Music Trade Review

Issue: 1899 Vol. 29 N. 18

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
H
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Bankruptcy Law Changes.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY A COMMITTEE OF
THE BOARDOFTRADE AND TRANSPORTATION.
In a report submitted Wednesday to the
Board of Trade and Transportation, by its
Special Committee on Bankruptcy Legisla-
tion, which was appointed for the purpose
of considering what should be done in or-
der to obtain a more satisfactory adminis-
tration of the law, these amendments were
recommended:—
That a discharge be refused to a bank-
rupt unless his actual assets equal twenty-
five cents on the dollar, or if they be less
than that amount that he obtain the assent
in writing of one-quarter in number, rep-
resenting one-third in amount, of all debts
owing by him.
That a discretion be vested in the court
refusing a discharge in cases where the as-
sets have been lost by willful mismanage-
ment and reckless gambling of the bank-
rupt, and also where the bankrupt has been
guilty of fraud in contracting the debt.
That the bankrupt law should contain a
provision that after a bankrupt has been
discharged once under the law a second
discharge should not be granted unless the
assets of the bankrupt equal at least seven-
ty-five per cent, of his debts, or he ob-
tain the consent in writing of three-fourths
in number representing two-thirds in
amount of all his creditors.
The committee expresses the opinion
that the law is deficient in not containing
some such protection against what may
become a chronic and habitual resort to the
law by dishonest traders. Its members are
Morris S. Wise, J. Fred Acker man, G.
Waldo Smith, Patrick Farrelly and Daniel
McKeever.
For the season of 1899-1900 Mr. Poole
Emil E. Gabler Traveling.
has mapped out an active campaign. Many
Emil Ernest Gabler, of E. Gabler &
new agents have been enrolled under the Bros., started on Wednesday for Boston,
Poole banner, and others are anxious to and expects to return to-day. Early next
come into line. At the present time the week he will again leave town on an ex-
Poole factory, enlarged and augmented in tended Western trip. This will be his
working force, is a veritable hive of indus- initial journey in the West as a representa-
try, and judging from the way orders are tive of the Gabler firm.
coming in, will continue to be so for a long
Mr. Gabler is a young man of great
time to come.
promise, and for his own sake as well as
that of the highly-respected house whose
A Famous Dewey Souvenir.
messages of encouragement and good-will
One of the most interesting souvenirs of he carries, he will doubtless meet with a
Dewey Days is the medal supplied mem- hearty welcome everywhere. The cordial
bers of the committee who had the Wash- greeting assured "all along the line" will
ington greeting to the Admiral in charge, be equivalent to an up-to-date indorse-
a reproduction of which appears herewith. ment of the Gabler policy and products,
so thoroughly approved throughout the
trade these many years.
Emil Gabler, head of the Gabler firm, is
now able to attend the factory each day.
The plaster cast has been removed from
his fractured limb and his complete re-
covery in the near future is looked for.
Imports and Exports
The statement of foreign trade for Sep-
tember, as compiled in classified form by
the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury
Department, shows an increase of $T9,274,
969 in the value of exports, compared with
the previous year, and an increase in im-
ports of $22,203,021.
The figures in detail relating to musical
instruments and parts thereof for the
month continues to be satisfactory. They
will appear in the next issue of The Re-
view.
Poole Expansion.
A particularly strong and effective pres-
entation of facts regarding the pianos made
by the Poole Piano Co., of Boston, appears
in their advertisement elsewhere in this
issue. It emphasizes the rapid and wide-
spread success of the creations of this in-
stitution, which, within a comparatively
brief period, have won an enviable place in
the affections of the trade who comprehend
and appreciate their intrinsic merits.
Poole popularity has been attained by
intelligent and tireless efforts to cater to
the demands of that section of the public
who appreciate pianos, attractive in de-
sign, well made and well finished, and
which are distinguished for musical quali-
ties that will stand the severest criticism.
In this connection the labors of the found-
er and present head of the Poole Piano Co.,
Mr. W. H. Poole, merit no small measure
of praise. He is a piano man from the
ground up, so to speak, and takes a special
pride in the instruments which bear his
name. No detail of manufacture is over-
looked, and each department, which, by
the way, is in charge of a competent and
experienced man, is supervised to an ex-
tent by Mr. Poole himself. To this care-
ful and intelligent study of details Mr.
Poole can attribute much of his success.
There are no complaints made about the
Poole piano. They give the utmost satis-
faction. This is a source of pride to the
manufacturer, and it is, perhaps, the high-
est tribute that can be paid any piano.
The Great Damrosch.
DELIGHTED AND ASTONISHED I3Y THE MAR-
VELOUS PERFORMANCE OF THE ANGELUS
PIANO PLAYER AT HAMILTON'S.
"Astonishing, wonderful — how is it
done? Why, I had no idea it was so per-
fect. You surprise me. Now, would you
mind playing 'Le Rouet d'Omphale, 1 by
Saint-Saens? Thank you. We play that
so much, and it is a great favorite of mine."
The great conductor, together with two
of his leading players, stood and listened
and applauded, and gave utterance contin-
ually to remarks like the above, in the
Angelus room in our store, one day last
week. Occasionally Mr. Damrosch would
step to the piano on which the Angelus
was playing and play a few little trills or
Josef Weiss' Recital.
runs by way of obligato to the theme car-
Josef Weiss, the eminent pianist, has ried by the Angelus.
selected an interesting program for his first
Then he wanted to know how the ex-
recital which takes place at Knabe Hall, pression and tempo were controlled, and
Fifth avenue and Twentieth street on Wed- the simplicity of its operation was to Mr.
nesday evening, Nov. 1st. It is as follows: Damrosch one of the most attractive fea-
Variations on a Theme from Paganini,
Brahms; "Lebenswogen," "Fruehling- tures of the Angelus. "Why, anybody
sahnung," "Sturmmarsch," Josef Weiss; can use it," he said.—Pittsburg, (Pa.)
Sonata (in one movement), Liszt; Tann- Times.
hauser Overture, Wagner-Liszt; Don Juan
Worth Reading.
Fantasie, Mozart-Liszt; American National
March, Josef Weiss.
What is good enough for Dewey should
A beautiful Mason & Hamlin semi- satisfy ordinary mortals. The great Ad-
grand now graces the parlors of the miral wears a souvenir made from historic
Chicago Press Club.
The members of metal. An opportunity to secure a fac-
the club musically inclined are delighted
with the instrument, and are not chary in simile of the watch which Dewey wears is
now afforded, Full particulars on page i(j.
words of commendation.
It is at once handsome and valuable in its
historical significance. The bronze used
in the medal and bar was cast from cannon
taken from the Cavite forts which thun-
dered a welcome to Dewey on that memor-
able May morning when he steamed in
upon his history-making trip.
Among those who were appointed to
serve upon the Press Committee when the
sword voted by Congress was presented to
Dewey from the Capitol steps, was Edward
Lyman Bill.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Piano flaking in Baltimore.
Baltimore, Md., Oct. 23, 1899.
There is great activity in the piano trade-
Not for several years has there been such
a demand for high-grade instruments.
Orders have been so numerous of late that
the two large Baltimore factories—William
Knabe & Co. and Charles M. Stieff—are
rushed to their fullest capacity.
With the increased demand for pianos
the manufacturers have been confronted
with the scarcity of skilled labor for that
class of work. The firm of William Knabe
& Co. advertised recently in local papers
for 30 polishers and rubbers.
The demand for pianos naturally at-
tracts attention to this industry, which is
one of Baltimore's oldest and largest.
Pianos were first manufactured in Balti-
more in the early part of the century.
The business did not take permanent root,
however, until 1837, when William Knabe
the first came to this city from Germany
and began the manufacture of pianos on
Liberty street, near Lexington.
About 1847 Mr. Knabe removed his
place of business to Hopkins place and
German street. Five years afterward he
removed to Eutaw and Baltimore streets,
and in 1861 purchased the first of the pres-
ent group of buildings at Eutaw and West
streets, now occupying four and a-half
acres. The business has been conducted
by the same family for 62 years uninter-
ruptedly.
Charles M. Stieff, the other large Balti-
more manufacturer, has been in business a
half century, and his plant, like that of
William Knabe & Co., has grown to large
proportions.
In the course of a long article in a local
paper, interesting facts in connection with
the industry are emphasized, notably the
contributions of William Knabe the first,
to the perfection of the American piano.
Of the marked change from the clumsy
and unpretentious architectural designs of
the past to the magnificent array of chaste
creations in fancy woods, which are to be
seen to-day, it says: "A case for a piano
now being manufactured by Wm. Knabe
& Co. is being decorated with scenes from
'Romeo and Juliet.'"
Speaking of the manufacture of the ac-
tion, keyboard and sounding-board, we
read: "The waste in the making of the
keyboard is said to be about forty per cent.
while in that of the sounding-board is sixty
per cent."
Tuning is an important item in the
manufacture of a high grade piano, for
" each instrument receives ten tunings be-
fore shipment in addition to three ' chip-
pings ' and two fine tunings, making in all
fifteen times the piano is tuned before
reaching the purchaser. A piano when
finished has passed through one hundred
and eight hands and has been in course of
manufacture five months."
Speaking of the cost of pianos, it says:
"Pianos have decreased
in cost, which is due
largely to the introduc-
tion of machinery and
improved factory me-
thods. One Baltimore
manufacturer,has sold a
piano as high as $7,000.
The business of this
firm has grown from six
pianos a year to more
than 3,000 a year, rep-
resenting annual re-
ceipts of $1,500,000.
Frequent shipments are
made to Europe by this
same firm, and not long
ago three pianos were
sent to Chile and four
to Hawaii. The firm
had an agency at Ma-
drid, Spain, which did
a good business until
the o u t b r e a k of the
Spanish -American
War, when it became
necessary to close for lack of trade. A
catalogue in the Spanish language for
use in the South American republics is
issued regularly by this firm.
"Employed in the manufacture of pianos
in this city are more than 1,000 men. One
firm alone employs 575 men. The wages
paid them average about $15 a week.
Regulators receive about $30 a week;
finishers, between $15 and $20; polishers,
about $14, and tuners, from $25 to $50 for
the same period. The men are given
work all the year round, because in the
spring and summer preparations must be
made for the fall and winter trade. In
fact, 50 per cent, of the piano business is
done during the three fall months, while
the remaining 50 percent, is scattered over
the balance of the year.
"That the Baltimore piano manufactur-
ers are fair employers is best evidenced by
the fact that they have men working for
them who have been in their service for a
long term of years. One of the employes
of William Knabe & Co. has been with the
firm for 43 years."
A Behr Trade Winner.
Behr Bros. Style C, Colonial, Upright
Grand, 1899-1900, is an admirable creation
in every respect, and has found favor
among Behr patrons and their friends. It
embraces all of the Behr specialities of con-
struction and tone. Every detail is perfect
in finish. Style C is being made in ma-
hogany and walnut. The height is 4 feet
Sj4 inches; length, 5 feet 4 inches; depth,
2 feet 3^4 inches.
Useful War Souvenirs.
Don't waste a moment! Turn immedi-
ately to page 16. The information con-
tained there will interest you, because
everyone is interested in useful war relics.
It will tell you, too, how we have secured
more than five hundred new subscribers
to The Review.
R. O. Burgess, of the Wegman Piano
Co , who recently returned from a trip
West, is enthusiastic over conditions in
that section of the country.
Gain Knowledge
Of the *'innards" of a piano by a little reading. Yon may ha\«
been a dealer for many years, yon may have been a tnner for a
like period, you may have played a little—maybe more; bnt is
it not well to get a little more practical knowledge?
Some-
thing to bank on—an authority on all matters relating to tun-
ing, repairing, toning and regulating, scientific instructions—
everything? Written by that eminent authority, Daniel Spillane.
The cost is only a trifle-a dollar.
The book is illustrated,
cloth bound, over a hundred pages- It is called " The Piano."
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Publisher, 3 East 14th 5treet, New York

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