Music Trade Review

Issue: 1896 Vol. 23 N. 5

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Russell Piano Co. Fail.
the Mehlin instruments where they deserve
to be placed—in the front rank, and under
DISPATCH from Chicago last Tues- the new arrangement they would be able to
day stated that the plant of the Rus- give customers and dealers every oppor-
sell Piano Co., at 294 S. Jefferson street, tunity of judging of the high merits of
pianos. They
were
somewhat
Chicago, was in the hands of the Sheriff. their
The company were forced to the wall crowded at the factory, and could not make
through a confession of judgment filed so large a display as they could wish. He
against it to-day amounting to $26,000. thought that the present time was propi-
The officers of the company believe they tious for obtaining a desirable lease, and the
deal had been satisfactorily made.
will be able to resume in a short time.
Mr. Paul G. Mehlin, assisted by his two
The above tells the brief story of the fi-
younger
sons, Charles H. and Otto F., will
nancial difficulties in which the Russell Pi-
look
after
the factory, and Mr. H. Paul
ano Co. are at present involved. Charles
C. Russell, the president of the company, Mehlin will superintend matters down town.
has had a hard and uphill fight. He has As Mr. Paul G. is no longer interested in
made a plucky and earnest struggle against the Minneapolis factory, the veteran inven-
the terrible depressed conditions under tor will devote all his energies to the New
which we have been laboring for the past York business.
Certain privileges are secured in the
three years. His ability to inaugurate and
build up a business in hard times may be lease, one of which permits of a large sign
best seen in the fact that although they being placed at the top of the building,
have had a hard time from the very start, overlooking Union Square.
Paul G. Mehlin & Sons have kept moving
yet the company have erected a large and
well-appointed factory, in which they right along through the summer. They
moved last spring, on South Jefferson have some exceptionally elegant "Colonial"
and "Empire" designs ready for the fall
street.
trade
and will certainly be in a position in
Charlie Russell's honesty is unquestioned,
and he has sufficient ability to have pulled their new quarters to make an excellent bid
along and developed a successful business for an increased trade.
A
in ordinary times. We regret exceedingly
to learn of his present financial difficulty.
An official statement of the affairs of the
concern is not at hand. It is said in an in-
formal way that the assets approximate
$85,000; liabilities about $94,000. The
failure was precipitated by two judgments
which were entered against the company
in the Circuit court, one of which was for
almost $26,000, and in favor of Fred. Mc-
Call, representing Eastern creditors, and
the other for $3,365, in favor of J. P. Bull.
Cratty Bros, and Charles M. McLaren are
attorneys for the judgment creditors.
riehlins' Move.
MR. LOUIS LEVASSOR, of the Levassor Pi-
ano Co., Cincinnati, O., was in town yes-
terday after a ten days' visit to Atlantic
City. Mr. Levassor left later in the day
for Philadelphia, en route home.
ALBERT G. CONE, of the W. W.
Kimball
Co., Chicago, will sojourn a while at Colo-
rado Springs, Colo.
C. G. GARRITSON, president of the Kru-
ger Piano Co. is expected back from his
Western jaunt to-day.
H. A. ROTHROCIC and Philip H. J. Law-
ence, dealers, of Easton, Pa., were in town
on Wednesday last.
T. M. LA COUCH, the indefatigable secre-
tary of the Kroeger Piano Co, New York,
is enjoying a well-earned vacation at Stam-
ford, Conn.'
JACOB DOLL'S employees will hold a sum-
mernight's festival at Brommer's Union
Park, New York, on Friday evening, Aug.
28th.
OTTO L. BRAUMULLER of New York left
to-day for a two weeks' visit to Mt. Clemons,
Mich. Mr. Braumuller will then proceed
on a two weeks' business trip West.
WM. R. GRATZ is expected to arrive in
New York on August 25th.
E. F. DROOP & SONS, Washington, D. C ,
have been for some time past engaged in
making extensive alterations in their store.
These are now completed, and everything
is ship-shape.
E. F. DROOP, Washington, is winning
considerable notoriety in Washington by
reason of his recent composition, "Pride of
the Nation," which has been played by the
United States Military Band.
MISSHATTIE BAUMEISTER will leave some
time in September for a road trip. This
time she will probably go as far Webt as
Chicago. Miss Baumeister has been very
successful, and has developed splendid
business traits. She is a lady of large bus-
iness and musical attainments, and works
with a vim which must necessarily accrue
to the advantage of the business of Bau-
meister & Co. This firm, by the way, will
issue a new catalogue early next month.
They are comfortably situated in their new
factory, 534 West Fifty-eighth street, where
they have increased factory facilities.
IN a chat with Wm. F. Hasse, the well-
known
musical importer of 115 East Four-
DOWN TOWN WAREROOMS.
teenth street, who has just returned from
Europe, Mr. Hasse said to me: " I have
N important deal has been made by
J. B. SPILLANE, of THE MUSIC TRADE RE-
visited
all of the principal manufacturing
Paul G. Mehlin & Sons, New York, VIEW, is spending his vacation at Sound
centers
of - Europe.
I passed a while
during the week, whereby they will be View Beach, L. I.
in Great Britain, thence to Holland, Bel-
in a position to more adequately display
Germany,
France, Switzerland,
J. S. BROWNLOW, of Danbury, Conn., will gium,
their products to both retail customers and
probably open up a music store in Torring- and included in my visit the large
dealers.
musical manufacturers of Saxony. At
Messrs. Mehlin have obtained a favorable ton, that State.
every
point I found business in a mag-
lease of commodious premises at 27 Union
WE learn from Vermont that it is pos-
nificent
condition, in fact, I never saw man-
Square, adjoining the Bank of the Metrop- sible that A. C. Bailey, of Bailey's Music
ufacturers
so independent, and evidently
olis, which, after Sept. 1, they propose to Store, of Burlington, Vt., may open a store
caring
so
little
for orders; they are running
utilize as combined wholesale and retail
at Littleton, N. H.
their factories full time. Some of the man-
warerooms and offices. The rooms are ad-
mirably adapted for the required purpose,
HUGO SOHMER, who has been spending ufacturers have laughingly said, 'What are
and are to be- altered and fitted up in the the summer in Europe, is expected to re- you people doing over in America? Do
most approved style.
turn to New York on the "Augusta Vic- you want to place your currency on a basis
of half civilized countries, like Mexico and
In speaking of the approaching move toria" on Sept. 24th.
China?'
to THE REVIEW on Wednesday last,
GUSTAVE BEHNING, of the Behning Piano
"I visited the Steinway factory at Ham-
Mr. H. Paul Mehlin stated in substance
Co., has been on a flying trip through New
burg and I tell you there is activity. Why,
that he was aware business at the pres-
England.
they are working not only full time days
ent time did not warrant any large out-
but are compelled to run nights in order to
lay of expenditure, but he certainly
S. H. HOCKETT and J. H. Puntenney, of
thought things would look up very ma- the Hockett-Puntenney Co., Cincinnati, fill their orders for Continental shipments.
terially this fall, and they were deter- Columbus and Cleveland, O., were in town Yes, of course I picked up a line of novelties
mined to leave no stone unturned in placing this week.
which will be along later."
A
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
SPECIALTY TALKS.
QUESTIONS PROPOUNDED BY THE "REVIEW" UPON THE LIVE MATTERS OF THE DAY AND
ANSWERED BY LEADING MEN IN THE TRADE.
Interview IX.—George Maxwell.
NDER the above head THE REVIEW
proposes to give weekly the expressed
views of some members of the trade upon
matters which are of live interest. It
should be understood that the answers to
these inquiries will be published in every
instance without editorial criticism. In
other words, every "specialty talk" will
fairly express the sentiment of the individ-
ual under whose name it appears, rather
than the editorial belief of THE REVIEW.
There will be no distortion; no boiling
down. The answers will be published with-
out change or comment, and in every case
the individuality of the one whose opinions
are written will be preserved. We propose
in this way to build one of the most interest-
ing features which a trade paper can offer
to its readers. This week Mr. Maxwell
talks from the music publisher's standpoint.
REVIEW—Is competition in the music
publishing business unusually severe ? Are
prices fairly stationary?
Mr. Maxwell—Competition, in my opin-
ion, is unusually severe. No attempt is
made at a uniform scale of prices, and if I
believe my ears, understand that such is
quite hopeless among the publishers. I
cannot realize the latter statement as a pos-
sible fact, but I am not acquainted person-
ally with all the publishers in this city,
far less those outside.
REVIEW—Does the music publishing
business to-day offer a better field for the
"bright young man" than it did—say-—ten
years ago?
Mr. Maxwell—I have no idea what
chances were offered a young man in this
country ten years ago, but I do think he has
ample opportunity today for proving him-
self a bright fellow of good business prin-
ciples and energy.
:^REVIEW—Are the existing copyright laws
in this country sufficiently fair and compre-
hensive?
Mr. Maxwell—After one or two details
have been amended (these, I believe, are
now under the consideration of the M. P.
A.), the Law of Copyright will, I think,
be a fair and comprehensive one.
REVIEW—The import trade in musical
publications is probably very heavy. Does
the export trade compare at all favorably
with the import?
Mr. Maxwell—I know little or nothing
of the export trade except the scandalous
and unprincipled business still indulged in
by some firms—that of shipping to England
books of reprints of European copyrights.
REVIEW—What impresses you to-day as
being the most vital subject for discussion
in matters relating to the music publishing
business?
Mr. Maxwell—If it were possible to ac-
U
complish—to discuss and arrange a uni-
form retail and wholesale price on music.
REVIEW—The music publishing business
is, we suppose, in common with other mu-
sic trade departments,*in none too flourish-
ing a condition just now. Do you look for
a speedy return to prosperity?
Mr. Maxwell—True, the music publish-
ing business at the present time is decided-
ly quiet, and with the periodical obstacles
due this year, the chances of a big business
in the fall are small. The first five
months of this year were excellent, surpass-
ing my expectations.
REVIEW—Has the large output of so-
called "cheap music" during the last few
musician writing good-class music has a
small chance in America compared with the
so-called composer of a music hall or popu-
lar song.
REVIEW—What is the average length of
life of the so-called "popular" song?
Mr. Maxwell—The so-called popular
song, as known in America, has a short
and merry life of a few months; whereas
the popular song in England takes the form
of a drawing-room or concert song, and of-
ten has a successful run of many years.
REVIEW—Is it necessary that both words
and music of a song should be "taking" in
order to ensure popularity?
Mr. Maxwell—If the words of the pop-
ular songs now being drummed into our
ears at every street corner are referred to,
a perusal of any of these poems would dic-
tate the negative as a reply. The most
successful of our English ballads and songs
are those having the happy combination of
good words and equally good music.
REVIEW—Is there an increasing demand
for classical music in this country?
Mr. Maxwell—The flooded condition of
the market with vocal music of the music
hall type is detrimental towards an in-
creased demand for the better-class com-
positions. I believe there is an increase
in the demand for better-class instru-
mental music.
REVIEW—The preparation of catalogues
in your business must be an important de-
partment, necessitating a good deal of care-
ful labor? Your advertising department
presents, probably, a splendid field for the
up-to-date intelligent advertising man?
Mr. Maxwell—Undoubtedly the advertis-
ing department in one of the most import-
ant. The secret of finding the most profit-
able medium to one particular business is
only known to the man who has made a
special study of it.
Death of Leon Keach.
M
GEORGE MAXWELL.
R. LEON KEACH, well known in
Boston musical circles, died on Aug-
ust 14th.
Mr. Keach was 45 years old, and for a
number of years has figured prominently
among musicians and music writers. For
a long time he has been music reader at the
well-known house of Oliver Ditson & Co.,
and has written and published a number of
pieces of music. Mr. Keach was a leading
pianist, and also was an orchestral conduc-
tor. His strongest point, however, was
his rearranging of classic and modern
music for the pianoforte.
years seriously affected the "legitimate"
sheet music business?
Mr. Maxwell—The tremendous hold
which cheap music has had upon the Amer-
ican market until very recently naturally
means that death to this evil will be slow.
Bui the time is not very far distant when
cheap music vendors and re-printers will
have exhausted the popular non-copyrights
and the legitimate sheet music business
will begin to prosper, alike in the interest
of composer, publisher and musical public.
Lovely Instruments.
REVIEW—Is the supply of musical MSS.,
speaking from a general standpoint, equal
N looking over the field for the business
to the demand? In what special depart-
campaign of this fall, dealers would do
ment of composition does it seem to you well to investigate the merits of the Mal-
is there most room for the aspiring com- colm Love pianos, manufactured at Water-
poser t
loo, N. Y. These instruments have been
Mr. Maxwell—The supply of manuscript steadily advancing in the estimation of the
so far as the term manuscript goes, is far trade and public and to-day take high rank.
ahead of the demand, but of those general- They are well and conscientiously made,
ly classed as above the average there is a and are instruments which make friends
scarcity. For the present, the educated wherever sold.
I

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