Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1895 Vol. 21 N. 21

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL XXL
N o . 21.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, December 14,1895.
In The West.
HOLIDAY T R A D E — THE ANDREWS FAILURE.
FIRE ON WABASH AVENUE—NEWMAN BROS.
CO.—THE KIMBALL CO.—HOWARD HOME-
WARD BOUND THE STEINWAY PIANO.
B. L. GRISWOLD TO RESUME F. G.
SMITH IN TOWN.
T
HERE has been a slight improvement
in retail trade during the past week.
It may be due, perhaps, to the unusual
amount of advertising which the leading es-
tablishments are carrying in the daily
papers. Business, however, is not steady,
and not in as healthy a condition as expect-
ed this time of the year. Wholesale busi-
ness is fair, but manufacturers are looking
for a lessening up toward Christmas.
In the accounts of the failure of A. H.
Andrews & Co., the name of the Chicago
Cottage Organ Co. has been included
among the list of creditors to the tune of
$40,000. I learn that they are safely se-
cured as they hold a five years' lease of the
Wabash avenue premises occupied by the
company, which is worth $50,000; so they
are on the safe side. The Andrews con-
cern was not directly connected with the
music trade. They manufactured piano
chairs as part of their general line of furni-
ture.
The account of the disastrous fire which
occurred at 178-180 Wabash avenue, this
city, last Sunday evening, has probably
reached you. The principal loss was sus-
tained by Joseph Bohmann, whose large
stock of old violins and other musical instru-
ments were totally consumed. His loss is
placed at $20,000, but he carries an insur-
ance of $40,000. Another sufferer was
Meyer & Weber, agents for the Stieff piano,
whose warerooms were damaged to the ex-
tent of $4,000. This firm was also insured.
The Newman Bros. Organ Co. report a
very excellent business recently. They are
shipping very heavy orders to Europe, and
their trade South and East is above the
average.
The Kimball people are tireless workers.
A week hardly passes that something 1 new
is not issued from this house, either from
the manufacturing or business departments.
The new style Kimball piano is going to
be a big "winner."
R. S. Howard, of J & C. Fischer, was
in town recently on his way home from the
Pacific Coast. He has made some very
good deals for the Fischer house in the far
West, and is not complaining about busi-
ness. He expects that from now on trade
will be on the upward grade.
The Steinway piano must be very popu-
lar as a holiday present, judging from the
remarkable business which is being trans-
acted at the warerooms of Lyon, Potter &
Co., where there is an unusually fine dis-
play of instruments on exhibition at the
present time. Some big sales will be re-
corded before the closing of the year.
It is rumored that B. L. Griswold, of St.
Joseph, Mo., will enter the music trade
arena again just as soon as the old concern
is settled up.
F. G. Smith, Jr., has been spending some
days in this city on his tour of the Brad-
bury agencies. He is well satisfied with the
condition of the Bradbury business in this
section.
I notice that a number of the stores on
Wabash avenue are keeping open late even-
ings.
slN
| f COPIE!/£CENTS.
Philadelphia Fun.
HEY have an odd way of advertising
down in Philadelphia. Maybe we
don't appreciate it. We all recollect Colo-
nel Gray's balloons. We all recollect Blas-
ius' "fifty-five points of merit," and that
Cunningham went him one better by an-
nouncing that his pianos had "fifty-six
points of merit," but this is the latest
which we have received from the Quaker
City. It is truly Philadelphiaesque in the
highest degree, or as Charlie Russell would
say, "in the highest type."
T
Philadelphia, DecemberJ6th, 1895.
MR. PATRICK J. CUNNINGHAM.
President of the Cunningham Piano Co.
DEAR S I R :
The following card appears in to-day's issue
of the Public Ledger:
WE WILL GIVE
$10,000 .00
for a better made Piano than
CUNNINGHAM
This offer stands. We have other makes of
Pianos and Organs at less prices than any house
in Philadelphia (cash or easy payments). See us
before purchasing.
The CUNNINGHAM PIANO Co.
M. Sonnenberg Piano Co.
M
R. M. SONNENBERG, for thirty
years the senior partner and mana-
ger of B. Shoninger & Co., lately dissolved,
has purchased the good will and business
of the firm, and will hereafter, as sole pro-
prietor, conduct the firm's warerooms at
801 Chapel street, and his different stores
located in the principal cities of this State.
During Mr. Sonnenberg's business career
in this city he has built up an important
and lucrative industry, and the reputation
he has gained for honorable dealing and the
esteem with which he is regarded as one of
our foremost citizens, assures his continued
success and prosperity. This long estab-
lished business identified with the growth
of our city, and known throughout the
country, will hereafter be designated as
the M. Sonnenberg Piano Co. — Courier,
New Haven, Conn.
1-717 Chestnut
Street
Open Evenings Until Christmas.
Will remove January 1st to 1105 Chestnut St.
In reply to same, I am ready to deliver to
you, a better made Piano than the Cunningham.
It would be grotesquely ridiculous to enter-
tain for a moment the thought of sending you
the Schomacker Piano, which was awarded the
highest premium at the World's Columbian Ex-
position, but will give you the choice of the fol-
lowing lesser known make of Pianos, to wit :—
Steinway & Sons, Knabe & Co., or Decker Bros.,
any of which to be a better Piano than the Cun-
ningham.
As your offer gives me the option of naming
the make of a Piano that is better than the Cun-
ningham, I might name any other make of Piano,
but in consideration of your generous offer, I
will also be liberal, and will supply you with a
Steinway & Sons Piano
Trusting there will be no delay on your part
m accepting the same, and arranging for the ap-
pointment of Judges, that the question of a bet-
ter made Piano than the Cunningham may be
decided before Christmas, as it is niv inten-
iion to distribute vour magnanimous offer of
$10,000 to charity. Yours truly,
H. W. GRAY.
We are not surprised to read Mr. Cun-
ningham's advertisement, but we are, to
read Colonel Gray's reply. Such announce-
ments as Mr. Cunningham's are best passed
by without recognition. Undoubtedly he
wished to obtain a certain amount of adver-
tising by some one accepting his challenge,
and if so, he is liable to secure quite a little
before the matter shall have closed. Think
A VALUABLE publication, neatly printed of it, a Steinway in competition with a
and beautifully illustrated, entitled "Help- Cunningham!
ful Hints for the Holidays," has reached
us from the establishment of Lyon &
G. M. MCDOWELL, sheet music, musical
Healy, of Chicago. It will be found of merchandise,
Danville, 111., reported sold
great service to holiday purchasers.
out.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
EDWARD L\MAN BILL
Editor and Proprietor.
PUBLISHED
EVERY
SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including: postage) United States and
Canada. $300 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, sinjrlo column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearjy contracts .• special dis-
count is allowed.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, ehculd
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
(inter ed at the New York Post Office as Second da *s Matter.
"THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
subect of its [discourse is the venerable
David T. Harraden, who is now in his
eighty-fifth year, and who during the whole
of his working careeT of seventy-one years
has devoted his skill and industry to the dis-
tinguished house of Chickering & Sons.
Mr. Harraden enjoys the honor of having
worked on the first piano ever made by the
Chickering house, and an idea of his phy-
sical and mental alertness can be judged
from the fact that his ear is delicate enough
to tune a piano to-day as it was half a cen-
tury ago Naturally Mr. Harraden is re-
garded by his employers and his fellow-
craftsmen as a link between the fidelity of
the past and the enhancing skill of the
present, which, as the Herald so neatly
puts it, "have caused the name of Chicker-
ing to vibrate in a resonant chord of repu-
tation through all the octaves of progress,
from the old clavichord to the modern
grand."
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CASE DESIGNS.
ASE DESIGNING is one of the
"live" questions which has been
engaging the attention of progressive piano
makers for the past few years. The growth
of taste in house decoration, and the many
artistic effects possible in furniture nowa-
days, demonstrate that the piano—"that
ugly piece cf furniture," so termed by those
seeking for decorative effects—must keep
pace with the artistic demands of the
age.
A marked improvement in this work has
been noticeable recently, and it is worthy
of commendation. Manufacturers have
gone outside of factories and secured special
designs from architects and designers of
artistic furniture, in order to fill the de-
mands made on them. The Henry F.
Miller & Sons Piano Co., of Boston, have
been very energetic in this matter, and
have done much toward adding to the value
of the piano from an architectural stand-
point.
In another part of this paper we reproduce
illustrations of a number of designs of up-
right pianos furnished by leading architects
in response to a series of prizes offered by
that house through an architectural monthly
entited "The Brochure Series."
In this connection it must be remembered
that these architects were not confined to
cost, as is the object of many competitions.
In fact, there were no restrictions. They
had free reign to their fancy, the main
object being to procure an artistic number
of special designs. The results are seen
elsewhere, and they represent the best from
a competition where more than seventy-
five architects sent in designs. T"„. ^
C
S can be seen in our bulletin of im-
ports and exports which appear else-
where in this issue, the imports of musical
instruments continue to increase by leaps
and bounds, while the export trade makes
a miserable showing. The figures are not
encouraging to American manufacturers,
and they nfford food for study and perhaps
action.
A
I
F proof were desired of the progressive-
ness of the Weber concern in the line
of piano development, it can be easily ob-
tained by an examination of the Bijou Baby
Grand, which this firm have recently placed
in their warerooms. Dealers and musicians
who have examined it during the past week
are warm and enthusiastic in their praise
of the musical possibilities of the latest
achievements of the house of Weber.
P
ROBABLY the greatest example of
continuous service and lifelong
fidelity to one firm has been brought to
light by the Boston Herald this week. The
No wonder the Henry F. Miller & Sons
Piano Co. write us: "We do not feel that
even the best of them are up to our own
best styles, nor equal to the best styles of
some others among our manufacturers."
No, they are not; and the question now
arises,:'can we look to architects or special
designers for an improvement in the case
work of pianos?
Not pianos made to order, but rather t h e
styles whicli can be sold at current rates.
We think not.
The improvement in case architecture
must come from these men who have made
the piano musically what it is to-day.
Their minds are concentrated on this spe-
cial subject, and they have shown by the
marked improvement in this line of work
during the past few years, that they are
capable of satisfying---if they will—the de-
mand which is being accentuated every
day.
What is wanted is not special designs for
expensive pianos as much as special de-
signs that can be used as standard styles.
In this connection we thoroughly appreciate
the valuable service which the Miller house
is rendering by procuring the ideas of
leading architects and designers in this
matter. It is by such progressive steps
that manufacturers can understand how
far they have advanced in the improvement
of case structure; then they can, perhaps,
derive many ideas of benefit which
will aid them in making other improve-
ments.
There is money for the manufacturer
who will give us an innovation in piano
cases—cases that will rob the instrument of
its uncouthness, and be in keeping with the
artistic quality of its tone.
A piano case as constructed to-day neces-
sarily affords but a limited opportunity for
improvement, but it can be improved, on
entirely new lines, however. With the
average buyer, who is not a musician, the
appearance of an instrument has much to
do with its sale, hence beautiful and original
case architecture is one of the questions
which manufacturers cannot afford to over-
look. Relief cannot be had from architects.
That has been demonstrated more than
once.
It is a pleasure to note that American
manufacturers are to-day striving to atone
for a pardonable neglect in the past by pro-
ducing piano cases which are' 'things of
beauty" compared with those of years
ago.
With few exceptions there have
been advances all along the line. Not
only are the designs more artistic, bet-
ter proportioned and elaborate, but
the variety of fancy woods used
are a decided improvement and re

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