the
election of officers, the reading of reports, and
other routine business was finished, the question
of increasing the capital stock was put and car-
FAIRY TALES.
ried unanimously.
ARRY P. CAIN, a violinist of some note in
The object of this increase of stock is to enable
Indiana, has recently come into possession the company to manufacture pianos, in addition to
of a violin made of wood that grew before the flood. the organs they have been making. Mr. Albert
Some forty years ago workmen engaged in digging K. Hebard, who has been over twenty-five years
a mill race through the farm owned by Daniel identified with the Mason & Hamlin Company,
Bulla discovered, at the depth of six or eight feet has invented various improvements in stringing
beneath the surface, the trunk of a tree in a good the upright pianos. He also claims the invention
state of preservation. Geologists say that the of improvements which will add to the quality of
wood is many thousand years old.
tone. He will have charge of the piano depart-
Recently the wood was taken to A. B. Clark, ment.
who was engaged in repairing a Cremona that was Upright pianos only will be manufactured, as
THE MONTH'S BUSINESS.
captured in the siege of Mexico. Clark made
directors are under the impression that the
Thus far, the business of January has been in models of the old Cremona, and in the course of the
'
'upright"
is the coming instrument.
excess of last year, and the Christmas tide of pros- three months had given the finishing touches to the The factory
will be erected on land adjoining
perity seems to be carried over into this month.
new violin. The belly was of the old antediluvian the present factory in Cambridgeport, and the
wood, and the back and neck of wavy maple, cut first pianos will be placed on the market next
OUR IMPORTS.
Since my last letter to THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND in Pennsylvania fifty years ago and rafted down winter, according to the calculation of the di-
TRADE REVIEW, 1 have heard from New York in the Ohio to Cincinnati, and carried down to Day- rectors.
for an old cabinetmaker, who was never able
regard to your imports of musical merchandise ton
to use it. The figure of the old instrument was Weser Bros., piano manufacturers, No. 557 West
during the year 1881.
followed exactlv, and when the new one was fin- Thirtieth street, of this city, are young men who
I find that your largest house has imported 822 ished
it was an exact fac-simile of those built by have now been in business about two years. They
cases, valued at $172,513.
Stradivarius.
make a medium-price piano for the trade, selling
Our largest firm, Lyon & Healy, imported 1,060
cases, making them the largest importers of mu- When the bow was drawn across it the two con- most of their instruments out of town. They man-
noiseurs went into ecstacies of delight. The glue ufacture their own cases.
sical merchandise in the country for 1881.
was barely set and the varnish was still green, but
TOTAL IMPORTS.
there was an absence of the thick, raw quality that Mr. Paul Gmehlin, a member of the firm of Behr
Brothers & Co., upright piano manufacturers, has
The total amount of imports in New York for marks a new violin.—Richmond Palladium.
1881 was 2,771 cases, valued at $442,338.75,
Who is authority that the new made violin is an invented a new upright piano action-frame. The
invention consists of a metallic or partly metallic
against 1,673 cases in Chicago, valued at $250,001. exact fac-simile of those built by Stradivarius?
frame, with more strength and less weight than
While the aggregate of our imports is about one What two connoisseurs went into ecstacies?
metal frames cast in one piece; also supporting-
third less than New York, it will be made manifest
How many connoisseurs of violins and violon- the
rails which avoid the necessity of intermediate fas-
that we have the largest importing house in the cellos exist to-day the world over?
to the string-frame or to the wrest-block.
country.
We could propound many more questions bear- tenings
addition, Mr. Gmehlin's invention produces a
PERSONAL.
ing upon the subject, but will await an answer to In
more convenient and substantial fastening for the
Mr. Healy, of Lyon & Healy, is visiting New the above.
lower
ends of the action-frame. Mr. Gmehlin is
York and Boston.
Let it be said that no value can be put upon the
enthusiastic in regard to the utility of his in-
Mr. A. Reed and son are also in New York, at- many paragraphs we find in the daily press on very
vention, and as he is an artisan of great experience,
the subject of old violins.
tending to the interests of their Chicago house.
There are comparatively few judges of such in- his views are worthy of consideration.
C. H. BRITTAN.
struments, and the general opinion expressed does The Baltimore agency of the Haines Brothers
not amount to much.
PHILADELPHIA TRADE.
pianos has been transferred from Mr. Otto Sutro
to Messrs. Sanders & Stayman. Mr. Sutro repre-
A G. CLEMMER & CO. are. busy, although
ADVICE TO A PIANO MANUFACTURER.
sents Steinway & Sons, Chickering, and Kranich &
J \ • the rush is not as great as during the holi-
days. They are doing more business than during
MANUFACTURER in this city recently Bach's pianos. Messrs. Sanders & Stayman repre-
the same period in former years.
sold a new grand piano to a gentleman up sent Decker Brothers, Weber, and J. & C. Fischer,
W. G. Fisher, sole agent for Mason & Hamlin town. After it bad been played upon a few days, and hereafter also Haines Brothers.
organs, and Decker Brothers pianos, is also busy. the music teacher informed the owner that the The firm of C. F. Dielman & Co., piano case
The Utopian Club, of Philadelphia, an organization instrument was useless for all practical purposes, manufacturers, corner Twenty-first street and
composed entirely of professional and amateur and in its condition could not last long.
Eleventh avenue, will be continued in the same
musicians, lias just purchased a Decker Brothers The owner visited the manufacturer and told style, notwithstanding the death of the senior
concert grand from Mr. Fisher.
him what the teacher said.
partner. Mr. Dielman died January 14, aged
Blasius & Sons continue to do a steady trade in
The piano was then examined by one of the fifty-three years.
Steinway pianos. They are also selling Sohmer employes of the manufacturer, who decided that
pianos and the uprights of Behr Brothers & Co. it must be returned to the factory and be thor- In the factory of Decker & Son, corner Third
avenue and Eighty-seventh street, we examined
Mr. Blasius, Sr., says THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND oughly repaired.
TRADE REVIEW is an exceptionally reliable journal
This was in itself bad enough, but as mistakes a new scale Baby Grand just completed by the
which should be encouraged by the whole trade of will happen to manufacturers, the incident can be firm. It possesses remarkably excellent qualities,
such as firm and resonant tone, evenness of touch
the country.
and must be excused.
James Bellak is generally too bi*sy to be able to But we would advise this manufacturer that when and quality of tone, exceptional singing qualities,
do much talking. Business with him is steady, such a case comes up again, he should not keep and is. all in all, a specimen instrument. Baby
and an excellent spring trade is anticipated.
the piano in question in his factory for weeks and Grands have within the last year become favorite
weeks, in the meantime not sending a substitute instruments, and are generally preferred where the
in its place, and compelling the purchaser to call family is musical and the house is large. Messrs.
BALTIMORE PIANOS.
several times before his piano is returned to him. Decker & Son report continued orders and activity
THE STIEFF.
He must be careful not to jeopardize his busi- in manufacture.
T is highly gratifying to witness the com- ness by such methods.
Messrs. Calenberg & Vaupel's new separable
mendable enterprise displayed by one of Bal-
upright piano, which can be taken apart and
timore's prominent manufacturing establishments.
THE CENTURY MAGAZINE.
together again, is selling very rapidly.
Recently these instruments have taken first pre- A/f AGAZINE PUBLISHERS have been in the easily put
trouble is found in getting upright pianos
miums for best pianos at Worcester, Mass.; they j\jL habit of cutting, by machine,' the edges of a Much
flats and small houses, the stairways being
also took the prize at the Massachusetts Mechan- part of each month's edition; indeed, as far as ex- into
narrow, ceilings often low, and doorways narrow.
ics Charitable Association, held in Boston. The pense is concerned, they would be glad to trim the The
are tarnished in many cases after
Stieff piano was awarded the two first premiums at whole, for the waste paper more than pays the cost they uprights
are "squeezed in," as it were. These "separa-
Raleigh, N. C.; one at the fair held not long since of cutting. The appearance of the magazine page ble uprights"
of Messrs. Calenberg & Vaupel can
in Tarboro, N. C, and also the first premium at is, however, seriously impaired by trimming off
placed in any small room, as they can be taken
the Agricultural Fair, held in Martinsburg, West this margin, and the publishers of The Century be
apart and put together again.
Virginia. At Leesburg, Va , the Stieff was have decided to no longer send out cut copies of
awarded the palm, and in Frederick City, Md., their periodical. It is said, also, that they have in A dictionary of music and musicians will be
received the first premium.
contemplation a new style of binding the volume, issued this year, Mr. F. O. Jones being its com-
At the Rockville (Md.) Fair, the Stieffs re- in which the leaves are to remain untrimmed by piler and editor. The features of the work are a
ceived the first premium for the best organ machine, even when made up in book form. They complete list of musical terms, a short history of
exhibited, and in many other places they have are preparing for the first volume of The Century all the principal music publishing firms, musical
received certificates of merit and awards alto- a new cover, which for richness and beauty of instrument manufacturers, conservatories of music,
gether flattering. At Richmond, Va., during design is said to be unequaled by any work of the the most noted compositions, and biographies,
the holding of the last State Fair, the Stieff piano kind heretofore done in this country. The cloth more or less complete, of nearly 2,000 musicians.
was greatly admired, but as no premium was will be of dull gold, and the stamp, in dark To facilitate the finding of any desired information,
offered, of course none could be received. The reddish-brown, will nearly cover its entire sur- two alphabets will be used, one for the biographi-
house had elegant specimens on exhibition at At- face— The Century.
cal portion and the other for the balance of the
lanta, Ga., but not in competition. At the Centen-
work.
nial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1876, they were E. G. Harrington & Co. are very busy, and are
awarded a beautiful medal, and the same enter- looking around for a larger factory to accommo- Remenyi had a violin made for him recently of
Ohio wood.
prising firm were also triumphant at the "Expo- date their growing trade.
January 28.
r
I ^HERE has been nothing of importance notice-
J_ able in the trade since my last note.
In other lines of business there have been some
very bad failures.
But these came about more particularly from an
over amount of business being done with inade-
quate capital.
It is simple foolishness, in a commercial sense,
for any firm to give so large credits upon inade-
quate capital, for a loss of a few per cent, upon
the yearly business would endanger the capital.
It has been rather difficult for country mer-
chants to make prompt collections this winter,
owing to bad roads and slow means of doing
their own business.
This has been felt in the city to some extent, yet
I hear no complaint among the music trade.
CHICAGO,
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