Music Trade Review

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An Hour With the Music Clerk.
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS OF BUYERS FROM
MRS. NOUVEAU RICHE DOWN TO THE
BOWERY SWELL NO SINECURE.
T H E clerk at a music store is supposed to
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have at his tongue's end an enlighten-
ing" answer for each and every question of
the average buyer, whether it be what year
"Beautiful Snow" was written in or whether
a paraphrase on Mendelssohn's Rhapsodie
•No. 6 would go well on a concertina. He
must know whether "Daisy Bell" has been
scored for the guitar, or whether there is a
waltz in "Gotterdammerung."
The writer and the artist stood for a short
time yesterday in this place. While in
conversation with a clerk the door opened
and the doorway was darkened by a massive
masculine figure, towering full six feet.
His form was enveloped in a big coat, fur
trimmed. A long white beard fell over his
chest. His eyes were hid behind a pair of
very large glasses and he carried a roll of
music under his arm. He advanced slowly
to the clerk, who greeted him familiarly
with "Good-morn ing, Professor!"
The
professor returned the salutation in a high
piccolo voice; then he asked the clerk if he
had a song called "Death Cannot Part."
Then he went on: "It is an odd thing, a
beautiful thing! I have discovered a won-
derful contralto voice and I know of no
song that would give it the opportunity
which that one will."
The clerk rubbed his head for a moment,
then he said: "I believe I remember such
a song." He went to the shelf and pulled
down a portfolio marked "Old Songs" and
started to go through the pile of music,
when the door opened, and with a swish
and a sweep a young woman entered.
She pounced upon the counter with an
emphatic movement and began to turn over
a pile of miscellaneous leaf music. The
clerk left the professor to go through the
music himself and turned to the young
woman, who said: "Oh, say! I want a song
like 'Sir, she said,' only it mustn't be 'Sir,
she said,' but something like it, you know,
for a contralto voice. Have you anything
like it?"
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
The clerk said he knew of something like
it, and began going through the music
marked "For Contralto."
Then the struggle began. "Oh, let me
see that!" she would say; "I like that title."
Then it would be: "Oh, no, not a bit like
it!" The clerk kept on pulling out songs
until he was almost hid behind the stack
of discarded music, and he had not yet
reached the end of "For Contraltos."
In the midst of the trouble the old pro-
fessor straightened up from the counter
with a piece of music and triumphantly
shouted: "I've found it." He paid for it
and went out chuckling.
The young woman now began to show
signs of impatience, and after the clerk had
shown her all the music in stock for con-
traltos, she said, with a bored air: "Dear
me! What a small number of songs for
contraltos! I think I'll call again."
She swept majestically out of the store,
brushing against a chap of the East Side
type, who swaggered up to the clerk and
said: "Say, Bill, I want t'ree copies of
'Kitty, Dear,' and two of 'My Girl's Photo-
graph.' Wot's de damage?"
The clerk
told him "Kitty, Dear" was not published,
but that he could give him the other. "All
right," said the purchaser, "gimme dem;
but, say, I tink yere stringin' me about de
'Kitty Dear.' Guess you ain't got 'em, dat's
wot." Then he went out and slammed the
door.
* *
*
In a moment an old lady came in full of
importance, and with the general appear-
ance of arrogant wealth. She wanted "all
of the latest things for the piano."
"Shall I send them to your house?" asked
the clerk. The old lady said: "Yes, with
the bill. But don't send any more of them
choppin arrangements; the girls don't like
'em." As she went out the clerk said she
meant Chopin; that she came in once a
week, bought all the new piano arrange-
ments and was a good customer.
* *
*
The next customer was a very pretty
young man, who wanted to know if he
could secure a banjo arrangement of Bach's
Serenade. The clerk told him there was
none published. Then said chappie: "Well,
dash me, I'll have one arranged.
I've
promised a lady friend of mine that I
would get her one, and, dash me, I will!"
He secured the address of an arranger and
went away full of determination.
The next person who came in was a typi-
cal man of the world, fresh from his barber
and with an easy air of prosperity.
He
knew the clerk. "Ah, George," said he,
with a drawll; "ah—have that same orches-
tra—ah—ye sent me last week—ah—have
them come to my apartments Tuesday p.m.
at 10.30. Ah, going to—ah—give a little
supper, and, I say, tell that beast of a
leader to bring plenty of hot waltzes with
him. Don't forget." Then he sauntered
out, swinging his cane.
Thus they came and went, no two re-
quests alike, no two people a^ke. It is for
such as these that music clerks exist.
Receives an Award.
T
HE Secretary of the Atlanta Exposition
has notified Strich & Zeidler, 134th
street and Brook avenue, that they have
been awarded a diploma of honorable
mention and a medal by the Jury of
Awards for the superiority of their instru-
ments exhibited in the New York State
Building.
This is a gratifying compli-
ment to this firm, as they did not enter for
an award. The action taken by the Com-
mittee of Awards is entirely spontaneous,
and therefore of great value.
In this connection the splendid work done
for the Strich & Zeidler piano at the Ex-
position by Robt. A. Widenmann, is
worthy of all possible praise*
He has
proven himself to be a business man of rare
ability, and much of the success of the
Strich & Zeidler concern can be attribut-
ed to his hearty work, which has met
with the warm support and co-operation of
Messrs. Strich & Zeidler.
Large spring orders have already com-
menced to come in for the Strich & Zeidler
pianos. Among others, Mann & Eckles,
of Providence, R. I., who represent these
instruments, have left an unusually large
order to be shipped immediately.
Gorgen & Grubb.
Gorgen & Grubb, of Nassau, N. Y., re-
port an increasing business for the past
year over the previous twelve months.
Their trade has been a quiet, but steadily
increasing one, and they open the new year
with many unfilled orders and bright pros-
pects. It may not be generally known that
throiigh Gorgen & Grubb's succession to
the business of F. Frickinger they can
claim the right to the title, "the oldest
action firm in the United States."
From Mexico.
E
HEUER & CO., the progressive music
trade dealers of Mexico City, Mex.,
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have favored us with one of the most at-
tractive New Year calendars which has so
far reached this office. The Heuer house
have taken Yankee methods as well as
Yankee pianos into Mexico, and are build-
ing up a splendid business with such well-
known instruments as the Knabe, "Crown"
and Sterling pianos, and Estey and Sym-
phony organs.
Hoggson & Pettis Co.
Organ stops, knobs and stems are a ne-
cessity in every factory devoted to the man-
ufacture of organs, and those made by the
Hoggson & Pettis Manufacturing Co., at
64-66 Court street, New Haven, Conn.,
have won no small reputation for their ex
cellence. The products of this house are
noted for careful manufacture, hence they
are used exclusively by some of the leading
organ makers of the United States.
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