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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
PRATT, READ & COMPANY.
|fl|T is vouchsafed to very few houses nowadays
Sft 9 to have the proud distinction of being able
to record a business life of 85 years of continu-
ous and healthy growth. Pratt, Read & Co., of
Deep River, Conn., can, however, claim this
especial privilege.
In that charming little town, way up in the
Nutmeg State, in the early part of the century
they started a modest, unpresuming business,
which has developed into one of the largest
concerns in the country furnishing supplies to
the piano trade. They possess an extensive
plant, where ivory tusks are manipulated into
a variety of useful and ornamental appliances
for piano and organ makers. The piano and
organ keyboards, reed boards, and octave
couplers manufactured by this firm are known
and popular all over the United States. By the
aid of improved and modern machinery they are
enabled to produce a high quality of goods at
reasonable prices, and consequently have at-
tained such prominence and popularity that they
are now supplying some of the largest and lead-
ing pianoforte houses.
An idea of the important part that a firm of
this kind plays in the manufacture of piano sup-
plies may be gleaned from the handsome cut of
their concern in another part of this paper, and
the fact that they employ 75,000 square feet
of ground in their manufacturing business, and
that their factories, bleach houses, lumber yards,
tenements, stable, etc., cover over forty acres
of land.
The different processes which ivory undergoes
from the time of its arrival in this country
until it is turned over to the piano maker are in
their way a study worth going to Deep River to
observe, and, indeed, a day could be profitably
spent in studying the extensive plant of the firm
and the methods of manufacturing employed.
Although Pratt, Read & Co. suffer with the great
majority from the business depression which
we are at present undergoing, yet there has
been a satisfactory return from the trade during
the season, and they view the business situation
on the whole with an optimism that is creditable.
in town dealers should not fail to
pay a visit to the splendid factory of
Decker & Son, 135th street and Southern boule-
vard, where this old and popular firm are in
evidence with an unequalled line of instruments.
The Decker & Son pianos have maintained a
reputation from an art and musical standpoint
that will compare favorably with any of the
leading houses in the trade, and being evolution-
ists in the fullest sense of the word, they have
succeeded, by the aid of intelligent methods
and best materials, in producing an instrument
that is second to none.
Decker & Son are, to a large extent, conser-
vative in business methods, anti are not over
fond of "blowing their horn." Nevertheless,
they are not forgotten by the musical public.
This is evident from the orders on hand and the
general condition of business. The revival in
trade is nowhere more apparent than in the
factory of Decker & Son.
COPYRIGHT AGAIN.
UR article on '' Copyright is no Protection,''
published two weeks since, seems to have
caused no little comment among the trade, and
the general interest in the subject is evident
from the variety of views which reach us from
music publishers. In our last issue Mr. John
C. Haynes, of Boston, in an able paper, backed
by the opinion of a very eminent legal adviser,
took the affirmative side of our proposition and
assumed that copyright was a protection. This
week our original position is maintained in the
letter which we give below from the well known
house of the White-Smith Publishing Company,
Boston, and this only one of several from
other publishers taking a similar view of this
important matter :
BOSTON, Mass., Nov. 25, 1893.
f
MR. EDWARD LYMAN BILI,,
New York City.
:—Our attention has been called to
an article in your issue of the 18th relating to
matter of copyright. The matter to which you
refer is nothing new to us ; we have long been
sufferers from this defect in the copyright law.
To briefly state our position in the matter, will
say that we are ready at any time to take joint
action toward perfecting the law. We doubt
very much, however, whether relief can be
effected for some years to come, as you are well
aware of the great difficulty that was had at the
time of passing the present law whereby Inter-
national Copyright could be secured.
Yours very truly,
WHITE-SMITH Music PUB. CO.
DEAR SIR
Wissner grand piano made its for-
mal entrd into the musical world at the
matinee of the Seidl Society, Academy of Music,
Brooklyn, December 1st, where Mr. Anton Seidl,
Mme. Materna and Mr. Emil Fischer acted as
chaperones. The many points of excellence
embodied in the instrument drew forth compli-
mentary comments from the many musicians
present, and Mr. Wissner is to be congratulated
on his good fortune at being enabled to intro-
duce his premier grand to the public under such
favorable auspices. The success of the Wissner
grand was duplicated the same evening at the
inaugural concert at Wissner Hall, Brooklyn, by
Mr. Walter Petzet, of the Scharwenka Conser-
vatory of Music of this city, who displayed the
excellent tone qualities of the instrument in a
choice program.
old and time honored house of Clough
& Warren Company report a good domes-
tic as well as a steadily increasing foreign trade.
The following is an extract from a letter received
November 4th, from A. W. Geddes, Panama, R.
C , and is only one of many of a similar na-
ture received : '' The organ (Combination Style
1509) has arrived. We are very thankful after
seeing and hearing it that we waited, in spite
of many flattering offers from other houses,
until we could possess ourselves of such an in-
strument. The tone is nearer that of a pipe
organ than anything I have ever heard of its
class."
REWWINGS.
{Continuedfrom page 5.)
fondness for music chiefly lies in hearing pieces
which are connected in my mind with associa-
tions. I would rather hear an unknown soprano
singing a song I knew than Patti singing one I
did not know."
*
The English papers are full of a discussion of
the merits of Paderewski's new composition,
" Air and Variations from the English Suite,"
the theme of which, alas, is "Home, Sweet
Home." The general opinion is best voiced by
the following from the London Times : '' What
or who could have persuaded M. Paderewski to
imagine that English audiences are other than
mortally sick of that dear familiar, soporific,
banal old tune ? When Patti sings it, yes ; we
accept it then because of the halo of beauty that
a unique voice and perfect art surround it withal.
But as a subject for pianoforte variations ?
Never—not were M. Paderewski a thousand
times greater than he is. We have had enough
and to spare of Thalberg; and although the
new variations, in a purely musicianly aspect,
are of infinitely superior caliber, we implore
their clever constructor to bid his publishers
wait until he has substituted something in their
place.''
*
Yale gets three bequests by the will of Mrs.
Ellen Battle Eldridge, of Yarmouthport, Mass.
The first, of $25,000, will be devoted to estab-
lishing the Battle professorship of music ; the
second, of .$24,000, will found two graduate
fellowships, and the third, of $15,000, will be
added to the Yale library fund.
* * *
M. Josef Slivinski, the young Polish virtuoso
whom Mr. A. M. Palmer has engaged to com-
pensate us for the loss of Paderewski this
winter, gave his first recital last Thursday night
before an American audience. His reception
was extremely cordial.
M. Slivinski combines extraordinary power
with a touch that is crisp, brilliant and dainty.
His style is matured, his technique is faultless,
and he gives equally eloquent expression to
sentiment, fire and passion. If Rubinstein,
Paderewski, De Pachmann, Josseffy, Rumniel
and others had not been heard in America one
might be tempted to call M. Slivinski a great
pianist; though hardly great, he is, however,
certainly good.
He was particularly successful in his inter-
pretation of the spirit of Schumann, one move-
ment, the allegro in the A minor concerto, being
performed in a manner that merited the highest
encomium. He gave a spirited and faultless
delivery of Chopin's Valse in A flat.
His performance of Field's Nocturne in E flat
was poetic, sympathetic and delightful, and, in
the brilliant Liszt " Waldesrauschen," the new-
comer demonstrated abilities of quite unusual
value.
The recital was made further important by
Herr Seidl and his admirable orchestra. It was
a fashionable as well as musical event, and the
frequent bursts of applause encouraged the
debutant in his hopes of a successful American
tour.
* •* *
'' I was in a railroad accident once,'' said the
man in the smoker to a group of listeners, "and
had both legs and both arms broken." "Did
you retain your presence of mind? " inquired
one of the listeners. " No." " No ! What did
you do ? " " I retained a lawyer and got $10,-
000 damages.
THE REVIEWER.