Music Trade Review

Issue: 1896 Vol. 23 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
full chapters of the Constitution as well as
extracts from the essays of the great men
who occupied prominent niches in the Pan-
theon of American fame, such as Hamil-
ton, Washington, Lincoln and all the rest
of that good old sort.
With a country so keenly educated, it
seems to us that after all this campaign
will leave an indelible imprint upon the
memory of Americans as vvell as to prove
of incalculable benefit to them in that they
are to-day more alert, more progressive and
eager to extend their business lines every-
where.
The comatose conditions of the past
three years will be speedily replaced by
accelerated trade life.
#
#
No trade-paper bulldozing.
No advertising payments in
advance.
No monetary loans to support
newspaper mendicancy.
#—#
John Boyd Thacher has already proved
himself to be as big a failure as a guber-
natorial nominee as he was chairman of
the Bureau of Awards at the World's Fair.
Although presumably giving his consent to
run on a silver platform, it took him a
week or more to know his own mind. He
displayed the same peculiar weakness dur-
ing his connection with the now historic
medals. John Boyd Thacher is hardly fit
or worthy to succeed the present executive
in Albany.
#
#
As we expected from the start, the prop-
osition made the creditors of the Emerson
Piano Co. at the meeting held in Boston
last Saturday, to pay their indebtedness in
12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months—five equal
payments of twenty per cent, each with
six per cent, interest—was accepted without
hesitation.
The details of the assets and liabilities
which we gave in our last issue proved that
the affairs of the concern were in a perfectly
solvent and healthy condition, and their
assignment, as we have always maintained,
was simply the result of the injurious effect
of the Chicago nominations on the commer-
cial world, compelling the banks to be un-
duly conservative in their dealings with
customers.
The Emerson Piano Co. have always
been a"hundred cent house" and therefore
will pay one hundred cents on the dollar.
Without more ado they will continue oc-
cupying their old place in the estimation of
their agents and the trade generally.
Their course since the assignment has
been above board and in line with the
reputation which they have always en-
joyed, and the sympathy of the trade,
which has been theirs during their tempo-
rary trouble, will follow them in that pros-
perity which is destined to come their way
with the arrival of improved times.
#
#
If. the statement that the John Church
Co. will soon open piano warerooms on
Fifth avenue, this city, is correct—although
it yet lacks official corroboration—they
will have certainly placed their interests in
charge of a thoroughly competent and ac-
complished gentleman in the person of Mr.
A. M. Wright, formerly president of the
Manufacturers' Co., Chicago. He is a first-
class piano man, energetic, able and widely
esteemed, and he cannot fail to make him-
self felt in New York.
#
#
This week Mr. J. P. Byrne, secretary of
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, furnishes us with
a "Specialty Talk. " Mr. Byrne, by virtue
of his active connection with one of the lead-
ing houses in the music trade industry, his
wide experience and close study of music
trade affairs, is especially well fitted to ex-
press intelligent and valuable opinions on
the topics presented.
#
#
We understand that all the creditors of
the Hallet & Davis Co., Boston, including
the banks, have this week accepted the pro-
position presented them by Mr. E. N.
Kimball, and the matter of adjustment is
now a question of days; hence the speedy
resumption of this old-time concern under
the same management is assured.
It is certainly a matter of congratulation,
not only for the parties concerned, but the
entire trade, to be able to report a definite
settlement this week of the Hallet & Davis
Co. as well as the Emerson Piano Co.'s
affairs.
#
#
The Palmer & Embury Mfg. Co., of this
city, have recently placed on the market
a very desirable line of novelties in music
furniture, particulars of which may be
found in another part of this issue. We
have examined the goods in question and
can testify to their beauty and utility.
#
#
I
T occurred to me that I had not seen Wil-
liam Steinway looking better for years
than he appeared this week when I saw
him in Steinway Hall. His cheeks had
that tinge of red which betokens good
health; this supplemented by a keen sparkle
of the eye from underneath his over hang-
ing brows caused me to think that hard
work is a tonic to the head of Steinway &
Sons. Where will you find a harder worker
than William Steinway in this music trade ?
His duties are manifold aside from his over-
sight of the great musical business of
which he is the head. When I asked him
about politics, there was a quiet twinkle in
his eye as he said: "Well, you know,
there are always surprises in politics."
* *
*
Robt. A. Widenmann covered himself
with glory at the great Palmer and Buckner
sound money meeting at the Madison
Square Garden last Tuesday night. In in-
troducing Ex-Governor Flower as chair-
man he uttered the following earnest words
which at once caught the house, and at their
close the applause may be termed an ova-
tion. He said: "We have rescued the ship
of Democracy from the hands of the
pirates. She has come through Scylla
and Charybdis, and the currents of popular
opinion have scraped her bottom and her
sides of the barnacles that have covered
them for the last thirty years. We took her
into dry dock in Indiana. We ripped
out the rotten planks; we riveted her afresh,
from stem to stern, from top to bottom, and
have placed her in charge of competent and
trusted commanders."
* *
I learn with extreme regret of the be-
reavement which has recently befallen Mr.
Carl Neuendorffer, chief of staff of Wessell,
Nickel & Gross. Mr. Neuendorffer's young
son Alfred C. died on Sunday last at North
Spring, N. Y. Young Mr. Neuendorffer
was only eighteen years of age and had been
carefully trained with a view of entering on
the career of civil engineer. He recently
secured an appointment in the United States
Geological Survey in the Adirondacks.
Owing to exposure he contracted a cold
More Haines Bros.
which developed into a serious fever result-
A. GUTTENBERGER & CO., piano ing in his death.
dealers of Macon, Ga., have just sold
#
to the Georgia Normal College atMilledge-
Col. H. W. Hall came in to see me Thurs-
ville, Ga., four Haines Bros, pianos of the
same style as were purchased by the Wes- day. The Colonel takes an optimistic view
leyan College at Macon. This live South- of the business situation, and tells me that
ern firm are pushing the Haines Bros, pi- trade in Burlington and vicinity is bright-
ening up materially. As manager of Bail-
anos with much success.
F
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ey's Music Rooms in Burlington, Vermont,
Col. Hall is accorded ample opportunity to
judge of the outlook, and he is elated
over the brightening business conditions.
* *
*
Retail trade in this city has shown decid-
ed improvement during the past two weeks.
When I saw Clifford Coxe at Steinway Hall
Thursday morning he had a neat little pile
of tabs on his desk which indicated a good-
ly number of sales, among which I noticed
the sale of a Steinway grand to a young
minister who is going to Japan. Just to
show the accelerated trade conditions, I
might add that Mr. Coxe told me that last
Saturday the sale of thirteen pianos was
effected at Steinway Hall. It doesn't look
like dull times, does it ?
* *
*
There is a superstition among many peo-
ple of the stage that a yellow clarionet in a
theatre orchestra, or when used on the stage,
is one of the most positive omens of ill-
luck and failure that is to be found in the
whole category of "voudoos" pertaining to
the theatrical profession. Canary birds, a
raised umbrella on the stage, the use of
peacock feathers, the whistling of Macbeth
music, are some of the other ill-omens usu-
ally avoided most scrupulously by those
who hold an abiding respect for the Book
of Fate and the influence of the Evil Eye.
In the first act of the new opera, "Half a
King," which Francis Wilson's company
is producing at the Knickerbocker Theatre
every evening, Wilson and Peter Lang
sing a duet, the latter accompanying the
song on a mandolin and the former play-
ing interludes on a clarionet. Wilson gave
the property man instructions to supply him
with an instrument with bright yellow dec-
orations. When it was b: ought forth at re-
hearsal a chorus of exclamations came from
the company, but Wilson explained that
"The Merry Monarch" attained great suc-
cess, in spite of the peacock feathers he or-
dered placed over his throne in the second
act, and also used in the decorations of the
prima donna's dress, and he intended to
brave the power of the yellow clarionet
with equal composure.
fore the fundamental principles of child
nature in their application to music. In-
deed it furnishes, in epitome, a complete
treatise on pedagogy as applied to music.
With his years of experience as a com-
poser and teacher of music and musical the-
ory, the author, John W. Tufts, is preemi-
nently fitted for the task he has undertaken;
while in the books of his two music courses
he has an abundance of the highest class of
music from which to draw illustrations.
The "Handbook" is intended to serve
as a guide and standard for the teaching of
music in public schools, and will be of great
value to both special teacners of music and
regular teachers who are giving instruction
in music in connection with their grade
work.
The book contains 308 pages, and is
handsomely bound in cloth and amply il-
lustrated with musical selections.
The mandolin seems to be a special fa-
vorite with society people nowadays. The
leading music dealers in the principal cities
are experiencing quite a demand for the
better grade of these instruments, and
manufacturers are commencing to feel the
beneficial results of the "craze." Would
it not be a good thing for piano manufac-
turers if a piano ' craze" were to start
around this time? It would help along
that "boom" which has been on ice for the
past couple of years.
AUSTIN & HYATT, of Belton, have opened
a music and jewelry store in the Yoe block,
Cameron, Tex.
THE grand old Steck piano, with its
splendid reputation for tone quality and
artistic design, is going to be a prominent
factor in the music trade arena of this coun-
try the closing quarter of the present year.
In a retail, as well as a wholesale way, Geo.
Steck & Co. are at present experiencing
quite an impetus in business.
A. J. BROOKS, a man whose fame is Ster-
ling, and who is Sterling all through, is
now on a trip through New England call-
ing on his old friends, and he has a host of
them wherever he goes.
THE Mason & Hamlin Co., of this city,
have issued an interesting pamphlet con-
taining editorial extracts from the New
York papers concerning the free coinage of
silver and kindred subjects.
A. SLOMOSKY, who has been in the em-
ploy of Hardman, Peck & Co. for the past
ten years as a successful salesman, has
taken the management of Jacob Doll's
warerooms at 113 East Fourteenth street.
Mr. Doll is to be congratulated on acquir-
ing such a popular and capable piano
man.
WM. E. THORNTON, formerly of the Stet-
son Music Co., is contemplating opening a
music store in Plainfield, N. J.
LITTLE evidence of depression is notice-
able at the factory of the Weaver Organ &
Piano Co., York, Pa. Their foreign trade
is exceptionally good, and local orders are
commencing to pick up. A large shipment
was made this week to Birmingham, Ala.,
Philadelphia and Scranton, Pa. The
Weaver organs are being exhibited this
week at the Newport Fair in Ferry County.
ON inquiry at the warerooms of Kranich
& Bach yesterday we were informed that
A NOTICE of dissolution has been filed by
Mr. Louis P. Bach was very seriously ill, the Mclntyre & Goodsell Piano Mfg. Co.,
being confined to bed at his home in this of Grand Rapids, Mich. There are no lia-
city for some days.
bilities or assets.
PAUL G. MEHLIN & SONS have sent out a
THE partnership existing between Ford
circular letter notifying their friends and & Relf, dealers in musical instruments at
patrons that owing to the steady increase Jamestown, N. Y., has been dissolved.
in their business, and requiring additional
PAUL G. MEHLIN & SONS have on exhibi-
* *
space at the factory, they have moved their
tion
at their Union Square warerooms, the
*
general offices and warerooms to No. 27
first
of
the new "Colonial" styles about to
If A. M. Wright opens up an extensive Union Square, from which address all busi-
be
placed
on the market. The instrument,
music emporium in this city for the John ness will hereafter be transacted. The
designated
the "Prince of Wales," is a
Church Co. he will be a factor in the mu- latest products of the Mehlin factory are now
unique
specimen
of the piano maker's art,
sic trade of New York who will be large- on exhibition.
artistically
conceived
and superbly finished;
ly heard from. Mr. Wright is well-en-
THE Knight Music Co., of Denver, Col., further particulars of same, with half-tone
dowed with physical as well as mental vigor
has been closed on a chattel mortgage.
cut, will shortly appear in our columns.
and there will be no languishing by the
WM.
JOHN
&
SON,
music
trade
dealers,
wayside with him. I would not be sur-
THE following dealers and music trade
prised if he were joined by a well-known Huntington, Ind., have made an assign- men have been in town during the week:
Fifth avenue salesman and musician as ment.
Wm. Knabe of Baltimore; H. W. Hall of
well.
ROBERT A. WIDENMANN, of Strich & Zeid- Burlington, Vt.; G. Herzberg, Philadel-
* *
ler, is back in town after a very satisfactory phia, Pa. ; H. A. Tonolla, Sing Sing, N. Y.
An epoch in intelligent musical percep- trip in the interest of his house.
tion and instruction in * our schools is marked
CHICKERING & SONS, of this city, con-
IT is not improbable that the Emerson tinue to report excellent business. The
in a recent publication which has reached
me from the publishing house of Silver, branch house in this city will soon be given demand for Chickering pianos during the
Burdett & Co., 110-112 Boylston street, up.
last three weeks is not only extremely sat-
THE mandolin attachment, which is a isfactory but indicative of a really prosper-
Boston, entitled "A Handbook of Vocal
Music." In it are developed more com- feature of the Weser Bros, piano, is making ous fall trade with their well-known instru-
pletely and yet more simply than ever be- quite a "hit." Dealers everywhere like it. ments.

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