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V O L . XXIX. N o . 2 2 . Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 last Fourteenth Street, New York, November 25,1899.
Mr. Woodford's Report
A Rare Opportunity
OF HIS TOUR IN THE WEBER INTERESTS CON-
DITIONS EVERYWHERE, PARTICULARLY IN
THE SOUTH, CHEERING.
FOR MUSICAL ENTHUSIASTS TO SECURE SOME
RARE INSTRUMENTS AND MUSICAL
LITERATURE.
Geo. L. Woodford, traveling represen-
tative of the Weber-Wheelock Co., re-
turned on Sunday last from a six-weeks
trip in the South and Northwest in the
firm interests. Asked by The Review,
during a visit to the Weber warerooms on
Tuesday, f ora report as to trade con-
ditions as he found them, Mr. Woodford
said: "Concerning the Weber products,
both in grands and uprights, the tour just
completed proved to be one of" the most
gratifying I have ever undertaken.
" Even in cities where low-priced instru-
ments have hitherto held sway, the Weber
now finds a ready sale as one of the results
of unexampled prosperity. People have
money to spend and are using discretion in
the spending of it when they want pianos.
They are able and willing to pay a good
price but they insist on getting good value.
This is where the well-earned reputation of
the Weber piano tells to advantage. Deal-
ers know that they can depend on it and
act accordingly.
' 'General trade conditions along the route
I traversed this time are favorable beyond
the most sanguine expectations. This is
notably true in the South. New Orleans
is just recovering from the inconveniences
of quarantine, but to counterbalance that
the sugar crop is magnificent. In Texas
and other Southern States there has been
a phenomenal growth of cotton. Cotton
mills are springing up at many points.
"At Birmingham there is a veritable
boom, but a genuine one. It promises to
become a second Pittsburg. The mineral
resources are being rapidly developed under
the auspices of wealthy and well-managed
corporations. The several steel factories
of Birmingham, including a valuable new
establishment recently set going, find the
raw material close at hand, and can get an
ample supply of coal within easy distance.
"The present condition of the country to
the traveler, turn which way he will, is
very encouraging, and the indications are
that the business atmosphere will remain
unclouded for a long time to come."
W. J. Ramsey & Bro., music dealers of
•Durham, N. C., have disposed of their
book and stationery interests for the pur-
pose of devoting their entire time to the
extension of their music trade business.
[Special to The Review.]
Washington, Nov. 22, 1899.
Richard Le Berl, United States Consul
at Ghent, calls attention to a contemplated
sale of the late C. C. Snoeck's private
museum of musical instruments and library
of music, at Ghent. This collection was
the life work of Mr. Snoeck, and was com-
menced in 1854. The heirs are now con-
sidering the sale of this property.
The collection of flutes is complete and
that of clarinets and violins almost so; of
pianos, there are about forty. The instru-
ments date from the sixteenth century.
The catalogue, as published in 1894, de-
scribes 1,145 instruments of 225 different
kinds. The Flemish collection is not in-
cluded in the catalogue, and consists of
about four hundred instruments, chiefly
string and reed.
The musical library consists of the theo-
retical history of imisical instruments and
the works treating of music, practical, re-
ligious, symphonic, parlor, piano and or-
gan, string and wind instruments, biogra-
phies, etc. These date from the earliest
periods of music; many are in manuscript,
written prior to the knowledge of print.
The library is now being catalogued and
comprises many thousands of volumns.
No part of the museum or library will
be sold separate; it must be purchased in
whole.
Embarks in Piano Manufactur=
ing.
[Special to The Review.]
Port Huron, Mich., Nov. 22, 1899.
George Pedler has embarked in the
piano manufacturing business on Water
street, this city. He already has two in-
struments nearly completed and has the
third and fourth under way. Expert pian-
ists who have examined these instruments
pronounce them first-class in every respect.
Mr. Pedler lias a market for all the pianos
he can manufacture during the year. He
is anxious to organize a stpck company.
The Lockey Piano Case Co.
Leominster, Mass., is the home of one
important branch of the industry—piano
case making—and the oldest concern asso-
ciated with the manufacture of piano cases
in this country is the J. H. Lockey Piano
Case Co., of Leominster.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS.
This business was originally established
at Leominster nearly a half century ago.
It has been successful since its incep-
tion. They have always sought to cater to
the best interests of the piano fraternity,
and have anticipated their wants by pro-
ducing cases of admitted merit. Every
manufacturer who has done business with
this Company knows that reliability and
value have always been prominent fac-
tors in their goods. At the present time
the factory is running to its utmost, us-
ing care, however, not to disappoint their
customers.
The Kingsbury in England.
During their last visit to Chicago Messrs.
Barnett Samuel & Sons arranged for the
sole agency of the Kingsbury pianos for
Great Britain, and concluded a large con-
tract for these instruments. The Kings-
bury is the largest pianoforte manufactur-
ing concern in America, and probably in
the world. Their yearly output is said to
exceed 18,000 instruments, and Messrs.
Barnett Samuel & Sons are satisfied by
personal observation that such a statement
is by no means exaggerated. It is easily
understood that such an enormous produc-
tion allows of the most mimite subdivision
of labor and the application of machinery.
As a consequence the manufacturing cost
of such pianos is very greatly reduced, and
at the same time a uniformity attained and
a high level of quality. The Kingsbury
Piano Company claim to have done for
piano-making precisely the same thing
that the Waltham Company have done for
watch-making.
By the use of special
automatic machines, handled by the most
skilful artisans, they practically make a
thousand pianos that will not vary in the
slightest degree as to either materials,
workmanship, finish, touch or tone. As a
matter of fact, Messrs. Barnett Samuel &
Sons, although they have hardly com-
menced taking the sale of these instru-
ments seriously in hand, have experienced
such a considerable demand for them that
they are now making important additions
to their premises, so as to enable them to
give better attention to this important
branch of their trade.—Music Trades Re-
view, London.
The Singer Piano Co., Chicago, are fill-
ing an order of eight carloads of instru-
ments for C. J. Heppe & Son, Philadel-
phia. This will mean two hundred Singers
that they have purchased since Septem-
ber; truly, a great showing for the Heppe
house when it is remembered that their
trade in the other instruments which they
handle is just as active.