Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
WORD of advice to the organ manufac-
turers who have added piano manufac-
turing to their business and are now in the race
for supremacy. Don't neglect the reed organ
trade. There is a great field for development,
not alone in this country, but in Europe and the
S :>uth American countries, for this instrument.
It is true, the tendency toward cheap pianos
has injured the organ business to some extent
at the present time, but this does not necessarily
imply that the reed organ will be relegated to
oblivion. The good organ like the good piano
will always find a market.
3 EAST 14th STREET, NEW YORK.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
Canada, $3.00 per year, in /'vance; Foreign Countries,
$4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion; unless inserted upon rates made by special
contract.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
EREE
j OR U)8 cause that lacks assistaace,
For the wreBg that «e«4s
For Ite future in th« distance!^ •
fl«d {])« good Cliat we"CM da."
CLAFL1N PIANO COMPANY retired
from business on the first day of January,
and we think it our duty to say that during
their brief career their policy has been an honor-
able one. They met all their obligations most
faithfully, and retired from the active field of
piano manufacturing with the good will and
esteem of the trade and all having dealings
directly or indirectly with them.
year just opened will undoubtedly be a
remarkable one in the history of the Ster-
ling Company, Derby, Conn. Their output has
b.en steadily growing, month after month, until
the figures to-day are simply enormous, and this
growth has continued even in the midst of hard
times. There must be a reason and a very sub-
stantial reason for this enlargement of trade, and
It can be found in the merit of the Sterling pro-
ducts. Dealers have spoken and continue to
speak in laudatory terms of the Sterling instru-
ments. That the year 1895 will be a banner
year cannot be doubted, for the Sterling Com-
pany are preparing to this end by making im-
provements in their instruments which will
merit the good opinion of the trade.
IARLY next week Edward Lyman Bill will
leave on an extended trip South. His
itinerary aside from including the principal
cities in the South will embrace the largest cities
in the Mexican Republic. There he will con-
clude arrangements for a representative to visit
the great cities in Central and South America in
the interests of this paper. It is not our desire
at this time to enter into a detailed account of
what we propose to do, but to our friends who
have been kind enough to applaud our previous
journalistic triumphs, we would say that before
'95 shall have passed from the lists we may have
scored a notch or two more on the staff.
. In all of our work we have endeavored to
maintain a commendable degree of independ-
ence and journalistic enterprise.
Now we maintain that the fate of this so-
called piano is solely in the hands of the dealer.
We have only too often seen misrepresentation
act as another word for profit.
There is one fact, however, which, if it pre-
vails—and it should prevail w th every honest
dealer—will put an end, or at least give a proper
place, to the very cheap piano, and that is: to
tell the truth about it.
The public at times are induced by misrepre-
sentation to purchase articles which do not re-
present the value asked for them. The duty of
the dealer lays in being honest. This is the
duty o r the hour.
Sell the very cheap piano for its real value.
There is a business principle about honesty In
a matter like this which should obtain with
every dealer desirous of being fair to his cus-
tomer and fair to the manufacturers of other
instruments hand'ed by him.
There never was a time when such a good
opportunity was offered to the dealer to do so
much for his trade, or in other words, to be
honest, as at the present day.
Bargain counter or ninety-nine cent methods
should not and must not prevail in the piano
trade, and they will not if the dealer does his
duty.
To be sure, as long as there is a demand, a
class of manufacturers will te found to turn out
very cheap pianos, but if these pianos are simply
sold as cheap pianos, the dealer is doing his
whole duty to his conscience and to the trade.
Here is a perfectly clear road before him, and
if he goes over it he will not only make custom-
ers for legitimate instruments of medium and
high grade, but he will aid in stemming a craze
which with his aid might assume formidable
proportions.
Now is the time for resolutions. Now is the
time to define a business policy for the coming
year. Now is the time to place yourself on
record as determined to keep the "very cheap "
piano in its propar place—to have it sold simply
as a cheap piano.
6jj|N another part of this paper we present a
sfc copy of the decision rendered by the
General Appraisers of the Treasury Department
concerning the importation of catgut strings
which were assessed some months ago by the
collector of customs at Port Townsend, Wash.,
at a duty of twenty-five per cent, ad valorem,
according to paragraph 326^ of the present
tariff law. The greatest ambiguity has prevailed
anent a proper definition of the three paragraphs
of the tariff act bearing on catgut strings, and
the decision just rendered placing "catgut
strings not further manufactured than into
strings for musical instruments " on the free
list, will clear away this mist. This decision
ANENT STAVENHAQEN AND KNABE.
makes catgut amenable to paragraph 431. Un-
^ENEMOUS attacks have recently been
fortunately the tariff act is full of these ambig-
made on the artistic merits of the Knabe
uous phrases, which bring trouble and annoy-
grand piano, and the Knabe firm itself, in con-
ance to the importer, and wealth and fame to the
nection with the appearance of the distinguished
legal profession.
pianist, Bernhard Stavenhagen, in this coun-
try.
SELL IT IN ITS CLASS.
These attacks have been based primarily on
jMONG the many obstacles which impede the opinions of a few newspaper critics. Their
the success of the piano manufacturer and estimate of the Knabe piano has been put for-
dealer to-day there are some which invite special ward so insiduously, and the whole scheme has
consideration.
been so well outlined, that their evident inten-
We have j ust recovered from the dark days of tion was to undermine the prestige and success
business depression and are evidently sailing which the Knabe piano shared in common with
the great artist, Stavenhagen. They have not,
on a steady current toward better times.
The days of fire, smoke, water and bankrupt however, been as successful as they expected.
The utterances of these so-calUd authorities
sales have departed, but in the train of hard
times has followed the demand for cheap things have been placed before the musical public quite
which, as Ex-President Harrison so aptly said prominently, while the opinions of numerous
other critics far more competent to value the
some time ago, " makes the cheap man."
This is illustrated in the appearance of the ability of Stavenhagen and the merits of the
cheap piano—the very cheap piano.
^ . .. ^ piano he performed upon, have been utterly