Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1900 Vol. 30 N. 19

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
connected with legal proceedure, and he
thought he should be relieved of this by
the ever-obliging piano manufacturer.
Such a claim is absurd. The manufac-
turer delivered the instrument to the rail-
road company and held the receipt for
same. His responsibility, legally and
morally, then ceased, the delivery hav-
ing been assumed by the railroad corpora-
tion as carrier. But the dealer in order to
avoid all trouble, proposed to fall back
upon the manufacturer and even hinted at
a severance of business relations unless
his wishes in the matter of adjustment
were immediately acceded to.
Then there is another class of dealers
who exhibit an apparent lack of regard for
the payment of obligations as they mature.
Dealers may have their own ideas as to
how they wish to pay their bills, but they
have no right to say when they shall pay
them. The terms of sale govern that fea-
ture of the business, and the retailer who
permits his bills to go unpaid and who
fails to arrange in a businesslike manner
the meeting of his maturing obligations,
is helping to compile a record against him-
self that will work more injury from the
credit standpoint than any other course of
action outside of downright dishonesty.
But there are a class of men who think
giving a note settles an obligation, and
they too frequently forget to meet that
note at its maturity. Then, too, some deal-
ers fall back upon the manufacturer to
stand between them and all foolish, absurd
and expensive claims and allegations made
by the purchasers of pianos at retail. A
ma"n will purchase a piano—a combination,
susceptible to atmospheric changes, of
wood, felts and metal—and take care of it
in an indifferent and careless way. Then
he expects that the instrument will al-
ways respond to any demands which may
be made upon it. There will be no check-
ing of varnish, no sticking of keys, crack-
ing of sounding board, or anything else to
interfere with the external beauty and
tone-producing power of the piano. The
same man will carefully house some road
wagon and give it ten times the care that
he does his piano and still if he goes to the
carriage manufacturer for the slightest
work done upon his vehicle he will pay a
bill for the expenses incident to the re-
pairs without the slightest demurrage, but
to the piano dealer from whom he pur-
chased an instrument he expects all sorts
of allowances in the way of tuning, re-
pairing, insurance from breakage even to
the extent of re-shipping his piano to the
factory.
We affirm that there is no business on
earth which is subjected to as many unfair
claims as piano manufacturing. There is
nothing to compare with it. The original
profit is pared down by expenses which are
liable to be incurred months, or even years
after the sale is made, all to protect and
keep the dealer in good humor. In other
words, the manufacturer, knowing that the
demands are too frequently unjust, meets
them rather than be at outs with the local
dealer.
When you come to sum the situation up
to date, why would it not be a capital thing
to dispense with a guarantee entirely?
Why should the retail purchaser of a
piano be afforded opportunities to cause
untold annoyance and expense to the
dealer, and to the manufacturer from
whom he purchases? Why not the pur-
chaser take the same chances with musical
instruments as with other home accessories?
Is not the average guarantee too elastic
and is there not a too liberal interpretation
of what a piano manufacturer should do
in guaranteeing particular instruments?
held back in the matter of raising their 1
prices. The piano and organ manufac-
turers of Paris have made a material ad-
vance in their rates and the English manu-
facturers are beginning to agitate the mat-
ter, claiming that they have been doing
business on little or no margin, owing to
the steady raise on all the materials which
enter into the construction of the piano,
and the fact that they have received no
more for the finished product than when
they were paying the old scale for ma-
terials.
It would seem in this as if their troubles
were not entirely dissimilar to those of our
own manufacturers. In fact in the piano
industry the world over it has been a diffi-
cult point for the manufacturer to success-
fully make the raise of prices on their
product in order that they might not stand
all the loss incident to the increased cost
of manufacture.
VALE PRESIDENT FISCHER.
D E F O R E another issue of The Review
SELF-PLAYERS.
shall have appeared, Adolpho H.
'T'HE list of self-playing piano attach-
ments is steadily on the increase. Fischer will have retired from the presi-
Within thirty days it is possible that dency of the Piano Manufacturers' Na-
the number will be augmented by the ar- tional Association. It is therefore fitting
rival of three new claimants for public to say a few words relative to his associa-
patronage. The self-playing field affords tion accomplishments. From its very in-
great possibilities during the next five ception, more than a decade ago, Mr.
years, and the inventive minds backed by Fischer took a warm interest in Associa-
ample capital will undoubtedly add still tion work. He has devoted much time
and thought to the cultivation of associa-
further to the list of attachments. •
tion
sentiment and he has established a
At the present time the firms manufac-
turing leading self-players are compelled splendid precedent for his successor in
to admit of their hopelessly inadequate office.
Perhaps the most satisfactory results
facilities as far as supplying the public de-
mand is concerned. It will take some that can be attained by the head of an in-
pretty large factories to keep in touch with dustrial organization is the augmentation
the demand for self-playing piano attach- of membership during his incumbency of
ments. The market for the next five years office. Substantial increase has been made
is practically inexhaustible; after that time in the Association membership and Mr.
there will always be a steady demand for Fischer can retire with the proud satisfac-
self-players. The specialty branch of the tion of having been instrumental in
industry is growing in every way.
arousing sufficient interest in organization
work to attract many manufacturers who
BUSINESS ABROAD.
had hitherto remained aloof from partici-
A CCORDING to advices received from
pation in association counsels. As a pre-
London, it would seem as if the
siding officer he has been dignified, and at
music trade in England was far from being
the same time has exhibited rare diplomacy
in a flourishing condition. In fact the
in the handling of important questions.
number of failures in the music trade
field had increased to such an alarming ex- A RRANGEMENTS of an elaborate char-
acter have been completed for a royal
tent that English manufacturers are much
concerned. The war has materially af- welcome to the piano men who will visit
fected English trade, but men who are Chicago next week. It is expected that a
best posted on the situation there claim number of important topics will come be-
that the lack of sound business principles fore the Convention for consideration. In
has caused all the trouble, that too many Association effort there is power. The re-
men have gone into business with a lim- sults which seem impossible of realization
ited capital, and the moment the first pres- by individual efforts frequently blossom
sure was brought to bear upon them they into fruition under the rays of concentrated
energy. High ideals are to be struggled
succumbed.
English manufacturers have thus far for, they are essential to future greatness,
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC.TRADE REVIEW
8
the highest ideals inspire improvement by
the influence of their motives. The forma-
tion of local and national associations
among the different trades has been pro-
ductive of good, not so much in the sur-
face or in immediate apparent benefits, but
in the broader views among business men
in general, and the better business methods
instilled into the minds of competitive
men. Progress and business association
are inseparable in this age of keen compe-
tition.
PRESUMABLY we shall hear something
interesting regarding the commission
evil from the Manufacturers' Convention
at Chicago. In the furniture trade this
question is exciting considerable comment
and it is one of the most important mat-
ters which was brought up before a recent
meeting of the Furniture Manufacturers'
National Association.
Fighting Fraudulent Failures.
Monopoly reduces trade to the mini-
mum, for it would compel tribute and
patronage, and human nature rebels
against coercion. Fair and reasonable
competition stimulates trade to the max-
imum, even, at times, to the extent of ex-
travagance, and therein lies the only dan-
ger from it, whereas, on the other hand,
unscrupulous competition is the illegiti-
mate offspring of monopoly, for it seeks,
through unlawful means, to create a mono-
poly—it is bad and harmful in every
particular.
It may be asserted with confidence that
no one thing is more conducive to ruinous
competition than fraudulent failure, and it
may be said with equal assurance that the
evil thereof falls as heavily, if not more
heavily, upon the honest debtor, upon the
man who intends to and who does pay his
debts, dollar for dollar, than upon the un-
fortunate creditor.
Honest failure is a deplorable misfortune
but not necessarily a disgrace. Fraudu-
lent failure is a blight upon commercial
honor, a deadly, loathsome plague, which
can be stamped out, or even controlled,
only by concerted, united and vigorous
action on the part of all honest men; it
should be of interest, therefore, to all men
that such action is being taken.
The National Association of Credit men,
an organization with a strong, influential
and growing membership in every business
centre in the country, has for its object the
betterment of the business community at
large, debtor no less than creditor, for it
recognizes that the good fortune of the one
is to the benefit of the other.
This National Association of Credit Men
has established a Bureau for the Investiga-
tion of Fraudulent Failures and for the
prosecution of Fraudulent Debtors. This
bureau will have constantly at its com-
mand a fund sufficient to enable it to
carry on its plans with energy and deter-
mination, and every honest man should
feel it is his duty, as it certainly is to his
interest, to assist in the crusade.
tions of musical instruments of which
this collection in the University of Penn-
OF OLD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS PRESENTED TO
sylvania
takes high rank, both in number,
THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA BY
intrinsic
value and scientific arrangement.
MRS. WM. FRISHMUTH.
The largest collection is that of the Metro-
(Special to The Review.)
politan Museum in this city where Mrs. J.
Philadelphia, Pa., May 8th, 1900.
Crosby Brown's fine donation is suitably
In the collection of musicai instruments housed. The Smithsonian Institute at
just presented to the University of Penn- Washington also possesses an admirable
sylvania by Mrs. Wm. Frishmuth, and collection which is very satisfactorily dis-
now on exhibition in the Free Museum of played. More recently Frederick Stearns,
Science and Art at Thirty-third and Spruce of Detroit, has presented his private col-
streets, the evolution of the modern piano lection to the University of Michigan.
is extremely well illustrated. The oldest Within the past few months, Morris Stein-
instrument in the collection is an Italian ert has given his world-famous collection
spinet of the 17 th century which has three to Yale University. This public spirit is
and one-half octaves. It is in a case from commendable. It demonstrates the atten-
which it is lifted out and placed upon the tion that is being paid to the piano and its
table and played. Its strings are of wire precursors.
and it is operated in the usual style of the
period by points of quills or hard leather
A Visitor from Honolulu.
elevated on wooden uprights called ' 'jacks,"
J. W. Bergstrom, proprietor of the Berg-
which twitch or pluck the strings as the
depression of the keys causes them to pass strom Music Co., from far away Honolulu,
has been in town this week. Mr. Berg-
upward.
Another early instrument, represented strom is enthusiastic over the Kroeger
by two excellent examples of the 17th and product and while here left a goodly order
18th centuries, is a clavichord. In it a with President Garritson.
small bit of brass, resembling a flattened
OBITUARY.
nail, called a "tangent,"is fastened to the
John C. Schooley.
back end of the key and when raised by
John
C.
Schooley
died May 4th at the
pressing the key both strikes the string and
divides it, thus producing at the same home of his son-in-law, Jeremiah W. Cur-
tis, of No. 1 East Fifty-third street, this
time tone and pitch.
city.
He had been sick for several weeks.
Of the harpsichord, which resembles the
Mr.
Schooley
was at one time treasurer
modern grand piano, Mrs. Frishmuth's ex-
and
a
director
of
the ^Eolian Company.
ample is an English instrument of the 18th
century made by Joseph Dale. The ac-
Richard Storrs Willis.
tion of this instrument is practically the
Richard Storrs Willis, the musician and
same as that of the spinet and is operated poet, died of heart failure at Detroit, Mon-
in the same manner.
day, aged 82. He was born in Boston and
These keyed instruments, just referred educated at Yale. His first venture in the
to, had as their antetypes the monochord, publishing business was with the Musical
harp, psaltery, while the dulcimer is the Times, afterward known as the Musical
prototype of the piano. Some very hand- World. He established Once a Month,
some examples of these early instruments a magazine, and edited it for some time.
are to be found in this collection.
He was a brother of N. P. Willis and
Coming down to the piano family we Fanny Fern. He leaves a widow and
find an early German example (of about three married daughters, one of whom is
1716) with wrench pins at the right side as Mrs. Blanche Willis Emory of Roslyn,
in the clavichord. Another beautiful in- L. I.
strument is a French upright piano of the
John L. Peters.
shape of the harp of the time of the First
The
death
is announced of John L.
Empire. This has fire-gilt mountings and
Peters,
manager
of the sheet music de-
faded silk curtains and tassels.
partment of E. Witzman & Co., Mem-
An English piano of about the same
phis, Tenn., which occurred Thursday of
period was made by Clementi. The case
last week. His death was unexpected and
is of mahogany with drawers for music.
was brought about by a stroke of apo-
Another English piano of about 1770 was
plexy while on duty in the store. He ex-
made by George Astor. Like the preced-
pired almost before his associates could
ing, it has drawers for music, and is char-
reach his side. He was sixty-three years
acterized by a simple elegance.
of age, widely known and esteemed.
The grand piano is also adequately rep-
Chas. A. Cheever.
resented and is an American production,
Chas.
A.
Cheever,
who was among the
being made in Philadelphia by Loud Bros.
first
to
discover
the
commercial
utility of
It has a beautiful inlaid case of massive
the
phonograph
which
he
aided
in put-
mahogany.
ting on the market, died at Far Rock-
Mrs. Frishmuth is constantly adding to
away, L. I., on May 3. He was in his
her collection, which embraces not only
forty-seventh year.
European instruments, but Oriental and
T. M. Allyn.
Primitive as well. It is her intention to
T.
M.
Allyn,
who in the years agone was
augment her gift from time to time by
a
manufacturer
of melodeons in a small
other rare old instruments.
way
in
New
London,
Conn., died at his
*
*
*
late
home
in
that
city,
May
5, at the good
America is now fortunate in possessing
round
age
of
seventy-six,
a number of extremely fine public collec-
A Rare Collection

Download Page 5: PDF File | Image

Download Page 6 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.