Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
ing exercised on the development of the
piano in this country.
The important houses which made their
appearance since the fifties up to a recent
date—a number of which are still with us—
such as the Hallet & Davis, Hazelton Bros^
EDWARD L\ MAN BILL
Steinway & Sons, Haines Bros., Knabe &
Editor and Proprietor.
Co., Boardman & Gray, Geo. Steck & Co.,
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY Albert Weber, Ernest Gabler, Sohmer &
Co., F. G. Smith and others, and their
3 East 14th St.. New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and achievements, are treated of by Mr. Stein-
Canada, $3-00 per year; P'oreign Countries, $4.00.
way in his usually able manner.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, singlo column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts * special dis-
In speaking of the manufacture of pianos
count is allowed.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
in
the different countries, he places the
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
output of the United States at one hundred
Entered at tht New York Post Office as Second Ua >s Matter.
thousand.
NEW YORK, riARCH 7, 1896
Mr. Steinway closes his remarks on the
piano industry by quoting the important
patents which have exercised a marked
••THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
influence in the perfection of the American
piano as we know it to-day, commencing
with the Babcock patent in 1825, and clos-
ing with that granted to Henry Zeigler, of
the construction department of Steinway
& Sons, on Jan. 8th, 1895. We need hardly
say that he does not overlook the valuable
patents and labors of the Chickering and
Steck houses.
Mr. Steinway then proceeds to treat brief-
ly of the reed organ industry, and makes
special mention of the excellence of the
self-playing instruments now so popular.
He closes his article by referring to the
high place which the United States occupies
in the manufacture of harps, brass band
instruments, autoharps, and the smaller
stringed instruments.
Mr. Steinway's article was reproduced in
the Staats Zeitung on last Thursday, with
ROBABLY the most interesting book an introductory, in which his active ca-
of this age is the work just published, reer as a manufacturer, as a patriot, as a
with Chauncey M. Depew as editor, entitled public man, as a society man, as a business
"One Hundred Years of American Com- man and excellent citizen and philanthro-
merce."
pist, was treated of at length—impartially
The leaders of the great industries which and truly.
have built up this county, commercially
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW takes special
and industrially, have written articles, and pleasure in congratulating Mr. Steinway on
not the least interesting among the hun- his clever article. It is certainly a pleasure
dred contributions is the ably written and that such a representative member of the
interesting article on musical instrument trade—who devotes himself so assiduously
manufacture in America, contributed by to the exacting demands of his business—
Mr. William Steinway. •
is able to find time to give his views, not
Mr. Steinway opens his article by giving only upon this subject, but upon the lead-
due credit to the personalities who contrib- ing thoughts of the day, and clothe them
uted to the development of the piano in in a literary dress which affords proof of
Europe, many of whom sought these shores his ability in this line just as well as in
in the early years of the present century, others.
and whose names have been the foundation
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upon which our great art industry has been
It is truly an anomaly to find old and
reared.
distinguished
names in the piano trade
After reference to the Nunns family,
Geibs, Stoddart and others, he shows the apparently going a-begging these days.
influence which the Babcock patent and the Whatever may be said to the contrary,
labors of Conrad Meyer and Jonas Chicker- there is, after all, much more in a name
P
than a dreamer would imagine, for with it
is associated the chief characteristics of the
person or the thing spoken of.
The name of a piano or organ manufac-
turer or dealer in any city in the Union
calls up well defined ideas in the minds of
every person. A certain firm is well known
for the assured excellence of their pro-
ducts; another for being a little behind the
times; another is pointed out as a real
live go-ahead house—in fact, each firm or
individual's name is synonymous with the
reputation they have made for themselves.
The value of a name can best be sur-
mised from the fact that we have eight or
ten great stores in this city, the property
of men whose names do not appear on the
signs over the door or anywhere else.
They are old concerns, whose founders—
through death or retirement—have not been
connected with ^the business for a quarter
of a century.
The firm name of one dry goods firm
especially in this city is worth half a mil-
lion dollars annually to the present owners,
and yet the founders have been out of the
business for over twenty years.
Take the names of Steinway, Chickering,
Knabe, or any other, old-established name
in the music trade industry, and what a
value they possess! They have been part
and parcel of the nation's musical and art
development, and these names will ever be
associated in the minds of the public with
all that is best, reliable and satisfying.
On the other hand, how easily the repu-
tation of a house and the value of a name
can be injured by its owners.
False economy, narrow minded methods,
and an indifference to the requirements of
progressive times have tarnished many a
good name that years agone would have
been worth a fortune.
A good name is a valuable piece of prop-
erty, but it fails to possess intrinsic worth
unless it is associated with those intelligent
methods which in the truest sense of the
word are evolutionistic and in touch with
the times.
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Every trade paper in this country, with
the exception of one, has contained kindly
mention of the late John N. Merrill.
There is one exception. There is one
man who conducts a paper in this city who
could not find it in his heart to speak well
of loyal, generous hearted Johnny Merrill.
He carefully eliminated from his Boston
letter all reference to the deceased.
Among the conductors of newspapers
who are gentlemen, there is an unwritten
law—that the grave closes all hatred, and
that a man is at least entitled to a post
mortem notice.