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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DEWEY WEEK REVIEWLETS.
The piano warerooms of the city are dis-
playing a full share of patriotic spirit.
Flags and other appropriate decorations
appear in and around nearly every window-
on Fifth avenue.
Stands have been erected in front of
many warerooms for the use of guests who
have been specially invited to aid in the
Dewey celebration. Many dealers from
neighboring cities and States have promised
to be present.
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Of course Governor Roosevelt's procla-
mation appointing Friday, September 29th,
and Saturday, September 30th, as public
holidays on account of the Dewey celebra-
tion will stop all bank business on those
days. All notes payable on the Friday or
Saturday will be payable instead on the
following Monday. No deposits will be
received and notes and acceptances will be
put off from Thursday, September 28th,
to Monday, October 2d. The result will
be a tremendous rush of business on that
day at the banks, while wholesale houses
will have a big accumulation of mail to
handle. All hands, however, will doubt-
less make the best of things, for it will be
worth a little trouble to have helped in
paying honor to George Dewey.
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From out of the West have come to wel-
come Dewey, Miss Lillian Irwin, of Deca-
tur, 111., and Miss Augusta Krumpz, of
Elkhart, Ind. These two young women
were selected by a vote of the people in
their respective towns to present to Admir-
al Dewey upon his return an engrossed
greeting welcoming him. Former Con-
gressman C. G. Conn, of Indiana, has
charge of the party and will make an ap-
pointment with the Admiral.
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If there are no disappointments Ernst
Knabe should reach home from Europe in
time to escort Admiral Dewey from his
anchorage at Stapleton and accompany him
up the North River.
William Knabe will be in town to-night
to greet him upon his return.
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A musical descriptive fantasie, entitled
"With Dewey at Manila," will be a feature
of the Dewey concert to be given by
Fanciulli's Seventy-first Regiment Band at
the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday
evening, Oct. 1.
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Among the guests who will view the
grand Dewey parade from the Chickering
balconies will be: Mr. and Mrs. Thos.
Goggan, of Galveston, Tex., Mr. and Mrs.
Woodmansee, of Cincinnati, Mr. E. E.
Cameron, proprietor of the S. D. Lauter
Co., Newark, and Manager Johnson, of
Cluett & Sons, Albany.
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Karl Fink will witness the naval parade
through a pair of glasses of great magni-
fying power from Atlantic City.
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Ferdinand Meyer has accepted the in-
vitation of Col. E. W. Tyler of New Lon-
don, Conn., to view the naval parade from
kis yacht.
Fischer Agents in Town.
Wm. Rohlfing, o T w m . Rohlfing &
Sons, the J. & C. Fischer representatives
at Milwaukee, arrived in town on Wed-
nesday. Q. A. Chase, of Kohler & Chase.
Fischer representatives at San Francisco,
arrived from Europe on Saturday. He
then visited Philadelphia, and at time of
going to press was expected in this city on
a brief visit.
Antique Pianos.
SIMPLE INSTRUMENTS USED BY THE
COMPOSERS.
Behning Co. Increase Wages.
EMPLOYEES THROUGH COMMITTEE MAKE A
DEMAND FOR 2O PER CENT. WHICH IS
ACCEDED TO.
The employees of the Behning Piano
Co., through an executive committee repre-
senting their interests, on Tuesday de-
manded an all-around increase of 20 per
cent, in wages. They did not stop work.
The firm took the matter under considera-
tion and on Wednesday acceded to the
men's request. This ended the trouble.
GREAT
There is a very interesting collection of
old pianos in the Roman museum at Hil-
desheim, Germany. Dating all the way
from the end of the seventeenth century,
the collection exhibits in a very instructive
way the primitive origin of the simple in-
struments used by our greatest music com-
posers. The oldest instrument on exhibi-
tion is a small clavichord of the seven-
teenth century, possessing 34 tones, with
28 two-choral bound strings. Another of
equal antiquarian value has four full oc-
taves—a one-chord Italian spinet, built at
an angle and possessing a rich and beauti-
ful tone for singing accompaniment. The
strings are rifted with pointed crow quills.
Both instruments date from the time of
Handel, Bach and Gluck. One instrument
was made in the first half of the eighteenth
century, and is a bound clavichord of four
and one-half octaves, 58 tones and 40
strings. There is also an instrument from
the second half of the last century which
possesses five and one-fourth octaves. The
last two are supplied with strings tipped
with brass, and their immediate followers
were the hammer pianos of 1760, used at
the time by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven,
and even by Mendelssohn. Bartholdy,
Chopin and Franz Liszt during their
youth.
At Krakauers'.
Maurice Krakauer, of Krakauer Bros., is
expected home the closing days of the
week. A number of important changes
with reference to office and factory admin-
istration are in contemplation at the Kra-
kauer establishment. These will probably
take place from Oct. 1, and details will ap-
pear in a later number of The Review.
New Shoninger Catalogue Com-
ing.
The Starr Co.'s Great Plant.
, Speaking recently of that enterprising
institution the Starr Piano Co., the Palla-
dium, of Richmond, Ind., says:
This factory is one of the largest con-
cerns in the state. The premises occupied
cover twenty acres of ground, while the
main building is a three and four story
brick structure, with five acres of floor
space. There are eighteen steam dry
houses and numerous other out buildings
and warehouses. This company employs
three hundred men and are obliged to run
full time so as to fill orders promptly.
The product of this plant is shipped to
various points in the United States. Indi-
cations and truthful mention of the import-
ance of this gigantic enterprise is all that is
contemplated or desired. To indulge in mis-
representation or hyperbole in recounting
the merits of Richmond's most important
manufacturing industry were to create in
the mind of the reader a distrust, resulting,
perhaps, in a disbelief of all contained in
this article, thereby defeating the desired
end of giving to the world a fair and im-
partial review of Richmond's manufactur-
ing and mercantile institutions. The fac-
tory under notice is equipped with fine
machinery, having all the advantages of
their own electric light plant, automatic
fire sprinklers, etc., with an annual capacity
of over eighteen pianos per day. They
have warerooms at St. Louis, Mo., Bir-
mingham and Montgomery, Ala., Dallas,
Texas, Nashville, Tenn., Indianapolis,
Ind., and Dayton, Youngstown, Canton
and Toledo, Ohio. They were awarded
the first prizes at the World's Fair and
Tennessee Centennial. They are noted for
their fine, exquisite tone and durability.
The officers are Henry Gennett, president;
Harry Gennett, vice-president, and Ben-
jamin Starr, secretary and treasurer, all of
whom are practical piano makers.
Joseph Shoninger, of the B. Shoninger
Co., during a brief talk with The Review
Kimball Pipe Organs.
on Wednesday, announced the preparation
of a handsome new Shoninger catalogue.
The unprecedented activity at the Kim-
It will be ready in about three weeks, and ball factory these days is not confined to
will contain a number of new styles ex- pianos and reed organs, for their pipe
celling, in some instances, all previous organ production is assuming remarkable
Shoninger efforts in paneling and general proportions. During the past year they
design.
have filled important contracts for some
One of the busiest factories in the East of the leading churches and lodge rooms
is the large plant of Jacob Bros., West throughout the country, and within a re-
Thirty-ninth street, New York. Weekly cent date a number of important contracts
shipments are enormously large and the have been closed in the central and far
great factory is taxed to its utmost ca- West, which will keep the pipe organ de-
pacity to supply the clamor of dealers for; partment hustling to fill orders within the
stated time.
the popular Jacob BT9§. instruments.