Music Trade Review

Issue: 1897 Vol. 25 N. 18

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
New York, is also in evidence; likewise
Wm. Knabe, of Wm. Knabe & Co., Balti-
more, Thomas Floyd-Jones and W. Harry
Poole are expected within the gates during
the week.
W. W. Kimball was one of the honorary
bearers at the funeral of the late George
M. Pullman. Mr. Kimball was an intimate
friend of the great inventor, to whom we
are all indebted for removing many of the
unpleasant and tiresome features incident
to long railroad trips.
Chatting with E. S. Conway the other
day about the recent interviews that have
appeared in the Indicator, raising the
question as to the ability and willingness
of the average piano man to elongate the
truth under sales pressure, he said:
" I was not surprised to note as the re-
sult of the interviews that piano men do
not fabricate, but what I was astonished at
was the fact that they should ever be even
suspected of telling an untruth."
I expect to-morrow to start for the
Northwest, and shall be able to send you
an account of business the in purely agri-
cultural portion of America.
*
*
*
*
The other day while touring the Ger-
main piano factory at Saginaw, accom-
panied by Mr. Germain, I was somewhat
surprised to note the words "New York
and Saginaw" stenciled upon the fall-
board of the Germain pianos.
I called Mr. Germain's attention to my
discovery and he replied :
"Well, it is possible that in the near
future we may open up a branch in New
York."
"And don't you think that when such a
time arrives the proper occasion will also
have come when you can legitimately use
the name of our city in connection with
your instruments ?"
"Why, the plates, the material and much
of the pianos are made in New York now,"
he answered.
"True," I said; "but where is your
plant, where is your money required in
the compilation of the piano distributed ?
Where are your main interests, your taxes
paid—in fact, is the Germain piano in any
way a product of industrial New York ?"
I told Mr. Germain frankly that I should
criticise his actions in placing New York
upon his pianos, that in my opinion the
affixing of the name New York upon in-
struments which have no origin there was
an injustice to our own manufacturers. I
said that I always reserved the right of
criticising and condemning, if I thought
the case required, the action of members
of this trade, whether or not it was at the
sacrifice of patronage in the advertising
columns of The Review.
I will say this, Mr. Germain is abroad-
minded man and he took no offense at my
plain talk, on the contrary, he said he re-
spected a man who had an opinion and
was not afraid to assert it. That is the
kind of a man Edward Germain is.
He has virtually as much right as the
1 SG3
A. B. Chase Co. to the use of New York.
The latter firmhave a selling agent there
while the factory and general offices of the
company are at Norwalk, Ohio.
I claim that both concerns are using the
name of New York in an unfair way. Per-
haps legally they cannot be compelled to
remove it. The facts in the case as I view
them are, that there could be no stronger
tribute to the commercial and artistic worth
of our city as a trade mark than to have
outsiders use it. It proves beyond argu-
ment that the name of New York carries
with it a certain guarantee—it gives char-
acter, strength, and to the lay mind proves
that the best of artisans have t been em-
ployed in the construction of certain wares.
Then, on the other hand, the outside man-
ufacturers can claim to the dealer that he
can undersell New York by reason of re-
duced expenses in manufacture, such as
rents, lumber, wages, etc., and still give
him the benefit of the New York brand
upon his goods. It is only fair to say this,
before they opened their branch in New
York, the A. B. Chase Co. never used the
name of New York upon their pianos.
Presumably they never claimed the
right.
Their direct representation has
been discontinued for years, in fact they
ran it but one year.
The question naturally arises, How does
the maintenance of a branch one year give
the right to use the name of New York in
perpetuity? There is Haines & Co., Ro-
chester, N. Y. Their pianos are branded
More than 34 Years Under One Management
1
The time-honored leaders in Musical Quality, Artistic Design and Unquestioned Durability are the Celebrated
HENRY F. MILLER PIANOFORTES
OF BOSTON.
These Pianofortes have a Magnificent
Concert Record, having been used
by many of the GREAT PIANISTS,
and in some of the most important
Concerts of the East, South and
West.
Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette.
The opinion was expressed by many that no
superior to the Miller Artist Grand, used by
Dr. Maas last night, has ever been heard in
Cincinnati.
Boston Herald.
The quality of tone will not soon be for-
gotten. The beautiful melody was sting by
the piano with as much expression as a great
artist could give with the voice.
at his first appearance in Boston (where he
made the greatest success of his life) used the
HENRY F. MILLER GRAND.
No better Concert piano has ever been heard
here. It is rich and powerful in tone, and sus-
ceptible of the most delicate shadings.
Sold by Dealers throughout the United States.
Chevalier DI K0NT5KI
gained his greatest fame in America on his tour
of one hundred concerts, at all of which he used
the
HENRY F. HILLER GRAND.
W n . H. SHERWOOD and DR. LOUIS MAAS,
names always famous in the musical world, for
ten consecutive years in their concerts used the
HENRY F. niLLER GRAND
ANDRES and DOERNER,
the great duettists, received with favor in many
of the large cities east, south and west, always
used the
HENRY F. HILLER GRAND.
EDWARD BAXTER PERRY,
(now in Europe on a concert tour;, during the
past two years and in more than 150 concerts
h a s used the
St. Louis Globe Democrat.
Manufacturers' Warerooms, BOSTON
AND PHILADELPHIA.
EDriUND NEUPERT
HENRY F. MILLER GRAND.
These, with CALIXA LAVALLEE, CARL STASNY, GUS-
TAVE SATTBR, CHAS. DENNEE, ADELE LEWING, NEALLY
STE VENS, are only a few of the seventy-five or more Distinguished
Concert Pianists who have used and made great successes with the
HENRY F. MILLER GRAND.
We issue a Special Catalogue of Qrand Pianofortes.
Write for Information.
EDWARD BAXTER PERRY.
"After some years' experience with this and
other instruments, I have come to regard the
Miller piano as, all in all, the most complete and
satisfactory that has come under my notice, the
most broad and varied in its capacities, and the
most fully susceptible to all shades of musical ex-
pression."
LOUIS MAAS.
" Have played and used in concert almost every
piano of note, both in Europe and America, and
after this varied experience must say that for
grandeur, volume and quality of tone, as well as
thorough finish in all details, your piano stands
unequaled."
EDflUND NEUPERT.
" I have never played on a finer instrument. It
has immense power and capacity to respond per-
fectly to the most forcible as well as the most deli-
cate touch of the performer. It has also a noble
tone, and I have never found these qualities in such
a marked degree in any piano before."
Catalogues Sent Free.
HENRY F. HILLER& SONS PIANO COHPANY,
Branch House, 1123 Chestnut Street, PHILADELPHIA.
88 BOYLSTON STREET, BOSTON.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
" Haines & Co., New York." Is this not
with the.obvious intention of selling their
instruments as the " New York Haines"?
We hear a great deal about the unfair
methods which obtain in the piano trade.
Let me ask if the men who are placing
false and misleading stencils upon their
instruments are not assisting materially to
keep the unfair methods operative?
How can the stream be pure while there
is a spring of pollution at its source?
How can the trade be purified while
manufacturers themselves persist in dis-
seminating false ideas as to the place of
origin of their instruments?
Let me see. Was it not this self-same
editor of the " Little Pinklet," who now is
assailing the memory of the late I. N.
Camp, who hardly waited until the late
Oliver Ditson was cold in death before,
with ghoulish glee, he ransacked his entire
repertoire of words to select some of the
most villainous sentences to be compiled
in the English language, with which he
sought to blacken the memory of the dead
music publisher?
And this is journalism—trade journalism
:—as interpreted by the man who has
swung the whip hand over this trade for
years.
Many a man has trembled when he heard
the crack of the whip and dove down into
his treasure chest and thrust out the gold
in sufficient quantities to satisfy the rapa-
cious appetite of the "Little Pinklet"
editor.
Surprising it is how some commercial
giants have lowered their head to the yoke.
Does this last outburst of venom mean
the beginning of a subtle attack? It may
be that the strongly condemnatory words
spoken by Robert Proddow at the Manhat-
tan Beach convention burned a little even
on the pachydermic hide of the "Pinklet"
editor. It may be that the stinging sensa-
tion still exists. One thing is certain, the
"Pinklet" editor will have a lasting fight
on his hands should the attack be made
upon the Estey interests.
In the first place the "Pinklet" editor
has lost that which has carried him through
many a dishonorably waged war. He has
lost the strength which was formerly at-
tributed to his publication. He has lost
the business patronage of scores whom he
bled for years. He must do something to
recoup his lost position, but in my opinion
he is already too weak. It is the last ditch
with him.
will then have a still better opportunity
of judging of its merits.
The Review will have something to say
still further of this excellent attachment
in a future issue.
The "Autono."
THE
LATEST SELF-PLAYING
ATTACHMENT
PLACED ON THE MARKET BY WEBER,
GOOLMAN & CO.
The "Autono," the new self-playing pi-
ano attachment made by Weber, Goolman
& Co. of Brooklyn, was placed on exhibi-
tion at their New York headquarters, 7
West Fourteenth street, this week.
It may be said briefly that in many re-
spects the "Autono" marks a distinct ad-
vance in the matter of self-playing attach-
ments. The principle on which the "Au-
tono" is operated is pneumatic. The me-
chanism is most serviceable, reliable and
effective in producing desired results. It
is so ingeniously constructed that it does
not disfigure the piano in the slightest; the
entire mechanism, as well as motor, being
placed wholly within the instrument. The
only feature which distinguishes the piano
in which it is used from the ordinary in-
strument without an attachment is a small
drawer on the right hand side which con-
tains the music and from which the tempo
is regulated. There are no unsightly
pedals or projections which render it im-
possible to place the piano in a natural or
ordinary position. It is absolutely self-
controlling, and the pedals are operated
just as effectively as by an experienced
player. The tempo is fixed and well-gov-
erned, as also is the tonal volume, by clever
mechanism, and after the music has been
played it automatically rerolls and then all
power is shut off, leaving it as though the
player had gotten up from the seat.
Another device used in this attachment
and patented by the company is a little
rubber stop or plug, by which any dust
that may accumulate can be removed so
that there is no chance of stopping the air
passages.
The Review heard the attachment the
early days of the week under conditions
that were not very favorable. The piano
used was not an especially good one,
nevertheless the "Autono" made a very
excellent showing and clearly proved itself
to be worthy and capable of entering into
the race for patronage in the self-playing
piano field.
Mr. Weber informed The Review that
he expected to have the "Autono" placed
in a higher grade of piano which will
be on exhibition later; manufacturers
Hasse's Plans for Fall.
CARRYING A MAGNIFICENT LINE OF WARES
WHICH DEALERS SHOULD INVESTIGATE.
The Review had an interesting talk with
William F. Hasse on Tuesday, concerning
his fall specialties. To many members of the
trade Mr. Hasse's name is usually associ-
ated with music boxes such as the sympho-
nion and polyphone. He carries a large line
of these goods of the choicest make but it
is a mistake to suppose that they consti-
tute his entire stock in trade, or anything
like it.
When asked to mention some of his
leaders for this season, Mr. Hasse said:
"This year I am in a better position than
ever to supply piano scarfs to meet all
tastes, including the simplest and the most
fastidious. The latest styles and designs
of plush, velour, brocatel and Japanese and
other silk scarfs are always in stock. With-
out boasting, I must say that I think deal-
ers ought in their own interests to see my
special designs and learn my prices before
giving their orders.
"They cannot always reach New York
to do this, so I have a plan that meets them
more than half way. To responsible per-
sons and firms I cheerfully send an assort-
ment on memorandum for selection, with
a margin of ten days for decision. That
gives ample opportunity.
"You are aware that I take special pains
to secure the very latest styles and designs
in scarfs, covers and stools. As you see,
there is a large and complete stock, suffi-
cient to meet all demands. Complete cat-
alogues, too, are ready. I will gladly send
them and every other information required
to wide-awake purchasers who are on the
lookout for the highest class of goods at
the smallest figures."
Mr. E. N. Martin, one of Mr. Hasse's
road representatives, has just returned
from a very successful Southern trip. He
starts next week for an Eastern tour.
There is no truth in the report published
in a contemporary that C. G. Conn con.
templates the manufacture of pianos.
Iron Frame Veneer Presses,
EXTRA HEAVY, STEEL BRACED, ALL SIZES.
New Scale Norris & Hyde.
Norris & Hyde, of Boston, whose trans-
posing keyboard pianos have attained a
national reputation, are at present at work
on a number of new scale instruments
which they will have ready for the market
in the course of a few weeks. These in-
struments are a distinct advance in the
matter of tone and architecture and they
cannot fail to add to the prestige of this
progressive house.
Glue Spreading flachines,
HAND AND POWER FEED, SIX SIZES,
Steam Glue Heaters
IN TWENTY FIVE DIFFERENT STYLES AND SIZES,
Cut showing: how presses are used in sec-
tions for veneering long stock.
FACTORY A N D LUHBER YARD TRUCKS.
Write for Catalogue of Piano and Organ making Machinery,
JOHN T. TOWSLEY MFG. CO.
SIXTH AND MAIN STS.
CINCINNATI, OHIO.

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