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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
439
time employes of Kimball, and Ernil Liebling,
are to have a reminiscent supper at the Welling-
ton to-night. Those who know this trio need
not be told that they will drive dull care away
while living over old times and swapping recol-
lections.
Yours, &c,
HARRY MANNING.
CHICAGO.
CHRISTMAS TRADE—LARGE CAPITAL INVESTED
IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS IN CHICAGO—
KIMBALL AND LYON & HEALY—F.
CONNOR IN TOWN—MANAGER
NORTHRUP DINED AT
THE WELLINGTON.
CHICAGO, I I I . , Dec.
EDITOR MUSIC TRADE REVIEW :
27th, 1892.
I regret to say that my brilliant predictions
for the holiday trade, based on the hopes and
calculations of those more directly interested,
were not fully realized. True, there was a vigor-
ous and satisfying demand in some quarters
and a not unpropitious inquiry in others, but
altogether the outcome was not what was in
good reason expected. However, there is a
balm for every wound, and it was found in this
case in the fact that the round up for the year
shows excellent results, albeit the excess over
1891 was not as large as predicted. Upon com-
parison of notes and cursory examination of
books it is agreed that a business of thirteen
million dollars was done this year, and the
ratio of losses was less than one per cent., and
one large house recorded only about one-fourth
of one per cent. There are somewhere between
eight and nine millions of dollars invested in
the music trade in Chicago, and I question if
any branch of trade can make a better showing
as to the amount of business done and the small
losses sustained for the same capital involved.
Of the business done three houses do nearly
half, or about six millions, and these are Lyon
& Healy, the Kimball Company and the Chicago
Cottage Organ Company. The latter does less
than either of the others, but the trio combined
foot up the grand total named.
We had '' glorious Christmas weather,'' with
lots of snow and a temperature oscillating be-
tween zero and seven either way, above or below,
which made everything and everybody active.
With such a propitious season the disappoint-
ment at the result of the holiday trade was all
the more keenly felt.
I regret to hear that Mr. W. H. Leckil, one
of Lyon & Healy's faithful and popular staff, is
confined to his home with an attack which,
though not serious, is annoying and liable to
keep him away from business for some days.
The first American presentation of Gounod's
great opera, Philemon and Baucis, was given at
the Auditorium last night by the Duff Opera
Company. It bids fair to be the musical event
of the season.
Christmas was becomingly celebrated in all
the churches and some rare good music was
heard by several of the older and wealthier con-
gregations.
Mr. F. Connor, a piano manufacturer of your
city, was here this week selling his instruments
and did quite well. He has made a good start, as
Lyon & Healy gave him an encouraging order.
The late fire in the Pease factory has inter-
fered but little with their house here.
Jno. W. Northrup has severed his connection
with the Kimball Company and will start in next
week as the western manager of the Emerson
Piano Company. He and his old friend and con-
frere, Edgar C. Smith, likewise one of the old-
THE greatest year known in the history of Blas-
ius & Sons, of Philadelphia, was 1892. On Christ-
mas eve every Blasius piano in the 1101 and
1103 Chestnut street warerooms was sold. Not
one left The big line of Smith & Barnes, Pease,
Kurtzmann and Strich & Zeidler, which this firm
handle, dwindled down to nothing, like melted
snow. The Blasius warerooms presented the ap-
pearance of a large, empty ball room on Monday
morning. The immense organ room looked as
if a cyclone had struck it. The familiar faces of
Clough & Warren, Packard and Weaver organs
were things of the past.
A BRASS band of 25 pieces has been organized
at Falmouth, Mass.
A NEW music store has been opened at Cadil-
lac, Mich., by George S. Ketchum.
J. TROXELL, a traveler formerly employed by
Charles Bobzin & Co., was tried on a charge of
embezzling $50 belonging to the firm. Troxell
was acquitted on Mr. Bobzin's testimony.
J. W. STURTEVANT, one of the most efficient
salesmen at Chickering & Sons' New York
warerooms, has joined the Steinway forces and
will be connected with the Steinway retail estab-
lishment at Steinway Hall.
Anton Seidl and his Metropolitan Orchestra
will give a grand combination concert Sunday
evening, January 1st, at the Lenox Lyceum.
Miss Emma Juch, prima donna soprano, and
Joseph Hollman, violoncello virtuoso, will be
the soloists.
Paderewski's first piano recitals will be given
at Music Hall, January 2d, 7th, 14th, and Feb-
ruary 18th, respectively. These recitals will
take place in the afternoon at 2.30 o'clock.
Arthur Foote is the conductor of the chorus
organized to appear in conjunction with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Carl Schurz is a good pianist.
The Duke of Edinburgh is busily engaged
composing an opera. The Duke is a violinist
and musician of no mean ability.
Signor Mascagni, the composer, is said to be a
devoted husband and the father of three sons,
each of whom was born just before the produc-
tion of each of the father's operas. Mascagni's
favorite is his eldest child, whom he puts to bed
every evening himself. No matter what the
composer's tasks are he never neglects his wife
and children.
The instrumentation of Sousa's New Marine
Band is as follows : Twelve Bb clarinets, two
flutes, two oboes, two Eb clarinets, one alto
clarinet, one bass clarinet, two bassoons, three
saxophones, four trumpets, four horns, three
trombones, two euphoniums, three basses,
drums, tympani, cymbals, etc.
WASHINGTON.
[FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]
D. C, December 28th, 1892.
entirely destitute this week of any-
thing original, except original sin, I send
three items, recently published in the columns
of the local press.
Messrs. PfeifFer & Conlieff do not admire the
tuneful strains which are ground out from the
street pianos at one cent a yard. They object to
having the alleged music in front of their place
of business and appealed to the District Com-
missioners for surcease of sorrow. The firm was
told that these street venders of second-hand
tunes paid for the privilege of making life a
burden to the public and they could not inter-
fere. They promised, however, to call in the
assistance of the police.
One of the most persistently recurring of the
tunes of these street musical pests is, as a matter
of course, '' Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.'' Oh, Lord !
oh, Lord ! how long ! how long !
However, since Miss Lottie Collins is playing
at one of the theatres and is creating a furore
with the song, as accompanied with kick, her
kick, and dance, the tune bids fair, like Tenny-
son's brook, to " g o on forever." Yet this from
one who knows :
"The notes of 'Ta-ra-ra ' have been whistled,
bassed, tenored and sopranoed by Southern
negroes for possibly a hundred years past. The
original words were in the semi-barbaric patois
of the rice fields owned by French planters. The
words were fully as broad as those which you
hear to-day from the mouths of people of ques-
tionable reputations. They concerned the mis-
fortunes of a young mulattress who was not
proof against the wiles of a suitor.
'' As for the tune itself, it used to form one of
the main -inspirers at the African dances on
Congo Square, New Orleans, immortalized by
George W. Cable. There were wilder leg-flings
and more complicated acrobatics at those ex-
hibitions than are dreamed of in Miss Collins'
philosophy. The undoubted merit of the air,
its rhythmic measure and inherent jollity, are
proven by its long survival. The English
actress is fortunate to have secured and revived
it at a time when it had passed from the recol-
lection of all save those from the far South.''
Mr. A. L. Salzstein, Jr., of 605 7th street,
northwest, issued invitations to his friends and
the public to be present, last evening, to listen to
the playing of a number of Paillard's mammoth
music boxes. Large numbers of persons were
present from 4 o'clock until 8 enjoying a rare
treat. An interesting programme was arranged,
selections from popular operas predominated,
but the ear of the great public, was also enter-
tained with less pretentious compositions and
current popular airs.
None present but who was charmed and en-
lightened as to the perfection to which musical
mechanism is evolved by Paillard.
WASHINGTON,
WM. E. Me ARTHUR.
Danko Gabor's Royal Gypsy Band has made a
pronounced hit at the Eden Musee.
A grand annual Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar
Concert will be given by the Dore Brothers,
•
Saturday evening, January 28th, at Association
PIANO SALESMAN WANTED in Prominent
Hall, Fulton and Bond streets, Brooklyn, N. Y. Ware Room in NEW YORK CITY.
The Brooklyn Citizen says : '' What Gustave
Address
" B. B.,"
Dore has done for Art, Dore Brothers have done
Care of " The Music Trade Review,"
for the banjo."
3 East 14th Street.
SALESMAN WANTED.