Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
DEALERS.
T ) Y reason of vast competition manufacturers
-*-' are held to exacting requirements in the
selection of stock, or materials, used in the con-
struction of instruments which bear their names.
If conscientiously painstaking, they find, in
their endeavors to maintain a certain standard
grade of excellence or perfection in the fin-
ished work, ample occupation. In order to place
their wares upon the market, and to call the
attention of the public thereto, recourse is had
to the dealer.
The middle man in the music trade is second
only in importance to the manufacturer so far as
the final disposition of the instruments as mer-
chandise is concerned. Upon his tact and judg-
ment depends much of the reputation of the
goods represented or handled.
As in the field of manufactures in our country
the makers of musical instruments rank first
among their equals, so in the guild of merchants
there are none standing in better repute, in the
several communities in which they are estab-
lished, than those who handle and deal in the
species of wares referred to.
We must travel back some distance into the
eighteenth century before arriving at the period
when pianofortes were '' dealt in '' only by
the manufacturers. The founder of the Astor
family imported pianos from Europe in 1789, as
appears by an old sign which used to be swung
by the breeze in a narrow street in lower New
York, and which was inscribed in rude charac-
ters with the legend '' John Jacob Astor, Furs and
Pianos." And, according to Spillaue's History
of the American Pianoforte, "what Astor did
in the role of importer of pianofortes was done
by numerous other merchants years before his
arrival in the United States. * * He was not the
first to import pianofortes, and is not entitled to be
known as the ' father of the music trade,' as he
is frequently termed by speakers and writers.
Moreover, he never, as can be proved, took any
particular pride in the part he played in piano
history, and had modest and sensible pretensions
in this connection. The first legitimate piano-
forte and music store, apart from Campbell's"—
a music store referred to in the "Travels and
Adventures of Captain Giles " as having been
open for ^business in Maiden Lane in 1778-9,
while the soldiers of Washington, not three
hundred miles away, were starving and perish-
ing for want of shelter—"was Gilfert's, and
this was in existence as early as 1786. A regular the community in whose midst they dwell. Con-
line of pianos and musical instruments was here sequently it is easy for the dealer, in making his
kept on hand. For many years the name was purchases from the manufacturer, to select just
known in New York in relation to pianofortes the goods that are suitable to those whose musi-
and other features of musical art.''
cal wants he is in a position to satisfy. And
Towards the close of the last century great this exact gauging, .so to speak, of such musical
numbers of pianos appear to have been brought wants is of great convenience to the manufact-
over from Europe. These were followed by urer, who, whenever he sees a prospect of boom-
numerous English and German piano makers, ing trade, is in a position to prepare for the
who had decided to set up in business in so market the very kinds and grades of instru-
promising a field. Thenceforward the manu- ments that are most likely to meet with the
facture and sale of pianos in this country ad- approval of his agents.
vanced by great strides, and the manufacturers
The knowing how and what to buy, however,
erected and fitted up warerooms for the exhibi- does not by any means constitute all the knowl-
tion of their handiwork. As time went on, and edge of which the dealer should be in possession.
the more remote parts of the country became It is also necessary that he be able to advertise
settled, the inhabitants of such remote parts effectively. This he does by causing displayed
naturally felt the necessity of music; and as announcements and descriptive articles to ap-
they were not blessed with piano or other musi- pear in the public prints, by attractive posters
cal instrument factories they were obliged to and leaflets and by judicious and honorable
import what they needed from the Eastern cities. conversation. And it is an undisputed fact
Thus the middlemen known as dealers sprang that by his various methods of calling atten-
up in the West. Even in the East, in course of tion to his wares the dealer vastly enlarges
time, the demand became so great that manu- his business, and to an extent that is approxi-
facturers were glad to avail themselves of the mately calculable.
services of dealers in order the sooner to supply
Further, the successful dealer feels it to be
the public with pianos and organs. And so the incumbent upon him to choose clerks, salesmen
tide flowed and swelled until to-day the dis- and assistants whose qualifications of polite
tributors of the products of musical instrument demeanor, quickness of apprehension and gen-
factories may be numbered by thousands, and eral knowledge of their calling are unexception-
until there is hardly a hamlet, and certainly not able. He himself must be able to set a good
a town, from the coast of Maine to Cape Mendo- example in all these matters, and at the same
cino, or from the wheat fields of the great time to maintain between himself and his em-
Northwest to the mouth of the Rio Grande, ployees, in the fullest degree, the entente cordiale.
where a representative of some great music He must, again, rigidly superintend the display-
house is not located. In nearly every such in- ing and arranging of his .stock in the warerooms,
habited place may be seen, over the portals of to the end that visitors may take the greatest
the piano or organ wareroom, signs bearing well- possible interest in that which is exposed for
known names of Eastern and Western manufac- sale.
turers.
All this the American dealer does, and more.
As is universally known, most manufacturers He is a man of inbred courtesy, of large intelli-
of musical instruments have their own ware- gence, and of refined taste. Under his sway the
rooms, which are under the supervision of their piano wareroom is transformed into a temple of
own managers. By the term " dealers," how- art. His social standing is high. His word is
ever, as used in the division of this work his bond. He is above suspicion. America is
now under consideration, we mean simply proud of her dealers in musical instruments.
merchants whose whole and sole business it
The elevating and refining tendency of music
is to buy from the manufacturer in order to must of necessity affect the character of any in
sell to the public.
continual contact with it and with the means
As P. body, our American dealers in musical whereby it is produced ; and it is but fair to
instruments are a credit and an honor to the record that in all the lines of trade there is no
music trade, both intellectually and morally. Of one which is more uniformly prominent for com-
generally sound judgment, contact with custom- ' mercial integrity and business vitality, and at
ers of all kinds has engendered and developed the same time more fully equipped with the
within them the power of gauging the circum- amenities and graces of the social side of life,
stances, desires, abilities, likes and dislikes of than that of the American Music Dealer.