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VOL. XIX. No. 2.
published Euery Saturday.
English Appreciation
of American
Enterprise.
notice that The Piano, Organ and Music
Trades Journal, of London, quotes an
article from one of the American music trade
papers, entitled "Will the Upright Piano be
Superseded," and through it gives Messrs.
Hardman, Peck & Co. great credit for their new
Hirdtnan Baby Grand. The editor says also :
" We have previously referred in this column to
the increasing popularity of the short grand in
this country (England) and have hinted that
some of our makers might turn their attention
to the pianos of this class with advantage.
Hitherto the foreign (American ?) makers have
pretty well monopolized the trade in these in-
struments."
The article referred to is as
follows:
" WILL THE UPRIGHT PIANO BE SUPERSEDED.
" It is a fact worthy of mention that the ma-
jority of upright pianos now manufactured have
not shown great changes in method of construc-
tion during the past few years. With all the
ingenuity of Americans and all the improved
machinery, no important advances have been
made in the shape of the instrument within
^even or eight years. There is no question that
numberless improvements have been introduced,
and that the general character of the work is
better, but the limitations of the upright, as
constructed ten years ago, seem largely to be
those of to-day. Whether any inventive genius
will come to the front, capable of materially en-
larging the resources of this class of piano, is a
question ; but until he does appear the compe-
tition among manufacturers must be towards
refining the instrument and cheapening it.
"This fact being established, the piano ex-
pert looks about him to see really what has been
accomplished in the field of practical extension
in the capabilities of the piano, and he at once
finds that the baby grand is the only style of
instrument containing absolutely new develop-
ments. Three or four leading firms have un-
doubtedly secured in this instrument a new
departure, and the fact that most of the resources
of the concert grand, which is nearly nine feet
long, have been so successfully reproduced in a
piano but five feet eight inches in length, proves
conclusively that in this specialty is the future
line of improvement. Messrs. Hardman, Peck
& Co., in the new Hardman Baby Grand, have
demonstrated forcibly the correctness of this
view, as in the ' Baby,' about which so much
has been said, and with which the firm have
been so successful, are united almost every
characteristic of the concert grand. A large
increase in the proportion of grand pianos now
*
f/eu; Yorlf,
used by the musical public, may be looked for
as soon as the new conditions brought about by
the success of small grands are fully appre-
ciated."
Exploded by Music.
Detonation Said to be Promoted by Cer-
tain Notes.
€DWAiy> LYMAN B I L b
R
4, 1894.
$3 00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
might have to be modified in consequence of
the vicinage of a given explosive " approaching
its critical temperature.''
Bonner's Reason for Advertising.
BONNER went to the New York
Herald one day, and asked the business
manager, Mr. Elliot, if he could have a page of
the Herald for next morning. Mr. Elliot said :
1
' Certainly—two if you like." " Then I '11 take
four, " said Mr. Bonner. "All right. You can
have four." "Then I'll take eight," was the
prompt response of Mr. Bonner. After consul-
tation with Mr. Hudson, the editor, it was ar-
ranged that Mr. Bonner was to have eight
pages and no more, as to give him more space
would tax the resources of the composing room.
"Oh, you won't have much to get up," said
Mr. Bonner ; " I want only this six-line adver-
tisement in small type, set in the center of each
column." It was printed next day. It was the
announcement of a new serial blood-aud-
thunder story by Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. The
morning the advertisement appeared Mr. Bon-
ner's minister rushed to the office to remon-
strate with him on the extravagance and ab-
surdity of paying forty-eight times for the
insertion of the same insignificant announce-
ment. " Now, why did you do it ? " the minister
asked. ' • I was not going to be bluffed by Joe
Elliot, and I wanted to find out if you read the
Herald.'" I se? 'you do.—San Francisco Ar-
gonaut.
singular facts have been developed in
^=^ regard to the Influence of musical notes
upon explosives. When an "intense" explo-
sive is approaching the '' critical '' stage, and
its molecules therefore are in a condition of very
unstable equilibrium, the sudden emission of a
musical note will frequently bring matters to a
climax and induce detonation. It has been
found that of certain samples of dry fulminate
of mercury the lowest temperature at which it
would explode was 342 degrees Fahrenheit, and
portions exposed to a heat of 335 degrees for
some time, allowed to cool and again heated
to that degree (these alternations being several
times repeated), remained without change. Yet
particles of the same fulminate, placed as before
on an iron plate, but at a temperature of 310 de-
grees to 320 degrees only, would generally ex-
plode sharply when certain notes were sounded
near, upon a violin string or a cornet. With
the human voice it was much more difficult to
obtain an effect of this kind, but occasionally
such an experiment would succeed. Similar re-
sults were noticed with most of the nitro-com-
MR. EMIL WULSCHNER, of Eniil Wulschuer
pounds, blasting gelatine included, while chlo-
&
Son, Indianapolis, has been spending the last
ride and iodide of nitrogen were frequently as
few
weeks at St. Joseph, Mich., with a party of
explodable at the ordinary temperature. L,as-
friends.
They are on piscatorial pleasure bent,
celles-Scott, assuming that (a) the molecules of
explosives were always in a condition of either and left a day or two ago for Lake Gogebie in
linear vibration or spiral '' swings ; " (b) that search of better fishing grounds. They intend to
the velocity of such oscillations was constant present to the boys at Indianapolis, Terre
with each substance according to its composi- Haute, Richmond, and Muncie, who sell the
tion ; (c) that the amplitude or wave length most pianos during their absence, the largest
thereof varied with the temperature ; thought it Muskalonge they can catch—hence their en-
not unreasonable to suppose, as the oscillations forced departure for the Muskalonge country.
extended until they approached the point of dis- Mr. Wulschner expects to exceed any of the
ruption, that the impact of sound vibrations music trade fishermen both in fishing and fish
bearing some simple numerical relation to their stories. We hope Mr. Wulschner will not over-
own might carry those molecules too far, and look the invaluable recipe which appears in
thus precipitate their severance. Whatever the our editorial columns.
true explanation of the phenomenon may be, it
THE RUSSELL PIANO CO., of Chicago, were
is certain that a given (explosive) substance not dismayed by the miniature war in their
may be more readily detonated by a certain midst. They kept right on making pianos—
note; for instance, with a "pitch," wherein c good ones, too—and they are finding a satisfac-
(the third space in the treble clef) was repre- tory demand for them.
sented by 528 vibrations per second, the nitro
series of explosives seemed to be most influenced
THE partnership existing between Merrill &
by the note f; the fulminates by the treble d; Mackintyre, Salem, Mass., has been dissolved.
and the upper b flat more successfully detonated The latter will continue business at the old
iodide of nitrogen than any other note. These address, while Mr. Merrill will go in business
are decidedly uncomfortable details, and one for himself in another part of the city.
cannot help speculating on the extent to which
J. F. BYARD has opened a music store in the
the program of a regimental band on parade
Lock wood Block, Ho well, Mich.
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