Music Trade Review

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July 5th, 1882.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
The agency for the Mason & Hamlin Organ Co.
Mr. Lyon, of Lyon & Healy, of Chicago, has
has been transferred from Cluett & Sons, Albany een East for three or four weeks, and during the
and Troy, to Spalding, Osborne & Alger, Troy, >ast week was in this city.
N. Y. The agency at Toledo, Ohio, has been
Woodward A Brown, of Boston, are preparing
given to Thomas McGregor, formerly of Metcalf
or extensive orders for the early Fall trade.
«fc McGregor.
& Son have secured the large Grover &
The Mechanical Orguinette Co. had a hearing Vose building
on Washington street, Boston,
on June 17, before the Commissioner of Patents, Baker
where
their
pianos
in the future will be made. It
Washington, D. C., to determine which of two is one of the choicest
locations that can be found
parties concerned should have what is called Ex- in
Boston.
hibit G. The Commissioner concluded that the
question should be decided by the Court.
An inefficient salesman in a piano or organ ware-
oom will always counteract the best qualities of
It was expected that the Estey warerooms in he instruments on sale. The other day we noticed
Boston would be removed about July 1 to No. young man trying to show off an organ, and he
(501 Washington street, on the lower floor, nearly was doing piano playing all the time—in fact,
opposite the old location, which was up one flight. •laying a waltz. Of course, he did not sell the
The wareroom is larger thau the old one, and is rgan. On another occasion we noticed a sales-
one of the choice locations for the business in man playing a few scales and runs on an upright
Boston.
piano, and he did not have sense sufficient to take
Mr. W. B. Archibald, the agent of the Taylor &
Farley organ at Fredonia, N. Y., called to see us
a few days ago to thank us for the last Beatty
THE
article published in THE MUSICAL CBITIO AND
TiiADE REVIEW of June 20. Mr. Archibald told us
that our Beatty articles were "shutting off the
sales of Beatty instruments in his section, notwith-
standing that Beatty was flooding Fredonia with
his circulars." "The trade must stand by you in
this affair, and should be grateful to you for your
efforts to expose Beatty's methods," said Mr.
Archibald.
Several sheet music dealers having asked us to
explain why they cannot get Gordon's "Bichard-
son" for the piano, we will state that the copy-
right of Gordon recently expired. Ditson, hav-
ing secured control of the book, restrained Gor-
don from publishing his "Richardson." Oliver
Ditson & Co. have full control of the work now.
WORLD-RENOWNED
STERLING
ORGAN
Some dealers have stated to us that the cotton
and flannel covers for pianos do not protect the in-
struments as much as the rubber cover which was
formerly used. The cotton cover may look very
neat, especially with the firm's name on it as an ad-
vertisement, but the great point, after all, is to
have a cover that will protect the polish and keep
dampness out of the instruments.
Sanders & Stayman, of Baltimore, Md., con-
tinue to do a prosperous business. They are al-
ways short in Estey organs, of which they are
selling large quantities. Their sales of Weber,
Haines, and Fischer pianos are steadily increasing,
and information recently derived from them tells
us that they anticipate a large Fall trade.
The Taylor & Farley Organ Company, at Wor-
cester, report active trade as far beyond that of
the same period last year.
Behr Bros. & Co. have had the busiest June
this year since they have started. The business
has doubled that of the same month last year.
During July they will continue busy, as orders
have come in already sufficiently large to keep
the firm fully up to work. Their case-making
department lias never been so crowded with
work.
Mr. A. J. Hipkins, of London, Eng., has dis
covered an antique harpsichord, or, as it is pro
perly called, a Roman clavicembolo, of the date o
1521. It has a keyboard of boxwood natural keys
and a compass of nearly four octaves (from E to
D).
Comstock, Cheney & Co. are very busy jus
now. Mr. Comstock stated to us recently tha
there is every indication of a remarkably activ
Fall trade.
ars to keep him from touching the piano, and at
;he same time make money by the operation, as
he damage usually done is equal to twenty times
he costs of tuning.
We find the following in TJie London Musical
Opinion and Music Trade Review:
"The pianoforte manufacturer of Stettin, M. Kene,
rho a short time ago improved the durability of
pianos for tropical regions by preparing the wooil
with ozone, has lately devised a "cell resonance ar-
rangement" for pianos, which is said to be highly
appreciated. Inferior pianos acquire thereby the
ullness and strength of a grand. In place of the usual
sounding-board, Mr. Rene uses a sound-chest, over
vhich the strings are stretched, and which, like the
•esounding body in many stringed instruments, con-
ists of two arched resonance plates; the vibrations
f the upper are communicated to the lower through
ell-mouths. The two plates are bordered with hol-
ow walls ; the bell-mouths stand on a bridge on the
ower plate, and are firmly pressed against the upper
plate. The sound-tubes are further connected by a
membrane and small resonance rods with the upper
late."
This is an ingenious invention by a mechanic
whose originality cannot be doubted.
M'JNROE ORGAN REED 00.,
WORCESTER, MASS.
The reed-board business of this firm has never
>een as extensive as it has been during this season.
It is taxing their facilities to the utmost. Mr.
Fischer is out again, but has not entirely recov-
ered from his recent indisposition.
C. C. BRIGGS & CO.,
Messrs. Christie & Son report trade as good, the
demand for squares being lighter than for uprights.
It is the opinion of the tirin that business will not
be as heavy for the coming months as it has been
for the corresponding months of last year.
Mr. Guild, of Guild, Church & Co.. Boston,
Mass., told us the other day that he had been con-
stantly busy, and that the predictions he made in
a back number of THE MUSICAL CBITIC AND TKADE
REVIEW in reference to the piano business during
this season had been amply verified. "Agents
fxpect an excellent Fall trade, which will begin
early," said Mr. Guild, "and I think they will not
be disappointed. Crops, of course, regulate trade
to the greatest extent in our country, and if no
sudden disturbances in that direction occur, the
trade this Fall will be very large."
377
BOSTON, MASS.
The Dealer's Choice.
The People's Favorite.
Latest Designs.
Brilliant Tone.
The King of Organs.
This is one of the busiest piano firms in New
England at present, their business having devel-
oped extensively within the last six months, and
far beyond their expectations. All the reports
from their agents show them to be pleased with
the pianos. During July Mr. C. E. Woodman
will attend to the trade in New England, and in
the late Summer will make another extensive
Western trip. A large Fall tx-ade is anticipated,
and as the Briggs piano has by this time gained an
nviable reputation, there is no doubt that agents
and dealers will order in large quantities. Mr.
harles Briggs has been absent on a Summer
vacation, and will "go right to work" now to
make things lively," as Woodman says.
NEW YOKE WAREROOMS :
WM. BOURNE & SON.
"Trade is good with us," said Mr. Bourne, Jr.
Don't think, however, that we Trill get very rich
with the present prices that pianos are bringing.
You know Sealers will not pay anything for pianoa
at present, and I don't see how any change can be
effected unless the manufacture of cheap pianos
ceases."
"How is city trade?"
"Eetail trade with us is always good. We may
open a few warerooms within a radius of forty
miles from here, in order to better control our
retail trade."
No. 9 West 14th Street.
HENR7 F. MILLER,
Factories:
DEBBT,
- • - CONN.
BOSTON, MASS.
off the frontboard to show the construction to the We recently examined a Miller "artist" grand,
customer, to interest him. The scales and runs which represented, in our judgment, excellent
did not bring out the tone-quality or the sustain
of piano manufacturing. The tone of the
ing quality of the piano, and the would-be pur results
is broad and noble, and contains that
chaser walked out and Avent into a wareroom where instrument
quality which distinguishes a real
a "crack" salesman sold him an upright in ten sympathetic
instrument from a mere mechanical box.
minutes for the same price that he was asked in musical
touch is very responsive, and assists the per-
the first establishment, although the piano tha The
former
in playing difficult music with unusual
was sold was of inferior quality, and by no means
The scale could hardly have been more per-
as well known as the first he saw. A good sales ease.
as the gradation of tone from one part of the
man in a piano and organ wareroom is one of the fect,
subdivisions to the adjoining is imperceptible.
most important elements of its success.
The instrument is truly an "artist" gx*and.
We recently found a blind tuner tuning a piano
and, watching his method, we saw that he had n
conception of the principles of proper tuning
His musical ear was true, but he did not under
stand the mechanical construction of the piano,
and there is no doubt that he succeeded in ruining
the instrument. Some persons may be actuate
J. R. Phelps, formerly with George Woods <£ by a spirit of charity in engaging a "blind man for
ELLIOT PATENTS.
Co., is now traveling through the Northwest fo the purpose of tuning their pianos, but they could
the South American Organ Company.
better afford to pay the unfortunate man a few dol-
B. F. Baker Upright Piano.
Office & Factory, M to &00 Harrison Ave., Boston, Mass,