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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
automatic for music roll, and six full sets in
the manual, all being under control either of
the keyboard or automatic attachment. The
Hade by the Wilcox & White tone is unusually rich and of pipe organ quality.
The several other styles which are now being
Organ Co.
manufactured will be placed on the market in a
short time.
HE remarkable musical qualities of the
The " Symphony " self-playing organs are
popular "Symphony," manufactured by
now recognized by the musical public as potent
the Wilcox & White Organ Co., Meriden, Conn.,
instructors and educators, for they prove a
are fast winning recognition, not alone from
source of pleasure to the educated musician
music lovers in all parts of America, but also
who can aid in producing effects equal to an
in various foreign countries.
orchestra, to the ambitious student, or the un-
To those who are not already acquainted with educated lover of music.
the " Symphony," it is well to say that it is
Dealers find them to be instruments which
not alone a pneumatic or self-playing organ,
bring a good profit to handle, and they invari-
but has a regular keyboard, blow-pedals, stops,
ably act as a strong attraction in drawing at-
and the same number of reeds to be found in the
tention to other lines of goods.
largest cabinet organ. The only difference be-
tween the two is that the pneumatic has an
automatic action added which is placed directly
behind the manual, and consists of a miniature
keyboard of small air chambers. With these are
connected a roller, over which passes a sheet of
paper perforated with holes of various sizes and
R. G. BERNARD SHAW, one of Lon-
shapes. By the operation of the pedals and
don's leading musical critics, recently
stops the performer is enabled to reproduce the contributed an article to the Fortnightly fieview,
works of the greatest master in a manner ap- which has given rise to considerable comment.
proaching that of an orchestra in effect.
The article is entitled '' The Religion of the
To fill the demand for a larger and more Pianoforte." Mr. Shaw holds that the piano is
powerful style of "Symphony," suitable for the most important of all musical instruments.
churches, halls, etc., Wilcox & White recently Its invention was to music what the invention
introduced several new additions to their of printing was to poetry. He declares that the
'' Symphony '' styles. One of them is called the English drama, from the earliest ages up to to-
" Angelus," which was designed by an eminent day, could not exist if it were not printed, and
architect for his own use, but has been adopted he continues the analogy in respect to literature
by Wilcox & White as one of their standard in general. In Mr. Shaw's opinion, the true
styles with his permission. It is in every re- purpose of the piano, or the best use to
spect a perfect organ, and is meeting with a which it can be put, is to reproduce music at
great deal of favor. The appearance is impos- home, and so help the musician to arrive at a
ing, and it contains six full sets of reeds in the full understanding and appreciation of the com-
Sweet Symphonies.
f
"The Religion of
the Piano."
poser's works. lie particularly addresses him-
self to the sentimental youth, who lives, so to
speak, on the lurid literature of to-day, and
recommends him to throw his books aside and
get a vocal score of Meyerbeer's " Huguenots, "
and devote his spare time to analyzing the
beauty of the work, in which he says will be
found the body and reality of that feeling which
the real novelist could only describe to you. So
Mr. Shaw says youths should learn to play, no
matter how primitively, and to that end to spend
so many hours a day over the necessary exer-
cises in order that he may be able to play one
of Beethoven's Sonatas, even slowly and awk-
wardly, but yet note accurately.
Again, he says : " An organ, an harmonium, a
vocalion, an yeolion, an orchestrion, or any instru-
ment upon which the full polyphony of an opera
or symphony can be given, may obviously replace
the pianoforte ; and so far as the playing can be
done, wholly or partly, by perforated cards, bar-
rels, or other mechanical means of execution,
by all means let it be so done. A fingering
mechanism so contrived as to be well under the
artistic control of the operator, would be an un-
speakable boon. Supply me with such a thing
and I will make an end of Paderewski. "
This article of Mr. Shaw's has given offense
to the dilettanti, who are surprised that such
an eminent man should support and advocate
such a common place instrument (?) as the
pianoforte, and amazed to find him confessing
that his knowledge of the pianoforte was con-
ceived on the crude lines which he lays down for
others to follow.
MRS. M. D. WEEDEN, for many years asso-
ciated with G. D. Herrick, has opened a sales-
room in the new Gilbert Building, Grand Rapids,
Mich. She will carry an extensive stock of the
leading makes of pianos and organs.
An Hi
Historic Piano.
C)
.FACTORY AND WAREROOMS
1881
£1 veil us, Corner 1 -i8tfi Sir set,
NEW YORK.