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THE
MUSIC TRADE
V O L XXXIV. N o . 2 6 Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street, New York, Jane 28, lgO2.
«,3.oo PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES, io CENTS
iEolian Orchestrelle and the iEolian pipe or- THE BENNETT-BRETZ CO. ORGANIZE.
gan are the chief product of the Meriden
[Special to The Review.]
An Interesting Story of the Evolution of the Pi- factory, which uses millions of feet of paper
Harrisburg, Pa., June 24, 1902.
anola and the jEolian — The Result of a Popu- a year for this purpose alone.
lar Demand and Clever Ingenuity.
So great has been the call for these music
Among the charters issued at the State
rolls that plans are now under way which will Department on Friday was one to the Ben-
Under the caption of "A Mammoth Indus- increase the cutting capacity to five times the
nett-Bretz Piano Co., of Harrisburg, for the
try, 1 ' the New York Tribune of Sunday last present output.
purpose
of manufacturing and selling pianos,
contained the following article, which treats
For the insuring of the proper seasoning,
organs
and
other musical instruments. The
the
paper
used
for
the
music
rolls
is
kept
in
comprehensively of the tremendous expan-
stock
from
twelve
to
eighteen
months.
While
capital
is
$5,000,
and the incorporators are
sion of the great business controlled by the
the
demand
for
the
rolls
already
in
the
mu-
W.
Curtiss
Bennett,
Chas. E. Bretz, Chas. S.
JEolian Co. It will repay reading:
sic catalogue is increasing with each new Boll, Harrisburg; J. D. Diffenderfer, Wm.
The ubiquitous Pianola and iEolian had instrument sold, 250 new selections of the
their beginning nearly a score of years ago popular music of the day, as well as of the H. Hargest, Harry M. Bretz, Steelton. The
in a type of the small music box generally finer classics, are added each month. This treasurer of the new corporation is Chas. E.
known as the orguinette. To-day the per- issuing of music will go on increasing as the Bretz and the old Greenawalt building on
fected instruments are found in the homes of popular demand requires. A small catalogue,
prominent personages of nearly every nation- known as the bulletin, containing new sele- Market street, is to be its plant and ware-
rooms.
ality.
tions, is printed monthly and mailed to every
Mr. Bennett, of this company, was for-
The growth of this industry is interesting. owner of an instrument.
The Aeolian proper dates back but fourteen
It is interesting to learn that "Manru," merly connected with the W. C. Bennett Co.,
years, when the factory in Meriden was Fade.rewski's new opera, was played upon Warren, Pa., He recently left that concern
started with a small number of men. Since iEolians and Pianolas four months before and the foregoing is the result.
then the process of expansion has gone stead- its first public performance in this country.
ily forward. The factory at Meriden has
It is related that when Rosenthal and Pu-
CHANGE IN KNOXVILLE, TENN.
been twice enlarged, and now contains 120,- gno heard the Pianola for the first time in an
[Special to The Review.]
000 square feet of floor space. These addi- adjoining room they mistook the playing for
Knoxville, Tenn., June 23, 1902.
tions, however, proved insufficient, and a the performance of a brilliant pianist, and re-
second plant was absorbed, at Worcester, quested to be told the name of the great vir-
The firm of McArthur & Sons Co., who
Mass., which has also been twice enlarged. tuoso.
have successfully conducted a piano and or-
Within the last two years a third plant has
These instruments are to-day scattered
been erected at iEolian, N. J., which has among many nationalities, and have appar- gan business for a number of years past,
just gone through the same treatment. Each ently found special favor among royalty. have sold their entire stock and business in
of these three factories now employs nearly Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, Her Ma- this city to the firm of Clark & Jones, who
ten times the number of men that were em- jesty Maria Feodorowna, Dowager Empress will continue the same in the old stand. •
ployed in the original factory at Meriden.
of Russia; Her Majesty Queen Maria Chris-
Those who are acquainted with the per-
Each factory gives its principal attention tina of Spain; His Majesty Emperor Wil- sonnel of the new firm know that they will
to the manufacture of a different instrument. liam of Germany; His Majesty Carlos I of
The iEolian, the pioneer of them all, is still Portugal and His Majesty Abdul Hamid II, leave no stone unturned to make their new
made in Meriden; the /Eolian Orchestrelle Sultan of Turkey, are among the Pianola and business one of the very best in the entire
is the product of the Worcester factory, and iEolian patrons. It is stated that the latter South.
at the factory in iEolian the Pianola is manu- is the owner of five iEolians and two Pian-
Clark & Jones bought out the sheet music
factured.
olas, the first Pianola having been presented and small goods business of McArthur &
The iEolian has the appearance of an up- to him by the Khedive of Egypt. The po-
right piano. It is of the nature of an organ, tentates of Asia, and even of Africa, seem Sons about four years ago and, by the most
and is practically a solo orchestra which any to be equally appreciative, for it is learned careful attention to business and hard work,
one can play. Its different tones are voiced from the company's representative that the characteristic of these two enterprising men,
to represent the different instruments, the Shah of Persia, the Ameer of Beluchistan, they are recognized as being positive leaders
notes being sounded by means of the ^Eolian the King of Siam, the Sultan of Zanzibar, in their line in the entire South. The same
music roll. The expression is controlled by as well as the Governor-Generals of Tndia
policies which have marked their success in
the performer.
and Australia, have Pianolas or iEolians in
the past, will be continued in the future, and
The iEolian Orchestrelle is operated in the their homes.
it will not be hard to guess the results.
same way. Its distinctive features lies in the
purity of its tone. These instruments vary KRELL-FRENCH CO. ELECT OFFICERS
Representatives of several of the largest
in price from $600 to $3,500.
piano
and organ houses have been in the
[Special
to
The
Review.]
The Pianola is a small cabinet, having tiny
city
for
the past couple of days, during which
Newcastle,
Ind.,
June
23,
1902.
levers, or fingers that stand in front of the
The directors of the Krell-French Piano time contracts were signed and orders given
piano. When the instrument is in position
these levers lie on the keyboard of the piano, Co. met in the Bundy House parlors Thurs- which will give the new firm one of the larg-
one lever resting upon each note. The notes day afternoon for the purpose of electing est and best assorted stocks of pianos and
are sounded by these levers pressing down the officers of the company. Following are organs this city has ever had.
the piano keys according to the perforations the names of the officers: President, Albert
on the music roll. The expression is obtained Krell, of Springfield; vice-president, Jesse
EVERETTS FOR CONSERVATORY.
by various levers controlled by the-perform- French, St. Louis; second vice-president,
er. The motive power is supplied by pedals, Otto Bollman, of St. Louis; treasurer, C. L.
The Klindworth Conservatory of Music
as is the case with iEolians and Orchestrelles. Dengler, of Springfield; secretary, E. B. have just purchased three Everett uprights
The enormous increase in the demand for Pfau, of Springfield. All of t'he above named and one grand through the McArthur Music
music rolls is the best index of the hold which men were present.
House, of Atlanta, Ga. The Everett is stead-
these instruments seem to have upon the
ily extending its popularity among educational
public.
Twelve Stultz & Bauer pianos are used institutions and the list is now an imposing
The music rolls for the Pianola, iEolian, in the Toledo, O., public schools.
one.
THE GROWTH OF A GREAT INDUSTRY.