Music Trade Review

Issue: 1896 Vol. 22 N. 11

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
months of this year go to show that an ac-
centuated demand has prevailed for instru-
ments of a high grade.
It is evident that a reaction has set in,
and the days of the very cheap piario are
numbered. Many dealers have beetl com-
pelled to handle a cheap grade of goods
against their own good judgment in order to
satisfy the demand, but the demand for that
class is fast disappearing, and the purchas-
ing public is willing to pay a high price for
a good article.
"Out of evil cometh good." The so-
called cheap pianos will after all be of ben-
efit to the legitimate and high grade manu-
facturers. They have educated the public
to the fact that high grade pianos by
makers of established reputation, cannot
be purchased for a mere song, and whatever
price is paid for them, it is a gilt-edged in-
vestment.
#
#
On Thursday last Messrs. Steinway &
Sons received a royal warrant announcing
that His Majesty, the King of Saxony,
had appointed them manufacturers to the
royal court of Saxony. This distinguished
honor was unexpected and unsought for,
hence this mark of appreciation of the
Steinway product is the more valued.
Steinway & Sons can now claim the es-
pecial privilege of being manufacturers to
almost every imperial and royal court in
Europe—truly a great honor to the great
house of Steinway & Sons, but a still
greater honor to American manufacturers,
and the American piano in particular.
——-iHr
It has been noticed, no doubt, that while
many of the trade papers have been indulg-
ing in absurd and sometimes malicious re-
ports about this, that and the other house,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW has been mov-
ing straight ahead, publishing facts and
quietly ignoring sensational rumors. We
believe the business element to which we
cater enjoys reading a paper which is clean,
thorough and impartial. In fact, the suc-
cess of THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW as a
purely trade publication has demonstrated
that.
#
#
commendable, and should meet with the
support of every business man.
Unless some such action as the foregoing
is taken, we are certain to witness periodic
disturbances in business circles year after
year, threatening the prosperity of all
branches of industry.
The industrial system is as fine a piece
of mechanism as the most complicated
watch; yet into those delicate adjustments
affecting the income and happiness of mil-
lions the great political parties propose to
hurl important questions, to be debated pro
and con, not from a business standpoint,
but purely from the politician's. And this
regardless of the consequences.
It seems to us that some legislation
should be enacted whereby the questions of
tariff and currency should be taken out of
politics and placed in the hands of a special
commission composed of men free from
political bias who will solve these perplex-
ing and annoying questions on their merits.
This would be a blessing to manufacturers
and business men at large. It would pre-
vent this bugbear coming regularly to the
surface to undermine the commercial pros-
perity and well-being of the Nation.
#
#
We publish elsewhere in this paper a
contribution on the wool question by Mr.
L. Cavalli, a recognized authority on this
subject. His remarks illustrate the gen-
eral proposition of Protectionists, that
buying abroad instead of at home always
reduces home consumption. The purchas-
ing power of the wage-earners has been
weakened by the increase of foreign im-
portation and the decrease of domestic
production, resulting in a great loss to
manufacturers and wage-earners alike.
Mr. Cavalli's article will be found inter-
esting.
#
#
Weber Piano Co.
PROBABLE REORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY.
LBERT Weber stated in substance to
the REVIEW representative yesterday,
that Mr. A. B. Fletcher, chairman of the
committee on Weber affairs, is making a
careful survey of affairs generally, with a
view to the speedy reorganization of the
company. In case of such reorganization
Albert Weber would become general mana-
It is not amiss at this early date to reflect ger of the factory and wholesale depart-
on the absurdity of making the currency or ments. Mr. Fletcher, who resides at the
the tariff" "live" questions in the coming Murray Hill Hotel, is understood to be very
Presidential campaign. They affect the strong financially, and he controls wide and
industrial system so keenly that they should important interests. The present out-
look, according to latest reports, indicates a
be treated wholly and entirely from ajbusi- speedy revival of the Weber affairs.
ness standpoint.
The steps taken by the National Associa-
RUDOLF DOLGE has been confined at
tion of Manufacturers in declaring in favor home with an attack of the grip for the
of taking these questions out of politics aie last week.
A
The /Eolian Company.
W
ITH a view of ascertaining the latest
phase of the ^Eolian-Klaber contro-
versy the REVIEW man looked in at the ^ o l -
ian warerooms, Twenty-third street, and was
greeted cordially by Mr. Perkins, the gentle-
man in charge. " Do you propose to reply
to the rather trenchant remarks of Mr. Klaber
in a recent number of a contemporary?" was
asked. Mr. Perkins said that as far as he
knew no further attention would be paid to
the matter. "The fact is," said Mr. Per-
kins, " the whole thing is a tempest in a
teapot. Mr. Klaber is posing as a modern
' Ajax defying the lightning.' The Au-
tomaton music is a very small side show
with us, and we have all the business we
can attend to without writing replies to Mr.
Klaber's ridiculous statements."
" Has Mr. Klaber begun suit against you
yet?" was asked.
Mr. Perkins laughed. " He has not, and
what is more he has no intention of doing
so. It is only one of his usual bluffs. There
are suits now pending between the ^olian
Company and the Automaton Piano Com-
pany, but they are those brought by our
company."
"You are supplying the trnde and public
with music for Automaton Piano?"
"We are, and you would be interested
and amused if you could read some of the
letters we have received from different
members of the trade since we announced
the fact. The dealers, generally, appear
to have grown very tired of Mr. Klaber and
his methods. We are giving 50 per cent,
discount from the catalogue price of this
music, and we are filling all orders prompt-
ly. This latter is something that purchas-
ers of this music are not accustomed to."
Reform in Taxation.
N open letter has been sent to mem-
bersof the Legislature en the H Rule in Taxation bill by Seabury & John-
son, of No. 59 Maiden lane. The letter
says:
I beg leave to submit some reasons why,
from a manufacturer's standpoint, Senate
bill No. 781 should receive favorable action
at your hands in the interests of the city of
New York and the best interests of the
State in general.
For years we have been overtaxed, or
annoyed by being compelled to defend our
just rights before the Commissioners of
Taxes and Assessments. The counsel for
the board has stated that the law is very
defective and that it is difficult for a con-
scientious man to make a statement that
will satisfy himself or that will enable the
department to assess the expenses of main-
taining the government equitably.
This is undoubtedly due to the intrica-
cies of legislation which would be abolished
by the bill referred to, with the result of a
very close approach to a perfectly equitable
system of assessment.
The letter says that to escape the present
annoyance and injustice the firm had con-
templated moving their business to New
Jersey, and they predict an exodus of busi-
ness men unless the law is changed.
A
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
In the current issue of that interesting
publication, Printers' Ink, Chas. Austin
Bates pays a merited compliment to Mr. A.
G. Cone, treasurer of the W. W. Kimball
Co., anent his recent achievements in the
advertising field. He also has many good
words to say for the book issued by Mr.
Cable, entitled "The Evolution of the
Piano."
J. W. GUK.RNSKY of Guernsey Brothers,
Scranton, Pa., and G. L. Reimann of A. H.
Rintelman & Co., Chicago, have been in
town during the past week.
THE Philadelphia, Pa., Press, under date
of April i, says: "Fire destroyed the Mt.
Pleasant Hotel, Peterson's music store, and
Kuhn's business block. Loss, $2,000."
C. JANKE & Co. (incorporated), of Gal-
veston, have purchased the stock of musi-
cal instruments of W. C. Stansfield, and
will operate a branch house in Houston,
Texas.
ARTHUR L. THAYER has entered into
partnership with M. C. Perkins, music
dealer, Rockland, Mass., and after April
1 the style of the firm will be M. C. Per-
kins & Co.
THE D. H. Beck Company has been or-
ganized, under the laws of the State of
West Virginia, for the purpose of dealing
in musical instruments, music, etc. The
principal office is to be in Wheeling, and
the capital stock authorized is $<^o,ooo. The
incorporators are F. W. Baumer, Minnie
Baumer, Ida M. Baumer and F. J. Danner,
of Wheeling, and D. H. Beck, of Belmont
county, O.
THE Wissner piano was used at the second
concert given by the Brooklyn Symphony
Society in conjunction with Theodore
Thomas and his Chicago orchestra on March
26th.
THE W. W. Kimball Co. have opened a
branch store in Owossa, Mich., with J. M.
Beckwith and C. C. Eaton in charge.
W. F. CHESHIRE, music trade dealer,
Rockford, 111., intends to secure larger
quarters on Seventh street, where he now
resides. This step has been taken owing
to increased trade. His new establishment
will be fitted up in metropolitan style.
HELD for review—the new catalogue of
the Braumuller Co.
LACK of space prevents us from making
extended mention this week of the new
special style F upright, now on exhibition
at the warerooms of Chickering & Son.
HOUGH & DUNHAM is the name of a new
music trade establishment which has opened
up at Nashville, N. C. They will handle the
W. \V. Kimball line of pianos.
SANDERS & STAYMAN, of Washington, are
making arrangements to move into their
new store. Their removal will be formally
celebrated by a grand opening.
Neither do some manufacturers favor the
idea of sending out traveling men, and
would like to do away with that expense,
too, if they could. Neither do they like to
issue catalogues or advertise, and would
very much like to do business without that
expense, too, if they could.
This would be a glorious world if busi-
ness could be done without expense, if it
were all "take in" and none "pay out."
Now, wouldn't that be too nice for anything?
People who would like to have business
come to them without any ot the aforemen-
A great old character is Scotty. He tioned expensive efforts had better wait for
hangs about lower Park Row and is known the millennium. It can't be done in the
of many men.
present generation.
Scotty has things to sell. If you want
* *
diamonds the pockets of his shabby old
* in the old Mormon
The monster organ
clothes are filled with fine stones wrapped
in white tissue paper, and it is a cold day if church, at Salt Lake City, which is going
Scotty can't suit you and give you a price to be reconstructed by that progressive firm
to boot, which makes you suspect that they of organ builders, the Farrand & Voley
Co., has 2,704 pipes, each 32 feet long and
came to him by the underground route.
large
enough to admit the body of a man
If it is a horse for which you are ready to
of
ordinary
size. Besides this, two towers
offer your kingdom, Scotty has a friend in
arise
at
either
side to a height of 42 feet.
the business who has just what you want,
It
was
built
in
the early days when all
or ought to want, which is just as good.
freight
was
hauled
from Missouri River
But it is in the matter of pianos that
points
across
the
plains
with ox teams.
Scotty plays his trump card.
One
man
put
in
1,014
days'work
on it, and
"I'm a little bit of an artist myself," he
received
provisions
only
for
his
labor.
It
will tell you, "and when I recommend an
has
been
undergoing
improvement
for
the
instrument be assured, boy, I know what I
am talking about. I could give Paderewski past thirty-five or forty years.
points on the purchase of the noble instru-
*
ment."
Mistakes will happen. Even editors are
Scotty has music teachers and heaven not infallible. They have frequently to
knows how many other secret agents on the bear on their shoulders the errors of the
lookout for piano victims, and his wiles and festive typographer. A case in point: Our
guiles are many when he has a possible cus- esteemed contemporary, the Musical Cour-
tomer on a string. He finds the wrong side ier, in its musical department this week
of a bar a splendid coign of vantage for the comments on the unmusical compositors
use of persuasive arguments, and a little old employed in the daily papers, and meta-
rye a splendid salesman.
phorically pats its own typos on the back;
Last week by skillful manipulation he had yet, in the trade department of the same
taken a victim into a certain well-known paper, we notice the Courier's compositors
cafe* in the shadow of one of the big news- display a lamentable ignorance of the edi-
paper offices.
tor's name—it is printed Marc A. Blumberg.
"What?" said Scotty, "get that piano for Meanwhile, mistakes will happen.
$175? Nonsense, man; I'll not believe it.
* *
*
Why, that would be a bargain for a prince."
"But I can get it," said the victim.
Yesterday I met a man from the town of
"Billy Jones can get it for that from a party Bath, in this State, who is the only manu-
who is going to Europe."
facturer in this country of jewsharps, says
"I'll never believe it," said Scotty, shak- a writer in the "Commercial Advertiser."
ing his head. "It's too good to be true."
He has made jewsharps for thirty-five years.
"I'd like to bet you something," said the Twenty years he worked at the business in
big fly buzzing in Scotty's web and never England, and nearly fifteen in this country.
knowing it.
He first started in Troy, but believing the
"Tell you what I'll do," said Scotty. location would be more healthful in Bath
"I'll bet you $5 even that you can't get that he removed to that village about nine years
noble instrument for any such price."
ago.
The jewsharp was classed as a toy
"It's a g o , " said the victim. And away up to a few years ago. It is now placed
he went to buy the piano, little dreaming among musical instruments. For centuries
that it was Scotty's own instrument and it was known all over Europe. It is also
cheap at half the figure.
known as the Jews' trump. While there is
* *
no decrease in the demand for jewsharps in
*
this country there has been during the last
In the present controversy, pro and con few years a gradual moving of the demand
expositions, the one great fact has been westward. Orders have increased in Chi-
brought out that many of the manufacturers cago in the same proportion that they have
of America do not favor the idea of exposi- fallen off in New York. There are twelve
tions, and would prefer to do away with
different styles of jewsharps, ranging in
them altogether, says a trade paper in the
price from $3 to $25 per gross. They are
furniture line.
put
up and -shipped in boxes of twelve gross
We do not doubt that at all, nor are we
lots.
surprised at it.

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