Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC T*ADE REVIEW
the active competitor attains the supremacy. area of territory. It is not essential that
It is undoubtedly this sarm belief which the largest dealer should handle pianos of a
doninntes the administrative head of certain make in order-that the distribution
Chickering & Sons to-day. This was ap- should be wide-spread. The fact, too, is
parent when the present management as- indisputable that the instruments bearing
sumed control in the divesting of all the the name of Henry F. Miller take high rank
superfluous appendages of the business, with the artistic instruments of America.
and its complete overhauling and systema- • There are reasons for this, because no one
tizing and placing upon a modern platform can conscientiously study the Henry F.
with business intelligence incorporated as Miller pianos without being compelled to
admit that they are built not only upon ad-
a strong plank therein. •
vanced lines, but upon lines which are in
thorough harmony with artistic ideas as
It is not generally known that James W. applied to piano construction.
Vose is an artist. While sitting by him at
* * *
his desk, I saw sufficient evidence that the
renowned Boston piano manufacturer could
I enjoyed with that courtly and dignified
have won renown with the pencil and the
member
of the Boston trade, Mr. P. H.
brush had he chosen in earlier years the
Powers,
a
long and entertaining chat upon
vocation of an artist. Perhaps this talent
trade
and
political
matters. Mr. Powers is
may have been exercised in the building of
a
man
thoroughly
well posted upon the
the Vose pianos, and perhaps the possession
momentous
questions
of the day. He is
of this talent by the respected president of
not
only
well
posted,
but
he does not hesi-
the corporation has been instrumental in
tate
to
tell
just
what
his
own
personal con-
forcing the Vose to an artistic plane.
victions
are
regarding
the
questions
of the
It cannot be disputed that the Vose is
hour.
When
our
conversation
reverted
to
one of the most popular instruments in
the
conditions
of
the
trade
with
the
Emer-
America. The reasons for this popularity
are sound and logical. The company have son Piano Co., Mr. Powers replied:
"We are not pushing our business be-
been firm in their determination to build
yond
the normal power of absorption by
pianos which should meet with the approval
our
dealers.
We are not attempting to
of the intermediate —the healthy class of
force
upon
them
a stock which is as un-
Americans. In this they have been suc-
necessary
as
it
is cumbersome in these
cessful, as may be fully attested by the
times.
We
are,however,
receiving a good-
great number of homes in which the Vose
ly,
number
of
orders
weekly
from our old
piano furnishes eloquent evidence of the
established
trade,
which
shows
that the de-
care and thoroughness of its builders.
mand
for
the
Emerson
piano
is steady.
In looking over the list of officers elected
Look
here,
and
you
will
see
how
the week-
at the annual meeting of the Vose & Sons
ly
shipments
have
averaged."
Piano Co., I note that there is no change
Following the direction of Mr. Powers'
from the past year—President, James W.
hand,
I noted on the way back that the re-
Vose; treasurer, Willard A. Vose; secre-
cent
shipments
had averaged forty pianos
tary, Wm. G. Burbeck. Directors—James
per
week.
I
may
add that the late product
W., Willard A., and Julian W. Vose.
of the Emerson Piano Co., the "Gramer,"
* *
has been received with much pleasure, and
*
the
evidences are that it will prove a great
There are some editors who are fond of
seller.
publishing the statement that Henry F.
Miller & Sons do a retail business in Bos-
ton. They emphasize the word retail in a
manner which is calculated to convey the
impression to the reader that this house
does not figure largely in the wholesale
trade. There are reasons why these par-
ticular papers are desirous of giving that
impression, and in this connection it may
be an appropriate time for me to state that
throug.i the courtesy of Henry F. Miller I
saw in the company's shipping book the
names and destination of points where the
Henry F. Miller pianos had been shipped
during the past, two weeks, which covered a
territory from Maine to Mississippi, and
from Mississippi to the Pacific Northwest.
Now, with such, evidence one must be
forced to admit that Henry F. Miller &
Sons not only figure prominently in the re-
tail trade of Boston, but their piano oc-
cupies a high position throughout the entire
country. .
It is t:ue, members of the firm are not
.prone to indulge in wordy pyrotechnics re-
garding their business accomplishments;
yet the fact remains that the Henry F.
Miller pianos are distributed over a wide
in the West. I have spent a fortune in ad-
vertising it."
Mr. E. N. Kimball, Jr., said: "Trade
runs spasmodically. To illustrate: Yester-
day, four sales; to-day, nit." But just
then Mr. Cook, who had been engaged with
a customer in the rear of the warerooms,
came up and remarked, after he had bowed
the lady out, "that sale's made all right,"
so I presume before the day was over sales
may have compared favorably with those
of the previous day.
* * *
The Bourne piano is a mighty good in-
strument. Go over it thoroughly and ex-
amine it, both in an architectural and musi-
cal sense, and you must be convinced that
the Bourne piano is made on conscientious
lines. It is in the fullest sense a musical
instrument.
While chatting in Mr.
Bourne's warerooms, our conversation con-
sisted of a mixture of politics and business,
which, by the way, seems to be the regular
thing nowadays everywhere. A gentleman
who was listening, remarked:
"I was talking with a rampant silver ad-
vocate the other night, and I made the re-
mark that silver was not good enough for
this country; that the United States should
not have a fluctuating standard;'that 80
cents for a dollar would not do for us.
This man replied:
" 'Silver not good enough for us? Why,
good heavens, man, wasn't Christ sold for
thirty pieces of silver? What was good
enough for a sale of that kind ought to be
good enough for us to-day.'
"I succumbed; the argument was unan-
swerable."
Alex. Steinert is now domiciled in his
temporary quarters in the Masonic Temple,
directly opposite from the old Steinert
depot. He tells me that in the early fall
he will be located in the new Steinert
Building, which, by the way, has been
pushed toward completion rapidly. The
contractor is under bonds to pay a hundred
In the Hallet & Davis warerooms I met dollars damages per day for every day
Mr. Raymond K. Maynard, president of which shall expire after August istthat the
the H. & D. Chicago corporation. Mr. building is untenantable on account of un-
Maynard was just on what he termed a little finished contracts.
It is fair to suppose that not many days
flyer to chat over trade matters with Mr.
Kimball. When I asked him about condi- will elapse beyond the time fixed before the
tions with the Chicago establishment, he Steinert Building will be ready for oc-
cupancy.
said:
"We have made a showing which is most
gratifying in these times—that is a profit
Frank W. Hale tells me that the business
every month since we have been in busi-
of the Merrill Piano Co will be pushed
ness."
Such an experience, tells well, not only strongly when there are sure signs of
for the ability of Ihe men who compose general business lesumption over the
the Chicago corporation, but for the selling country. Mr. Hale has confidence in the
qualities of the famous old Hallet & Davis future of the instrument, and is determined
piano. If I recollect rightly, Mr. Maynard that it shall not languish by the trade way-
told that when they were arranging their side while he directs its destiny.
new warerooms on the corner of Jackson
* *
street and Wabash avenue, W. W. Kimball
*
sauntered in, and after looking through the
Thomas F. Scanlan is located in his new
warerooms, said:
building on Washington street. Perhaps
"Boys, you ought to do a great business; there is no point in Boston where more
you have got a fine stand, your piano is all people pass daily than by this part of
right; it is one of the best known pianos Washington street where Mr. Scanlan is