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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
thing to have ready a sufficient stock of goods, so that
orders may be filled promptly when the rush comes
Thus the maker realizes much that he would lose if he
were not prepared for the trade as jt flows in. As I
have the capital, I propose to be ready to meet demands
and am therefore enlarging my capacity.
'• In busy seasons I suppose we turn out, on an average,
five to six pianos a day.
" Further, I have a large renting stock, to supply which
I purchase quite a number of medium pianos. These
are rented and purchased on the instalment plan by
persons who cannot afford to buy a first-class instru-
ment like the Bradbury. There is at my stores, as
at all piano stores, a demand for such medium pianos.
I instruct my managers to accurately and truthfully
inform persons desiring to buy or rent such medium-
grade instruments as to what kind of piano they
are selecting; that they are not of our make; that
we do not warrant them; that they are medium
pianos, and are sold by us as such; and that they have
the privilege of exchanging such a piano for a first-class
one by paying the difference, which is very frequently
done; so that they perfectly understand what they are
doing. I consider this fair and honorable. It would be
FREEBORN GARRETTSON SMITH.
folly for me to go to the expense I do in leasing and
running so many establishments, if I did not keep a line
THE GREAT PIANO-MAKER OF BROOKLYN DISCOURSES
FREELY UPON HIS VAST AND MANY-SIHED BUSINESS.
of goods suitable to the requirements of these less well-
HIS VIEWS AS TO A PROTECTIVE UNION OF
to-do customers. In order to meet such demands, and
PIANO AND ORGAN MANUFACTURERS.
v
to make money (for that is what all business men are in
business for), I have adopted this honorable and legiti-
REPRESENTATIVE of THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW called last week upon Mr. Freeborn G, mate method of meeting this species of requirement.
Smith, manufacturer of the famous Bradbury I do a very large renting and instalment business at my
piano, at his factory in Brooklyn, N. Y., and had the various stores and my factory, and have thousands of
pleasure of listening to a very comprehensive state- pianos out on those systems.
ment in regard to the vast concern of which that gentle-
" I am exceedingly busy in my case factory in Massa-
man is the presiding and directing genius. The won- chusetts, and find it impossible to keep abreast of orders
drous success of Mr. Smith as a piano-maker proves all the time. Besides making cases for my own pianos,
that he is well adapted to that line of business. If, how- I supply a number of other first-class houses. My case
ever, the piano-making industry were to be removed, factory is run by water-power equivalent to about 100
by some mischievous interference of the devil, from horse-power. It is fitted with the patent sprinklers, so
the face of the earth, Mr. Smith would probably become that in case of fire I can deluge any department without
a public orator of shining renown; for he is endowed
injuring any other. I have four dry rooms, and can put
by nature with a very remarkable gift of utterance.
in them at one drying 130,000 feet of lumber. My case
The following condensation of his remarks will be pe-
factory is said to be the largest and finest in the country.
rused with interest by our readers:
It was built bySteinway & Sons, from whom I purchas-
" I am preparing for the busy season—for the fall and ed it.
holiday trade. So far during the summer I have done
" Considering the general condition of business, my
a fair trade right along at my factory and my various
collections are very good. 1 give my personal atten-
stores. My wholesale business during the summer
tion not only to my manufacturing operations, but also
months that have already elapsed has surpassed my
to the financial details of my immense interests. My
most sanguine expectations, and is steadily increasing.
son, F. G. Smith, Jr., devotes most of his time to office
My retail trade is light, though the retail business of
work, and to the general inspection of my various houses
all my Eastern houses (including the Washington estab-
throughout the country. He has been very successful
lishment) and throughout the South is better than I an-
in his trips, and in conjunction with my managers, par-
ticipated it would be. In all I have fifteen houses—
ticularly with the Western one, Mr. Hawxhurst, has
one in Kansas City, Mo.; a very fine one in Washing-
materially aided in building up a magnificent trade, and
ton, D. C; one in Philadelphia, Pa.; one at Saratoga
one that is increasing very rapidly.
Springs, N. Y.; one in Montgomery street, Jersey City,
" I do a very large repairing business at my factory in
N. J.; one in Chicago, 111., the manager of which, Mr.
Hauxhurst, has entire charge of my North-Western Brooklyn. From those who are well informed in mat-
business; a fine one in Fifth avenue, New York City: ters pertaining to the piano trade I hear that my re-
and six warehouses in Brooklyn, N. Y. (some of these pairing department is the most extensive and thorough-
being double ones), independent of my wareroom at ly organized one they ever saw.
this factory, where I do a very large retail trade. Fi-
" What do I think of THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW'S
nally, I have recently opened an agency at Pittsburg, suggestions in regard to the organization of a Protec-
with E. G. Hays & Co. My Chicago branch is doing tive Union of Piano and Organ Makers ? Well, sir, if
an especially fine business. 1 have scarcely been able I were asked as to how I thought something of the
to keep up with their wholesale orders, and am even kind might be organized for the practical benefit of the
now behind. My North-Western enterprise has been trade, I think Mr. William Steinway, if he could possi-
very successful indeed. My trade at the store in Fifth bly find the time, should be requested to draw up a
avenue is very fair, 1 considering the general condition statement embodying his views upon the subject. If
of trade in New York.
he would present his views to the trade, an arrival at
" I employ altogether, for factory and other purposes, something tangible, practical and beneficial in the way
and including the employees in my case factory in of such an organization as your paper suggests might
Massachusetts, about two hundred men. I am now be facilitated; and as a preliminary step I should be
running full force, and I have given orders this morn- greatly in favor of his being requested to give us the
ing that these employees prepare at once to give me benefit of his experience and advice."
all the work they can possibly get through in their
different departments, so that I may have from 200
REMOVAL.
to 250 pianos finished before the busy season sets in.
Just as you called I was arranging to set apart more
NEW YORK, July 22, 1889.
room in my factory for the storage of cases airiving
from my case factory. I find that I need more pianos
Please take notice that I have this day removed my
every year, and I anticipate a splendid fall and holiday business to my new building, No. 213 East 19th street,
trade. I see no reason why it should not be. There is between Second and Third avenues, and having largely
plenty of money in the country. Dealers have been increased facilities, I will be enabled to execute all
buying sparingly, and as soon as the fall and holiday orders promptly.
seasons come they will want pianos, and when they
Thanking you for past favors, and soliciting a con-
do want them they all seem to want them at once, as tinuance of the same, I remain,
I find they do at my stores when the cold weather
Yours very respectfully,
sets in, I have always regarded it as a very prudent
RICHARD RANKT.
A
THE BOUDOIR YOCALION.
MASON & RISCH PRODUCE AN ORGAN SPECIALLY KITTED
FOR DRAWING-ROOM, SCHOOL, CHAPEL OR LODGE.
AN INSTRUMENT OF MARVELOUSLY SYMPA-
THETIC QUALITY AND PERVADING TONE.
f I ^HE Vocalion, that superb organ for which we are
I
indebted to the genius and labors of Mason &
-*• Risch, Worcester, Mass., was so named at the
suggestion of The Right Honorable W. E. Gladstone,
who was greatly impressed by the close approximation
of its tones to those of the human voice. As is well
known, there are few things in which this eminent and
learned Englishman does not take an abiding interest ;
and among the almost illimitable range of subjects of
which he has a thorough understanding is that of music.
Hence he has honored Messrs. Mason & Risch by coin-
ing for their beautiful production the designation •' Vo-
calion."
The aptness of this title will be apparent to every
person possessing a truly musical ear, for the tone of
the Vocalion is characterized by those essential qualities
pi the well-trained human voice, purity, variety, intrin-
sically musical value, power, and carrying property.
Of late our attention has been called to a form of this
instrument known as the Boudoir Vocalion. Manufac-
turers of organs have for years sought to produce, for
sale at a medium price, an instrument having power,
varied tone coloring, and the highest musical excellence
for solo, orchestral, or devotional purposes. The pipe
organ maker has found it impossible to obtain variety
without high cost and large dimensions, while the build-
er of cabinet organs, though he has secured some meas-
ure of variety, has only produced power at the sacrifice
of tone quality, It has been left for the makers of the
Vocalion to solve the problem, and the solution is
demonstrated in the Boudoir Vocalion, which unites
the desired qualities in an entirely satisfactory manner.
Two styles of this triumph of the organ-builder's
art have heen brought to our notice. Style 60 has the
following speaking registers:—Open diapason, gamba,
viol d'acnour, and harmonic flute, in the treble; open
diapason, English horn, melodia, principal, eolian, and
sub bass, in the bass—equivalent in all to 281 pipes.
The mechanical registers are the treble coupler, vox
humana, full organ (knee stop), bass coupler, forte,
knee swell. This organ is blown with foot pedals, though
a blow lever, which can be attached at pleasure, is sup-
plied. Style 50 has the same speaking registers as style
60, with the single exception of the sub bass, and has a
power equivalent to that of 268 pipes. It has also the
same mechanical registers, and is blown with foot
pedals.
The pitch of the vocalion is the Philharmonic, the
standard pitch used by Theo. Thomas, Anton Seidl,
Walter Damrosch, and conductors of other leading
orchestras.
The Boudoir Vocalion is admirably adapted for the
drawing room or the music room, where its musical
resources make it a worthy companion of the grand
piano, while the vocalist will be charmed with its tones
as an accompaniment to the voice.
For chancels, chapels, sabbath schools, and lodge
rooms it fills a field peculiarly its own, as, in addition to
its power and its rich, pervading, pipe-like tone quality,
it has a sympathetic warmth that makes it unrivalled
in the interpretation of all devotional or liturgical music.
The mechanical construction of the Boudoir Vocalion
is compact and simple. Any reed can be removed as
easily as in a single or double, reed cabinet organ. The
patented mechanism is less liable to get out of order
than that of the pipe organ or the complicated mech-
anism usually employed in cabinet organs with more
than two or three sets of reeds.
Catalogues of other styles may be obtained on
application.
Mr. James W. Currier represents the makers at No.
18 East Seventeenth street, New York city.
The Boudoir Vocalion is encased in handsome
quartered oak and solid walnut.
This delightful instrument will be hailed with un-
bounded joy and satisfaction by all refined and emo-
tional lovers of music.
ON Wednesday last we received a pleasant call from
Mr. J. A. Eldridge, manager of the piano and organ
department of B. A. Atkinson & Co., Boston, Mass.,
who handle the Carpenter organ and the McEwen and
Wheelock pianos. Mr. Eldridge reports that the busN
ness of his department is very brisk and lively.
1