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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Immense Contract.
IT
INVOLVES
NEARLY A MILLION
HALF DOLLARS.
AND
A
"About a year ago Messrs. Roth and En-
gelhardt, the well-known piano action man-
ufacturers, associated with themselves Fred
R. Goolman of New York, under the firm
name of the Peerless Piano Player Co.,
and they have been engaged in perfecting
the Peerless piano player and the Harmon-
ist, electrical and automatic devices for
playing the piano. After costly experi-
ments they have been successful, and last
week closed a five year contract aggre-
gating $1,450,000. The company must
furnish six machines a week for three
months, and after that twelve a week, in-
creasing the output as fast as they can in-
crease facilities for manufacture. Outside
of this large contract they are rushed with
orders."
*
*
*
The above is taken from the Syracuse
Herald and we understand is substantially
correct. It is the purpose of the new
company with whom the Peerless Piano-
Player Co. made the contract, to exploit
the Peerless and Harmonist in a very vig-
orous fashion. Mr. Roth, of the Peerless
Piano-Player Co., is at present making an
extended trip throughout the West.
High Praise Indeed.
C. W. Youngman, manager of the Amer-
ican Self-Playing Piano Co., 19 Union
Square, in the course of a chat with The
Review this week said: "We have had a
large number of callers the last few days,
and among them some of the leading man-
ufacturers in the piano business. They
have one and all expressed their admiration
for our attachment; they consider it will
meet with the greatest success, owing to
its simplicity and durability, combined
with its beautiful musical effects. They
concede that this invention has, at a single
step, advanced electrical piano-players to
a degree that was not expected for many
years to come."
Last Week of Opera in English.
The farewell week of the Castle Square
Opera Co., at the American Theatre, will
present the organization in a repertoire
consisting of Verdi's ever popular " I I
Trovatore," Gounod's masterpiece "Faust,"
and Verdi's " L a Traviata," which has
never been previously performed at this
theatre. " II Trovatore " will be sung on
Monday night and at the Wednesday mati-
nee, with the following cast: Leonora,
Grace Golden; Azucena, Mary Linck;
Manrico, Joseph F. Sheehan; Count di
Luna, Harry Luckstone; Ferrando, W. H.
Clark. In the performances of " L a Tra-
viata," wh'ch are scheduled for Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday evenings, Miss
Yvonne de Treville, Delia Niven, Reg-
inald Roberts, William Mertens and E. N.
Knight will be heard in the principal roles.
" Faust " will be given on Thursday even-
ing and at the Saturday matinee, the cast
including Joseph F. Sheehan, W. H.
Clark, William Mertens, Harry Luck-
stone, Yvonne de Treville, Grace Golden,
Katherine Condon, Mary Linck and Delia
Here's His Picture.
Niven.
We publish herewith a portrait of J.
The bill arranged for the "good-bye
Irving
Taylor, a piano tuner and salesman,
night," Saturday, May 26, will be as fol-
who
for
eleven years was employed by
lows: The second act of "Carmen, ' the
Taylor's
Music House, in Springfield,
mad scene from "Lucia di Lammermoor,"
Mass.,
and
who some weeks ago disap-
the fourth act of "II Trovatore," the third
act of "Martha" with the great double cho-
rus, "Let Me Like a Soldier Fall" and
"Alas, those Chimes," from " Maritana,"
and the " Flirtation Duet " from " La Tar-
antella." Every member of the largest
lyric organization in the world will be en-
listed in the performance.
Concert at Gimbel Bros.
A very interesting recital was given at
the piano store of Gimbel Bros., Philadel-
phia, Thursday of last week, the soloist
being Felix Fox of Boston. His program
was made up of classical selections. Mr.
Fox used the Knabe concert grand, whose
beautiful tone, as well as Mr. Fox's inter-
pretation, were highly enjoyed by the
fashionable audience in attendance.
A Quaint Old Swedish Harp.
A quaint old Swedish harp, the tech-
nical name of which is Nyckelharpa, is in
the possession of C. O. Johnson, of Hol-
land Hook, S. I. It is said to be over
two-hundred and fifty years old, having peared to parts unknown with several hun-
belonged to his great, great grandfather, a dred dollars belonging to this firm. A re-
native of Danamora, Sweden. During ward of fifty dollars is being offered for in-
all these years it has been handed down as formation, leading to the arrest or convic-
a precious legacy to the eldest son in each tion which will be paid by the City Mar-
generation of Johnsons, till it reached its shall, of Springfield, or by Taylor's Music
House.
present owner.
It is a very remarkable instrument in ap-
Reviewlets.
pearance, and as one studies its shape, its
From
the
Brockport
Piano Mfg. Co.,
seeming redundance of strings and keys, he
Brockport,
N.
Y.,
the
most
encouraging
feels how vain is the effort to compare it
reports
regarding
business
continue
to
with any modern instrument of his ac-
reach
us.
Trade
is
holding
up
in
splendid
quaintance. The instrument is played with
a bow, but no doubt judging from its name form and orders are coming in with un-
was orginally played with fingers or with varying regularity. This concern is splen-
a plectrum. It is nearly three feet in didly prepared for a great trade the com-
length, has oval sound holes and is ing fall.
mounted with four catgut strings and
C. G. Conn's beautiful yacht, the Sul-
nine sympathetic strings. At the right tana, has gone into commission this week.
and upper sides are sixteen tangents Mr. Conn's vacation this summer will be
or keys which, when pressed upon, alter spent largely on the briny deep, but he
the pitch of the first or thinnest catgut will keep a firm hold on the tiller of the
string. On three places the keys alter Conn business ship at 34 East Fourteenth
the pitch of the second catgut string, street, this city, and at Elkhart, Ind.
while the third and fourth catgut strings
Reinhard Kochmann, Krakauer ambassa-
are drones. The keys when pressed in dor, left town on Wednesday. He will be
regular succession produce a scale. There absent for several days on special Kra-
is a sound post underneath the bridge. kauer business.
The rude bow belonging to the instrument
Among recent purchasers of Mason &
is strung with horsehair, is made bent at
Hamlin
uprights was Dr. Hugh A. Clark
the upper extremity, and measures nine-
of
the
University
of Pennsylvania. He
teen inches in length.
purchased this handsome M. & H. exam-
There is a model of the Nyckelharpa in ple at the Fischer warerooms in Philadel-
the Brown collection of musical instru- phia.
ments at the Metropolitan Art Museum,
T. L. Dusinberre, of Dusinberre & Co.,
but, apparently, it is of more recent manu-
started
East on Tuesday. He will visit
facture than that owned by Mr. Johnson.
several important business centers and ex-
During the recent honeymoon visit of pects to return within two weeks.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Becht to Chicago, J.
The capital stock of the Talking Machine
V. Steger presented the bride with a hand- Co., of Chicago, has been increased from
some Steger piano valued at $500. It will $1,000 to $25,000.
find an honored place in their home in this
W. M. Davis of Newman Bros. Co.,
city.
Chicago, was a recent visitor to Akron, O.