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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Why a Husical Desert?
WHEN RELIEF IS AT HAND : —A WAIL FROM
THE WEST
WHERE THE PIANOLA COMES IN.
A peculiar, although not surprising situ-
ation, is revealed in the following which
we clip from the Nebraska Conservative:
"The Western part of this country, in-
cluding that in which we live, may proper-
ly be called a musical desert, in that out-
side the large cities one may spend a life-
time without ever hearing any music
worthy the name. This is not because the
inhabitants are indifferent to music; on
the contrary, it is the desire and purpose
of each one to have it in his home, as is
shown by the amount of money invested in
private musical instruments, which will in
every community aggregate an enormous
amount, in proportion to the outlay for
any other form of pleasure or education.
It is simply a case of arrested develop-
ment; wishing to hear music, we have
seen no other way to that end save to
teach our daughters the difficult art of pro-
ducing it with their fingers, usually on the
pianoforte.
"Every house, nearly, therefore, has
its piano; but from their silent insides no
anthem pealing startles the passer-by with
strange alarms; not once, we should say,
in a month, on an average. We invest
several hundred dollars in delicate appara-
tus, and we expend a greater or less
amount in employing such instruction for
our daughters as we can obtain; but the
daughters, alas, seldom or never arrive.
The reason is plain; piano playing is a
profession by itself, and requires not only
as much special education as any other
trade, but a very exhaustive and long-con-
tinued physical training; now we have too
many other uses for our daughters to al-
low more than one in ten thousand to be-
come an expert pianist, and none but an
expert can get the proper results from a
piano."
We fain would convey to the writer of
this apparently earnest but pessimistic
review, the cheering intelligence that to
those desiring to enjoy the best in music,
there are other ways '' save to teach our
daughters the difficult art of producing it
with their fingers on the piano." The
conclusions of our Western contemporary
are also incorrect when it says that "no
one but an expert can get the proper re-
sults from a piano."
The Pianola is evidently unknown to
our friends in Nebraska.
Here is a medium whereby they can be
relieved of present and past embarrass-
ments. With the Pianola it is possible to
produce on the piano the greatest master-
pieces in music and to give them such indi-
vidual shading, phrasing and variety in
tonal volume and color which is only to be
expected from a Sauer, Paderewski or
Joseffy. And all this can be achieved
without the "use of fingers" or "very ex-
haustive and long-continued physical train-
ing," for the musical soul can express its
fullest desires through the Pianola. Its
resources and capabilities are inexhaustible,
and unless investigated may cause incredu-
lity as to the compass of its functions. It
does not affect the piano in the least, merely
coming in contact with it as a player does
by touching the keyboard and pedals; it
can be utilized in all parts of the world on
all present pianos without in the least
requiring any alterations,
its practical
utility is therefore assured.
Investigate the Pianola and we guaran-
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tee that the section of the West referred to
by the Nebraska Conservative will no
longer be dubbed "a musical desert."
Incorporated.
Among the incorporations granted by
the Secretary of New York State on Tues-
day last is the following:
Shapiro, Bernstein & Von Tilzer, of
New York City; to print, publish and sell
musical compositions; capital, $12,000.
Directors—Maurice Shapiro, Louis Bern-
stein and William C. Reeves, of New York
City.
This concern succeeds Wm. C. Dunn &
Co. The incorporators of the new house
were formerly members and managers of
the Dunn Co.
Harpochord Co. Incorporated.
The Harpochord company has been in-
corporated at Charleston, W. Va., with a
subscribed capital of $50,000, of which
$10,000 has been paid in. Charles H. Lin-
denberg and other Columbus people are
among the incorporators. They will manu-
facture the harpochord, a new and novel
musical instrument, invented by a Colum-
bus man.
O. C. Klock Resigns.
O. C. Klock has resigned his position with
Keller & Van Dyke, and will devote a
short time to settling an estate which has
fallen into his hands, after which, we are
informed, he will take an interest in a de-
partment store, where pianos will be sold.
What line of pianos they will handle is not
decided as yet. Mr. Klock's address for the
present is Oswego, N. Y.
Yellow Cat in the Organ.
A cat inside the organ was the reason
why the members of one of the largest
Methodist congregations in Richmond, Va.,
had no music at the morning service Sun-
day. When the choir rose to sing the first
hymn, the young woman at the organ bore
down on the keys and the man behind in
charge of the bellows puffed and blew.
Not a sound was forthcoming. The choir
looked embarrassed, the minister looked
around with a bewildered air, and the con-
gregation began to titter. The bellows
boy puffed and blew some more, and again
the young woman hammered the keys. All
was silent. Organist and boy finally gave
up the attempt and the choir sang without
accompaniment.
After the service, investigation disclosed
a big yellow cat asleep within the instru-
ment just where she would do the most
harm. She was ejected, and the organ is
pealing forth as usual.
Big values. That is what everyone tries
for in these close of the century days.
Turn to page 12. Information will be found
there concerning the largest offer ever
made by a publication. Read it carefully,
and then act.
Retailers Announce Increase.
——
E1LERS PIANO
HOUSE ISSUE AN
INTERESTING
CARD WHICH SERVES THE DOUBLE SERVICE
OF SHOWING T H E IMMENSITY 0 F T H E I R
BUSINESS AS WELL AS EDUCATING
THE PUBLIC TO THE FACT THAT
RETAIL PRICES OF PIANOS
MUST GO UP AFTER A
CERTAIN DATE.
The Eilers Piano House of Portland,
Ore., is among the first to advertise an in-
crease in the retail price of pianos, com-
mencing on a definite date. The following
card which appeared in one of the local
papers last week is a pretty effective mode
of publicity, and we are not surprised that
such advertising is prolific in results. Here
is the announcement:
Ten days ago our salesrooms were near-
ly bare of pianos. But Friday, a week
ago, we received a carload of Weber pi-
anos; Saturday a large carload of Kim-
balls arrived—shipped under our new "har-
ness system," whereby we get nearly
double the usual number of instruments
into a car, at a saving of over half the ordi-
nary freight; Tuesday a carload of beauti-
ful Chickering came in; Thursday we re-
ceived a carload of Kimball pianos, and
the same day brought a carload of Kimball
organs; Friday a carload of Whitney &
Hinze pianos arrived, and Monday morn-
ing another carload of Kimball organs will
be unloaded.
It is needless to say that Eilers' piano
house is again able to present to customers
the most elaborate assortment of strictly
first-class pianos ever seen in the West.
What better proof of Oregon's pros-
perity is needed than the phenomenal rec-
ord of our piano selling. And the most
notable feature of it is that the instru-
ments sold by us are not the ordinary,
cheap-John, commercial class of goods,
but the very finest and costliest instru-
ments that money and brains produce.
We have a complete assortment of every
catalogue style of the world-famous Chick-
ering pianos, and several special instru-
ments. We have a full line of the Weber,
the instrument with the "wonderful We-
ber tone, "and we will show you to-mor-
row the finest selection of the now famous
Kimball pianos that has ever been displayed
under one roof west of the Mississippi
river. They are all of them gems of art,
specially selected by our junior partner,
Mr. McCormick, who is now East.
These instruments were all obtained
under the former low wholesale prices,
but, with the exception of several carloads
now on the way, these pianos will be the
last that we can secure under the former
low wholesale rates. Prices of every high-
grade piano are being advanced. It costs
to-day fully seventeen per cent, more to
build them than it did a few months ago.
In accordance with this increased cost, our
retail prices will be advanced on all Kim-
ball and Weber and Chickering pianos after
the 1st of September, and if you are con-
templating the purchase of a fine piano,
we would respectfully advise you to see to
it at once.
Purchased a Knabe.
Among recent purchasers of Knabe
pianos is Ex-President Dole, of the
Hawaiian Islands. A handsome instru-
ment was shipped last week from Balti-
more to his home in Honolulu. This is
the second Knabe piano which Mr. Dole
has purchased within a very brief period.