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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
2 I
THE "SMALL GOODS" TRADE
Conn Inventions.
C. G. Conn, the celebrated band instru-
ment manufacturer of Elkbart, Ind., who
has been sojourning in town for some
weeks, placed a contract last week for sev-
eral machines of his own invention which
will be used in connection with the manu-
facture of violins and other small goods.
The machines will be completed in about
five weeks so that operations will be under
way before mid summer. It is Mr. Conn's
intention to manufacture string instru-
ments of the highest grade, in conformity
with his settled policy as displayed in the
brass band department. Mr. Conn left the
city on Tuesday last.
The John Church Co.
Reference was made recently in The
Review to the steady increase of business
in the musical merchandise and music pub-
lishing departments of the John Church
Co. At the Fifth avenue warerooms on
Tuesday, The Review noted many indica-
tions of satisfactory trade developments.
The exhibit of instruments has recently
received a number of desirable acquisi-
tions, and the stock of standard musical
publications of the firm has been largely
increased to meet present demands. Taken
as a whole, the outlook for the John Church
Co. products in the departments above re-
ferred to, as in all other departments, is
extremely bright and decidedly promising.
The full score of the now famous "three
star" opera, " T h e Wedding Day," in
which Jefferson De Angelis, Delia Fox
and Lillian Russell are now appearing in
this city, has just been published in hand-
some colors, words by Stanislaus Stange
and music by Julian Edwards.
Thistle and novelty drums, also, are quite
a novelty in this country."
It is possible that the Greatest Show on
Earth had these unique instruments in-
vented especially for St. Louis. The "Bow-
aphone" and "Scotch Thistle" are some-
thing new in the musical world. If the
"Shamrock" and the "Rose" were added it
would give these instruments quite a Great
Britainish tinge. Doesn't the above clip-
ping indicate that the Barnum-Bailey peo-
ple are now adding a musical department
to the Greatest Show on Earth?
Attracts Customers.
GRAPHOPHONE SHOULD NOT RE OVER-
LOOKED BY DEALERS DESIROUS OF
EXTENDING TRADE.
If any evidence were needed of the
"drawing " powers of that wonderful nov-
elty, the Graphophone, it can be easily fur-
nished by visiting the parlors of the Co-
lumbia Phonograph Co., 1159 Broadway,
this city, any day or evening. Hundreds
of people are to be found enjoying the
lengthy repertoire of instrumental and
vocal numbers supplied by the many
graphophones on exhibition, and the place
is seemingly never empty.
This emphasizes a moral dealers should
not overlook; namely, that there is nothing
on the market to-day to compare with the
Curious flusical Instruments.
graphophone as a medium for attracting
trade and interesting visitors in other
"One of the most novel and original mu- products on exhibition.
sical entertainments ever devised will be
At the same time there is a mighty big
seen in the menagerie tent of the Barnum profit in handling graphophones apart from
& Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, when it their being an aid to one's business. It is
comes here on May 31," says the St. Louis one of the most perfect instruments of its
Journal. "Nearly all the instruments are kind on the market to-day. It is a delight
curious and many of them entirely new to in the home circle and invaluable as a
the public, while others are absolutely new trade-maker in a music or piano store.
inventions. Among the instruments are
a saxaphone, Scotch Thistle, novelty drums,
Hunt for Hissing Violins.
Canton chimes miramba, bowaphone, bass
clarionets, concertinas, Indian pipes, can-
An advertisement asking that' any safe
nibal conchs and others, all of which are deposit company with which Pierre A. Jo-
played upon by experts. The concertinas, sephs, who died over a year ago, had a box
of which there are three kinds, are per- communicate with E. J. Delehanty, admin-
formed by the champion of the world, and istrator, at 320 Broadway, was published
the clarionets are of a very curious design Sunday.
and pattern. The bowaphone has never
Josephs, said Mr. Delehanty, had a great
been seen or heard before, as it is a new fancy for fine violins and 'cellos, and was
invention and a fine addition to the musi- generally recognized as an expert in them.
cal instruments of the world. The Scotch He had several fine violins and 'cellos of
his own, and sold rare instruments on com-
mission. Some time before his death he
wrote to his son, who lived out of the city,
that the violins were at the safe deposit
company's place, but did not mention the
name of the company.
Mr. Delehanty further said that some
time before Josephs' death the widow of
Charles Fisher, the actor, gave him a 'cello
to sell for her. It was worth $500, and Jo-
sephs gave it to a certain man for trial.
That person, continued Mr. Delehanty,
never paid the money, nor did he return
the 'cello.
No Room for Complaint.
When a call was made this week on Mr.
Freeland, in charge of Mr. Hamilton S.
Gordon's musical merchandise department,
that gentleman was discovered in the midst
of several formidable stacks of instruments
which had been taken out of stock for dis-
play to some out-of-town customers. Judg-
ing from Mr. Freeland's happy expression
and the general aspect of affairs, when The
Review arrived, some good business re-
sulted.
He was too busy to talk much on present
conditions and future prospects, but it may
be said without fear of contradiction that
there is little if any room for complaint.
George W . Draper Arrested.
[Special to The Review.]
Boston, Mass., May 8, 1897.
George W. Draper, a musician and vio-
lin maker of 224 Tremont street, was ar-
rested by Inspectors Caddis and Wise this
afternoon for the alleged larceny of a violin
valued at $200 from George S. Andrews of
321^ Tremont street on July 20 last.
Draper, it is claimed, was given the violin
to sell, which he did, and, it is claimed,
pocketed the proceeds.
Hamilton S. Gordon, accompanied by
his wife, left on Thursday last by the
steamer "Columbia" of the Hamburg-
American Line, for Europe. As stated in
Tne Review some weeks ago, this is Mr.
Gordon's first trip abroad, and being un-
dertaken purely for pleasure, it should not
only be enjoyable but productive of great
benefit to his health. Mr. and Mrs. Gor-
don are expected to return in July.
The May number of Catcomb's Gazette,
which is published by the L. II Catcomb
Co., of Boston, appeals to banjo, mando-
lin and guitar players by reason of its in-
teresting reading matter, and the publica-
tion of two musical numbers for mandolin
and banjo.
Among the antiquities at the Irish Fair
which opened at the Grand Central Pal-
ace on Monday night is a violin which it
is said was made in Ireland 250 years ago.