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THE
35
7V^USIC TRKDE
THE "VICTOR ROYAL" THE LATEST.
Che Small Goods trade
A MARVELLOUS INDUSTRY.
INGENIOUS CONTRIVANCES.
Among quaint or curious things not gen-
erally known is the "odd noise" department
connected with some of the big band instru-
The sales of graphophones, records and ment factories. One of the largest and most
talking- machine supplies were larger in April complete in the world is at the Conn head-
than in any previous April in the history of quarters, Elkhart, Ind. In this department
the Columbia Phonograph Co. The demand is produced to order any odd noise required
for the new moulded high speed record has in rendering orchestral music.
An interesting exhibition could be made
been so great that the plant and facilities for
making them have been greatly increased, of ingenious contrivances for such a pur-
but in spite of this it was found necessary pose. These noises are often heard by those
on April 29th, to begin running nights, a who attend theatres and similar places of
full and separate night force being now en- amusement. The origin or cause of some is
gaged in the work of record making. Not- quickly recognized, but concerning others
withstanding these unusual efforts to meet the general public is quite uninformed.
the unprecedented demand for records, the
It is well known, for example, that the
accumulated orders are larger than they sound of cymbals is made by the clashing
were a month ago. At that time it was nat- together of two metal discs in the hands of
urally expected that there would be a falling the miscellaneous musical operator on the
off in business with the advent of spring, as extreme right of the orchestra, but it is not so
had been the case in all previous years.
well known that the said operator, who is
This phenomenal condition of things is usually surrounded on all sides by noise-
due, in some measure, to the natural growth making paraphernalia, has, in the immediate
of the graphophone business, but more par- vicinity, a pair of cocoanuts with handstraps
ticularly to the great improvement in the wherewith to imitate a horse's hoofs beat-
product that the Columbia Phonograph Co. ing on the hard, dusty road as the travel-
is constantly making. Not a week passes stained messenger from the King approaches
that some detail is not changed to the end of with a reprieve, presently to be greeted by a
advancing the talking machine art and, oc-
howling multitude of disappointed citizens
casionally, some great step forward is made
who really wanted the execution to take place
such as bringing out the high speed moulded
just for the "thrill" of it.
record and the substitution of an improved
Part of the well appointed operator's out-
leproducer for those formerly in use, such
fit
includes a police rattle, a police whistle,
as the D reproducer, recently exploited, and
clog
mallets with jingles to imitate clog
which adds materially to the volume of the
music rendered, while increasing the sweet- dancing, a self-loading pop-gun, a foghorn,
steamboat whistle—often used in "scenes on
ness and smoothness of its quality.
the
Mississippi," tug boat's whistle, a "lo-
These recent changes are the most marked
cust"
or "frog" toad and tree toad, sleigh
improvements that have been made, in con-
bells,
castanets, •"whip-poor-will," mocking
nection with the graphophone, in many
bird,
canary,
jay bird, cuckoo, robin, rooster,
months, and they are the sort of things that
Shanghai
rooster,
Bantam rooster, hen cac-
vitalize the business even to the extent of
making it flourish at a season of the year kle, duck-quack, cricket, "baby cry," loco-
when dulness is expected. Jt must not be motive whistle and railroad train in motion.
forgotten, however, that a great factor in
These various sounds are produced accu-
the growth of the business is the increasing rately on instruments specially constructed
number of uses to which graphophones are and tested. Among the experts at the Conn
being put. They are displacing stenogra- factory are men whose business it is to
phers ; they are being extensively used as maintain and develop contrivances along this
language teachers, while their presence in line, adding continually according to require-
the home is becoming more and more gen- ments and emergencies.
eral. There is no entertainer to compare
j . THIBOUVILLE-LAMY.
with the graphophone, while as a language
teacher and as a substitute for shorthand
Leon Duchatellier, sole agent in the United
writers its value is recognized more and more States and Canada for the Thibouville-Lainy
as time passes.
band instruments and musical merchandise,
reports a steady increase in the American de-
mand for these products. These instruments
are in great favor for instrumental organ-
izations connected with schools. The musi-
cal merchandise is well liked by dealers.
The Immense Strides Made In The Sales Of Graph-
ophones And Supplies — The Big Business
Done By The Columbia Phonograph Co.
Will Soon be Ready for the Market—A Chat With
Mr. Seabury of the Victor Distributing and
Export Co.
Referring to the progress of the "Victor"
talking machine and future plans of the Vic-
tor Distributing & Export Co., Mr. Seabury,
of the firm, when chatting with The Review
on Mondav, said: "It has been our plan
from the start to improve the quality of the
'Victor' according as its infinite possibilities
reveal themselves, at the same time bring-
ing the price nearer to popular requirements.
"Our latest machine, the 'Victor Royal,'
will be ready shortly. Its retail price will
be $15. This machine, or its equal, could
not have been bought a year ago for $25.
This is one example of our policy 'to im-
prove in quality and reduce in price.' The
present output is large, but we wish to in-
crease it. Naturally, the more we make the
better will be the product and a larger vol-
ume of business will of course enable us to
make better prices for the buyer."
SUICIDE WAS G. W. GREGORY.
Once a Weil-Known Musician, He had fobbed His
Employers and Fled.
The man who shot himself in the IJridge
Cafe, at 105 Park row, on Friday night was
identified 011 Monday as (ieorge W. (iregory,
thirty-six year old, at one time one of the
best-known banjo players in this city. Greg-
ory was under indictment for larceny and had
been a fugitive from justice for some time.
He had a wife and two children, a good posi-
tion and a good home, when he robbed his
employers, S. F. Meyers & Co., of 48 Maiaen
lane. He escaped arrest bv running out of
a back door of the store as a detective entered
the front door.
He went to Cuba and came back here sev-
eral days ago penniless and discouraged. He
found his wife working for a living", his chil-
dren in an asylum and detectives looking for
him. So he went to the Park row saloon,
wrote a few letters to friends and relatives
and then blew his brains out.
(iregory came from a good Jersey City
family, almost all of whom have been well-
known musicians.
His grandfather was
once Mayor of jersey City and his father was
President of the jersey City Philharmonic
Society.
(iregory was an expert banjo
player and was the leader of a group of per-
formers on that instrument known as the
(iregory Trio. The other two members were
named ( )sborn and Fanner.
Three years ago I iregory accepted a posi-
tion with S. F. Me vers & Co.. as head of their
DID YOU START22 RIGHT?
BAY STATE
Guitars, Mandolins,
Banjos, Zithers, Flutes.
26 Highest Awards. 3 Gold Medals.
John C. Haynes&Co.
BOSTON
Ch. Weiss, the harmonica maker, of Tros-
singen, left (iermany for the United States
on Tuesday. When he arrives there will be
in this city firm members of the three great-
est mouth-harmonica hoiises in the world—
llohner, Koch and Weiss.
Company,
Saginaw, Michigan.