Music Trade Review

Issue: 1896 Vol. 22 N. 14

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL XXII.
No. 14.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, April 25,1896.
In The^West.
A
" H O T " TIME MUSIC TRADE ESTABLISH-
MENTS ESCAPE BEING CAUGHT BY FIRE W.
W. KIMBALL RETURNS—KRACHT & CO.
DISSOLVE R. M. CROSS TO REPRESENT
THE NATIONAL PIANO CO.—RE-
^J^l
CENT VISITORS.
HE past week has been an exciting one
out here. Not on account of any
phenomenal trade or startling items of
news, rather an abnormally high atmos-
pheric temperature and fires right between
the stores of Steger & Co., Estey & Camp
and the Thompson Music Co., resulting in
considerable excitement and a generally
"hot"time.
The startling account of Estey & Camp's
warerooms being "in a blaze," in one of
your New York contemporaries, has caused
much amusement out here. At no time
was the Estey & Camp or Steger ware-
rooms on fire, as far as I can leain.
W. W. Kimball, "as large as life," and
looking much improved in health, is with
us again. Business with the Kimball house
in all departments is excellent, and now
that Messrs. Kimball and Cone are in fight-
ing trim after their Southern trip, a great-
er activity than ever can be expected in the
development of this gigantic business.
The first lot of Camp & Co. pianos have
arrived from the Estey & Camp warerooms
from the New York factory. They are
well made, and will undoubtedly prove
good selling instruments.
"The dissolution of the recently organized
Kracht Piano Co., of Mt. Clemens, Mich.,
is announced. W. F. Kracht is endeavor-
ing to organize a stock company to manu-
facture on a large scale. It is not decided
where the new company will locate, but the
location will probably be in Detroit.
I understand that R. M. Cross has made
arrangements to take charge of the retail de-
partment of the business of the National
Piano Co., Oregon, 111., and has rented
warerooms on the second floor of the Audi-
torium Building, where he will in future
be "at home" to his many friends, all of
whom wish him success in his new under-
taking.
We have had some important visitors
during the past week, among whom were
Calvin Whitney, of the A. B. Chase Co.,
T
Ij.oo PER YEAR-
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
and Mr. William C. Carl manipulated the
stops of the Farrand & Votey grand organ
in a most effective manner, and last, but
not least, Mr. Vincente Toledo, in addition
to his opening selection on the great organ
accompanied the artists on the Eolian
grand in a manner that drew warm praise
from the artists and high encomiums from
the audience. Encores were frequent, and
floral emblems in order. Mr. E. R. Per-
kins, of the /Eolian forces, in his short but
effective speech to the audience, in which
he emphasized the fact that the great organ
was manipulated by the /Eolian attachment
electrically connected, and not by the per-
former playing on the key-board, as had
been mis-conceived at the last concert,
showed platform capabilities of a distinct
order of merit, almost suggestive of Sena-
torial possibilities. The warmest congratu-
ations are due to Messrs. H. B. Tremame,
/Eolian Concert. |
E. R. Perkins and Vincente Toledo for the
energy displayed and the gratifying results
FINE RECEPTION ACCORDED NORDICA AND ED-
obtained
in connection with this concert—
OUARD DE RESZKE EXCELLENT PROGRAM.
results
that
must prove of great value to
THE AEOLIAN RECEIVES HIGH
the
/Eolian
Co.,
indirectly of appreciable
ENDORSEMENTS.
value to ^Eolian agents, to say nothing of
""THERE can be no two opinions relative real service to art.
I to the excellence of the yEolian in-
The charming booklets and rccherchd
struments and the truly admirable methods souvenirs distributed to the audience
of the ^Eolian Co. in bringing their splen- showed marked enterprise. It is estimated
did invention before the public.
that there were no less than 1,600 people
The /Eolian concert given in the Men- present. Professor F. Toledo presided at
delssohn Glee Club Hall on Thursday after- the Steinway grand in Madame Nordica's
noon last, was emphatically a "star" per- "Agnes Dei" selection.
formance, reflecting great credit on the
The following is the complete program:
promoters, and resulting in nothing less
1. Overture, " Preciosa"
Weber
PIPE OKGAN
than a personal triumph for the artists par-
MR. VINCENTE TOLEDO
ticipating.
2. Fantasie Hongmise, - - - - Gnutmacher
Of the merits of the /Eolian system it is
H E R R HANS KRONOLD
3. Aria, "Magic Flute,"
. . . . Mozart
impossible to speak too highly; the results
Se pel rigor—La Juive
- - - - Halevy
obtained are really marvelous; to the musi-
M. EDOUARD DE RESZKE
cally uninitiated it is simplicity itself, to
4. Overture, " Tannhauser"
- - - Wagner
Selection, " Carmen"
Bizet
the artist and virtuoso its capabilities and
PIPE ORGAN
accuracy are astounding.
MR. RICHARD HENRY WARREN
5. Jewel Song, "Faust"
- - - - Gounod
It is unnecessary to deal at length with
Agnes Dei
Bizet
the performance, full program of which is
MME. LILLIAN NORDICA
6. a. Romance,
Fischer
appended; suffice it to say Madame Nordica
b. Arliguin,
Popper
sang with inexpressible charm and delight-
HERR HANS KRONOLD
ful verve, showing great generosity in shar-
7. Overture, "Midsummer Night's Dream"
Mendelssohn
ing the plaudits of the audience with her
PIPE OKGAN
accompanist. Edouard De Reszke, who
MR. WILLIAM C. CARL
8 Duet, " Les Huguenots" - - - Meyerbeer
was naturally the lion of the hour, received
MME. NORDICA and M. DE RESZKE
a magnificent reception, and sang as only
the renowned Polish basso can sing. Herr
HUGO SOHMER and family sailed for
Hans Kronold's 'cello selections were ad-
mirably rendered; Mr. Richard H. Warren Europe on Thursday last.
who reports a brisk condition of things at
his factory; Herman Leonard, of Alfred
Dolge & Son, who is always welcome out
this way; D. D. Luxton, of Luxton &
Black, Buffalo, who left a big order for
these popular instruments—the Chase Bros,
and Hackley pianos; Mr. Williams, of Behr
Bros. & Co., who is making a Western trip,
and a mighty good one, judging from the
number of orders which he has obtained
and the new houses which he has added to
the staff of Behr agents.
E. W. Furbush, formerly of the Briggs
Piano Co., was a visitor last week. He had
little to say about affairs in Boston, further
than that he expected that creditors would
be paid in full.
A. M. Wright left for your city last Sun-
day night.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE .REVIEW..
EDWARD LYMAN
Editor and Proprietor.
PUBLISHED
:-
EVERY- SATURDAY
3 East Nth St.. New York -—-"'-
SUBSCRIPTION (including: postage) United States and
Canada, $3-00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, singlo column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should
!>• made payable to Edward Lyman BilL
Bnttrtd mt tkt New York Post Office as Second-Class Matttr.
NEW YORK, APRIL 25, 1896
'•THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
W
HEN the trade winds blow favor-
ably, and no rough weather is en-
countered, it is comparatively easy to man-
age a craft which is not altogether up to
nautical demands and not properly bal-
lasted, but when the storms arise, the seas
are troubled, the skies are darkened, it is
then that the seaworthiness of a craft is
thoroughly tested and the ability of the
man at the wheel to successfully direct the
course of his vessel so that he sails into
smoother seas is demonstrated.
It is so in life.
When times are booming, when trade
skies are smiling-, when everything moves
easily and buoyantly along and there is
abundance everywhere, it is easy—that is,
comparatively easy—to steer a commercial
craft, to adjust finances so that ordinary
strains are quickly disposed of before they
develop into serious leaks.
It is under such conditions that men
oftentimes become imbued with the idea
that they are Napoleons of finance, that
their speculative genius is not limited to
low horizons, that the mere confines of nar-
row trade lines are altogether too limited them as an experiment in line with their
for their advanced ideas and gigantic brain.; general policy, and will possibly be con-
as well as financial endowment. . ••
\ \ tinued, but we doubt very much if the other
\ They plunge ahead as if there was to be * 'large Hqiases, such as Macy's, Hilton,
no reckoning ^diiy—as-if the good times Hughes & Co., or the new concern of Siegel-
would ever smile—as if there was no limit Cooper will give much attention to this
to their own possibilities, as if—well, as if matter, although we know that some time
.they were handling, and oftentimes they since they had the matter under considera-
tion*
arey other people's money.
The fact is the piano business requires a
It is here the rub comes in.
special
education to carry it on successfully,
These men who are drunk with success
over the achievements of small victories and the constant exchange and the placing
lose a certain level headedness, a certain of instruments on rental and installment
conservatism which should govern all busi- contracts presupposes an expert knowledge
ness transactions, and plunge out into a which cannot be obtained in a general way.
When the purchasing public is disposed
limitless sea—a sea which has no bottom.
Their temporary success is used as a to spend a fair share of money for a repu-
table instrument, it is always certain to
leverage for extended credit.
Their grand ideas of extension and absorp- gravitate toward the establishments where-
tion are used in a sense to bewilder men, to in the productions are sold with a reputable
blind them, as it were, into lending still manufacturer's guarantee, and where a cer-
further financial aid and assistance to their tain standard of value can be secured.
This bugaboo about the damage done re-
enterprise.
tail
trade by[department stores is overdone,
They go on and on, still extending, but
at the same time a day of reckoning is clos- and there is much more to fear from so-
called legitimate dealers who are selling
ing in.
Investments have become so large that cheap pianos, and claiming for them as
the firms interested cannot stop; they can- high a standard and price as instruments
not as a matter of self-protection fail to give made by well-known and reliable manufac-
still further and greater credits. It is turers.
The damage nowadays is'not so much from
simply a propping up system, hoping that
the
cheap piano being sold at a low price as
something may occur to tide the matter
form the cheap piano being sold at a high
over.
price
and as a legitimate musical instru-
The storms come on, the skies are dark-
ened, there are ominous trade mutterings; ment.
the banks, the money arteiies of trade,
#
#
cease giving their supplies.
At regular intervals we hear the cry of
There is a general tightening. There is
too
many trade papers. That cry now is
an attempt made to weather the storm.
There is a cutting off here and there, a slic- ancient enough to have become rusted by
ing of useless appendages and tossing over the effects of time; but it is frequently bur-
nished up, so that it resembles the new
of ballast in order to lighten the load.
But, alas, the ship originally was not built article, and some man more sprightly than
his fellow man waves aloft the banner up-
seaworthy.
The master, the one in charge, makes a on which is inscribed in glowing characters
thorough and complete exhibition of his which burn deep into the heart of the pros-
trate newspaper man: "Too many trade
unfitness to command.
The ship has not stood the test, and it papers!" This cry is heard and caught up
goes down—down like Crawford, Ebersole by some trade papers as well. We mean
some papers whose business has been large-
& Smith.
ly curtailed during the past few months.
#
#
Papers which are not successful, which
There has been much said recently anent have become deluded of trade, are the ones
the retailing of pianos by the large depart- which are prone to look upon their success-
ment stores, and the effect which such a ful co-workers in life's vineyard with
move would have on local retail trade. At jealousy.
The facts in the case are these: As long
the present time the only department store
handling pianos in this city is that of Bloom- as trade papers are good papers, the field
ingdale Bros., and this branch of their busi- cannot become surfeited wth them.
You will hear some piano manufacturers
ness has not been a huge success; in fact,
their trade has been exceedingly small, and go into spasms over the fact that so and so
supported by the very poorest class of is able to make a piano at such a price, and
that there are too many piano manufactur-
people.
The handling of pianos was tried by ers in the field.

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