Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1899 Vol. 29 N. 7

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
them before carrying them into his home,
and if we turn to the daily papers, the
yellow journals of to-day, replete with ac-
counts of sensational murders, of divorces,
of assaults, we are prone to the belief that
the men who conduct those papers prefer
to cater to the sensational as well as the
diseased side of human nature by extended
accounts of human follies and frailties,
rather than building up the better side of
life. They evidently hold a low estima-
tion of the tastes of the public.
How many times in the course of the
year can there be found in the columns of
the daily paper an extended account of an
invention which is of real and practical
benefit to humanity ?
They are evidently afraid of giving some
advertising, and it is regrettable that our
newspapers are conducted on such narrow
lines that payment should be required to
secure the publication of news that the
public wishes to read.
Our attention was recently called to a
notable illustration of newspaper selfish-
ness by two or three friends who are
connected with the Equitable Assurance
Society. Recently there was held in this
city a meeting of that society's agents, and
at the business meetings, as well as at the
banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria, there were
gathered the brainiest men in the world of
finance.
The Equitable, as it is commonly termed,
ranks, we believe, as the greatest financial
institution not only of America, but of the
world—a notable example of American
brilliant financiering, enterprise and suc-
cessful management.
The gathering in this city was to com-
memorate forty years of superb manage-
ment, resulting in unparalleled success,
and yet this aggregation of brains and
capital, which could not be duplicated by
any organization on earth, was disposed of
by the great dailies of New York with
three or four lines mention, while pages of
sensational matter catering to depraved
tastes were in evidence in almost every
paper in the city. The event would
have passed practically unnoticed had it
not been for the insurance trade journals.
And insurance is something in which we
are all interested. It is a topic in which the
public has a pecuniary interest and yet
the brilliant thoughts, the scintillations of
genius were all lost to an interested world
through a manifest desire on the part of
the daily papers to eschew anything of an
advertising nature. The utterances of
Steve Brodie and Silver Dollar Smith
count for more in the business manager's
eyes than the ebullitions of genius.
As for publishing the name of a piano
played upon by a celebrated artist, the result
of the highest mechanical genius, that is
never even dreamt of.
A vulgar sensation in the tenderloin is
heralded while art and mechanics are
passed by and left to the mercies of trade
publications.
gether before the manufacturer will have
adjusted his affairs fairly to the changed
conditions.
The Strauch System.
That is a striking page that Strauch
Bros., the eminent action, key and ham-
mer firm, have in another part of The Re-
view. Some strong truths plainly and
forcibly expressed. It is one of those an-
nouncements that one reads and reads again
and remembers.
MOVING AHEAD.
A WELL-KNOWN concern located on
Fifth avenue, New York, spent over
Juniors.
$3,500 in advertising during the past week,
There
will
be
a
meeting of the Executive
and this entire amount was expended- in
Committee,
National
Piano Manufacturers'
reproducing an article from The Review,
Association,
at
noon
on Thursday next,
an instance which shows that the utter-
the 17th inst. The meeting will be held
ances of trade papers of standing have a in the office of Mr. Parsons, at the Need-
value to the reading world.
ham warerooms.
While such instances are not frequent,
The Executive Committee of the New
York
Piano Manufacturers' Association
even with The Review, yet we believe it to
will
meet
at the same place on the Tues-
be a fact that no paper in this industry has
day
following,
Aug. 22, at 2 P. M.
been quoted more largely than The Review
Henry L. Mason, of Mason & Hamlin,
during the past two years, and we may
returned
from Europe on Saturday on the
state that during that time The Review has
St. Louis and left for Boston on Tuesday.
made perhaps more substantial progress
Mr. Mason's trip abroad was most success-
than ever before during its career.
ful in the augmentation of his company's
Naturally it causes us infinite pain to European interests.
note that our advance, like the editorials of
The outlook for Weber products grows
The Review, are not pleasing to those of brighter each day. Mr. Woodford, who
our contemporaries who have exhibited has just returned from a trip in the West
little or no progressiveness or originality and Northwest, reports trade conditions as
phenomenally good. The Weber repre-
in the conduct of their affairs.
sentatives in that section, as elsewhere, are
If we were publishing The Review to preparing for an active campaign. Messrs.
please the meagre journalistic eccentrici- Wheelock and Lawson have been in the
ties we should probably have long ago West this week. They attended the meet-
adopted a different policy, but as we are ing of the Manufacturers' Piano Co. at
conducting an institution, which in expres- Chicago.
Charles E. Brockington, of the Mason
sion of thought and sentiment, variety and
accuracy of news service, and in every es- & Hamlin Co., in addition to his duties at
sential goes to make up a successful news- Chautauqua assumed charge of the Sher-
wood and Marcosson piano and violin
paper enterprise, with moderate success,
reeitals at the Higgins Memorial Hall,
we do not feel at the present inclined to Chautauqua. The series includes five re-
materially change the present policy of citals. Miss Kober of Chicago appeared
The Review, particularly when we con- yesterday in a recital for two pianos. The
sider that its success, its influence and its Mason & Hamlin instruments are used ex-
reliability were never more strongly em- clusively.
J. B. Spillane, managing editor of The
phasized than at the present time.
Review, is passing his vacation at Hurley-
HP HE week has been not a remarkable ville, N. Y.
William F. Hasse returned on Tuesday
one in any sense. A number of deal-
from his European trip. He was a pas-
ers have been in town and reports are such senger on the Kaiser Welhelm der Grosse,
that indicate a larger influx during the the same vessel on which he made the out-
next ten days. Many of them are anxious going trip. On the following day Mr.
to place their orders before the rise of Hasse left the city to join his family at
Lake Huntington, Sullivan County, N. Y.
prices comes, which they know to be in- He will return to the city on Monday and
evitable. As sensible men they realize begin a vigorous fall campaign.
that when manufacturers sold to them on
P. J. Gildemeester, the Knabe general
a modest margin of profit on low water traveling representative, is visiting the
Knabe factory at Baltimore.
prices of material, that they cannot con-
Among the callers this week at the
tinue to do so when the tide is kept stead- Mason & Hamlin warerooms was W. P.
ily rising until it has reached pretty nearly Dyckman, Mason & Hamlin representative
the high water mark. The hard times at Paterson, N. J. Shipments have been
made from the warerooms since Monday
wholesale price and the high watermark of to Tokio, Japan, and Cape Town, South
to-day vary, They must get nearer t°- Africa.,
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CONCERNING PRICES AND OTHER THINGS
Hugo Sohmer, of Sohmer & Co., reply-
ing to a query from The Review on current
styles in uprights during a visit to the new
Sohmer warerooms on Thursday, said that
there is at present a distinct and growing
tendency among purchasers toward plain-
ness in paneling. Of the forty Sohmer
styles now current, quite a number for the
fall trade have plain and etched panels,
whereas in previous years carved relief
designs were in vogue.
Mr. Sohmer remarked also that in orders
from representatives the larger and most
costly of the styles in uprights lead in de-
mand. Several new styles have recently
been added, including one with painted
panels and an elegant Sohmer example in
white and gold. The anticipated big call
for Sohmer Baby Grands is evidently about
to be realized. The Sohmer Baby Grand
and Parlor Grand are much in vogue among
people of moderate means who live in their
own detached or semi-detached residences.
1
Replying to a question as to the possible
attitude of Sohmer representatives in the
event of raised prices resulting from in-
creased rates now current for raw material,
Mr. Sohmer said, " Our representatives, I
am happy to say, are thinking men as well
as being men who act. They know, as
well as you and I do, that the cost of
production for each Sohmer piano can-
not go below a certain figure, and
they know, therefore, that the cost is
raised proportionately when the materials
from which it is made are increased
in price. An increased output does not
balance it up, because that means in-
creased facilities and other extraordinary
expenses. With this knowledge, why
should you doubt their attitude if our rates
are increased? I am quite sure they will
respond most loyally."
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Henry B. Fischer, of J. & C. Fischer,
during a brief talk with The Review on
Thursday, said, in reply to a question as to
the firm's attitude in the matter of ad-
vanced prices for the fall, that an increase
must inevitably come, just as soon as new
stock takes the place of that now on sale.
Concerning the dealers' view of a possi-
ble increase, Mr. Fischer said that, to the
best of the firm's knowledge and belief, the
Fischer representatives fully realize what
an increase in the price of raw material
means to the manufacturer. ' 'Piano makers
generally have been working on close mar-
gins for a long time," said Mr. Fischer,
"and now, when a marked and apparently
permanent increase takes place in the price
of woods and metals for supplies, they
must either be content to accept less than
a living profit or they must raise the prices
of their instruments.
" I cannot see any plausible reason for
objections to an increase in price of instru-
ments proportionate with the advanced
price of supplies. It is a sound business
proposition, and it is only by conducting
business on such a common-sense basis
that success, can be achieved or an estab-
lishment maintained. The increased price
of raw material has been brought about by
an increased demand, indicating prosperity.
"This means that people are not going to
quibble about a slight difference of price
in pianos. More money is being earned
and more money can and will be spent.
The live dealer who understands values,
therefore, if prices are justly raised, has no
legitimate cause for complaint."
*
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he thinks—and thinks deeply—about these
products, and if you get him in the right
humor he will tell you why it is that the
Schubert has been in favor with enterpris-
ing dealers ever since it was first placed
on the market. His reasons are many—
and they are good. They are listened to
respectfully because he talks of what he
knows.
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What Peter Duffy does not know about
pianos and the people who make and sell
them is, truly, not worth knowing. Men-
tion a certain make of piano, and he will
tell you, if you wish it, its strong points
"Musical Instruments" is the title of a and its weak ones. Mention a firm manu-
pretty little brochure just issued by that facturing or said to be manufacturing
great Western house of Lyon & Healy. It pianos, and, if you express a desire to gain
contains illustrations and descriptive mat- light, he will tell you the exact facts, so
ter of an endless variety of musical in- far as trade ethics and his own keen sense
struments suitable for premiums. The of propriety will allow him to do so. He
covers are attractive and on one are two lines is respected in the trade for the reason,
which it is well to consider inasmuch as among other things, that he understands
they are expressive concerning the magni- trade ethics, and appreciates the necessity
tude of the business done by Lyon & of observing them.
Healy. They are "Sales to date, over
*
•
•
29,000,000."
What astounding figures, what enormous
business transactions they reveal!
*
* *
There has lately been much speculation
regarding the origin of the word " t i p . "
The truth is that in an old English tavern
a receptacle for small coin was fixed in a
conspicuous place, over which appeared in
writing: " To insure promptness." What-
ever was placed in the box was divided
among the servants. Other taverns fol-
lowed the example, and soon the words
were abbreviated to T. I. P.
*
* *
Among the quiet yet practically effec-
tive workers in the piano manufacturing
iudustry in this city are the firm-members
of Newby & Evans. Mr. Newby is rarely
away from his post of duty at the factory.
He exercises a keen supervision over the
several departments, and it is largely due
to his tireless watchfulness that the Newby
& Evans products hold their present
position among creditable Eastern manu-
factures, " always reliable, always up to
a good standard."
" Ricca" pianos, Styles D and DX, will,
it is announced, be hereafter known as
"Arlington" pianos. In about two weeks
four additional styles in uprights will be
placed in the Ricca catalogue of 1899-
1900, now in preparation. They will be
named Ricca styles, E, F, G and K.
"It is intended," said a member of the
firm to The Review on Wednesday, "that
these new Ricca products shall be strictly
high-grade, and the closest attention is
being paid to all details connected with
their construction."
*
* *
When John Ludwig, of Ludwig & Co.,
is asked for news items, he usually sums
up the situation by saying, in effect, that
anyone with an observing eye and a listen-
ing ear can gather news easily concerning
Ludwig & Co. without putting any pointed
questions to the firm partners. That is
not half a bad way of stating it, either.
The observing eye can readily note the
men working on the main floor, most of
them in the front part being visible from
the office, and can witness them moving
rapidly hither and thither in fulfilment of
their several tasks.
*
*
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John Evans, of Newby & Evans, has
done his full share, too, in keeping up the
Among the visitors at the new Sohmer
firm name to a proper level. His person- warerooms this week were C. C. Grinnell,
ality makes him a welcome visitor every- of Grinnell Bros., Sohmer representatives
where. No matter how ruffled the person at Detroit, and the Misses Spargo, of
called upon may feel at the moment when Hazelton, Pa., daughters of the late William
Mr. Evans enters his presence, the friendly Spargo, Sohmer representative at Hazel-
greeting and unassuming demeanor of this ton, Pa. The daughters will probably con-
truly representative manufacturer "calms tinue the business.
the tempest and subdues the storm."
William P. Daniels of the Mason & Ham-
And he can conduct negotiations quite as lin Co., started early in the week on his
successfully as the cyclone occasionally met vacation. He will spend part of the time
with, if not better.
yachting in Maine waters.
*
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William O'Shea of the new Bradbury
Peter Duffy, president of the Schubert warerooms in Fifth Avenue has been the
. Piano Co., does not talk about the Schu- recipient of many congratulatory messages
bert products as a rule except to visiting on the accession of a daughter to his house-
dealers or others who mean business, but hold.
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