Music Trade Review

Issue: 1903 Vol. 37 N. 9

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
REVIEW
fflJJIC TIRADE
SINGLE COPIES i* CENTS.
$*.oo PER YEAR.
V O L . X X X V I I . No. 9.
pauiistieJ Efery Sat. l)y Elwarfl Lyman Bill at 1 Madison AYe.JewYort, Ang. 29,1903.
PIANOTIST IN PHILADELPHIA.
AT PIANO FOR 26 HOURS.
A MACHINE TO WRITE MUSIC.
Will Enable Composers to Jot Down Their Com-
positions as Swiftly as if They Were Writing
a Letter—The Invention is Credited to Isaac F.
Badeau and Will be Invaluable to Copyists.
Some people who have learned to manip-
ulate the typewriting machine as an aid in
handling" a heavy correspondence or for
journalistic work, find it difficult to com-
pose readily, and seem to be able to think
more clearly and transcribe their thoughts
better with a pen than by the aid of the
machine. But with the majority the type-
writer is such a great advantage that they
have no further use for the pen except to
add the signature at the finish. Possibly
this rule will obtain in the same manner
with the machine recently invented, al-
though it is designed for the use of a dif-
ferent profession from that of the business
man or author. The success of the type-
writer has been so decided and permanent
that a New York man has determined to
apply the same idea to the designing of
a machine to write music in order to sim-
plify the work of the composer. As in the
ordinary writing machine there are letters
and punctuation marks, so in music there
are notes and accents, but in addition each
note and accent must be placed in a cer-
tain position on the staff.
To surmount this difficulty the inventor
has designed a double keyboard, with one
set of keys operating guides to determine
the position each note is to take on the
staff, and the second set operating the
notes themselves. In writing a note it is
necessary first to bring the guide in posi-
tion to receive the note bar, and when the
latter is manipulated it enters the guide
and descends to the paper in the predeter-
mined place. There is no reason why a
musician should not learn to manipulate
this machine as readily as the typewriter
is mastered, and it will certainly save many
hours of tedious work for the composer
and music copyist. The patentee is Isaac
F. Badeau, of Schenectady, N. Y.
PIANO STOCK ATTACHED.
Fred Nelson, of Grafton, N. H., who has
been selling pianos and other musical in-
struments in addition to carrying on a
sewing machine and tailoring business, is
missing, and his stock of pianos has been
attached by the piano manufacturers from
whom he purchased his goods.
Ben Alcock has leased quarters in the
Beresford Building, Wooster, O., which he
will open as piano warerooms.
Man Plays Against Time, Breaking All Keyboard
Endurance Records.
[Special to The Review.]
St. Louis, Aug. 24, 1903.
With blisters on his fingers and his
nerves and muscles in a state of utter col-
lapse, J. M. Waterbury ended a twenty-
six-hour sitting at a piano, which he had
been playing without intermission in a
saloon in Belleville.
He began his endurance feat at 8 o'clock
Saturday night, and, with never a stop of
longer than five seconds' duration, con-
tinued to thump the keys with both hands
until 10 o'clock Sunday night. He ate one
Swiss cheese sandwich and one ham sand-
wich and drank whiskey. He smoked cig-
arettes almost without cessation. For
most of the time he was sitting on the or-
thodox piano stool, but now and then he
would stand.
For this remarkable feat, Waterbury re-
ceived $i an hour. He says his best pre-
vious endurance record was made in the
Lambs Club, New York City. This was
a contest, Ada Bellville being his oppon-
ent. She played for twenty-four hours.
He lasted an hour longer. He challenges
anybody to try to beat him.
WEBER EMPLOYES' LIVELY TIME.
While the employes of the Weber
Piano Co. were organizing a parade at
Fifth avenue and Eighteenth street, on last
Saturday afternoon for their annual outing,
their brass band frightened a team of
truck horses that were standing in front
of the house at 4 E. 18th St. The horses
shied across the street and knocked down
an electric light pole, the wires of which
got mixed and shocked one of the horses.
As a result he broke away from the har-
ness and cut up all sorts of queer stunts on
the street, running around in circles among
the paraders who scattered to escape his
hoofs. Their cries didn't quiet him any,
and the efforts of several policemen were
futile to corner the animal. Firemen were
called to the rescue and after a great deal
of difficulty they lassooed the horse, and
were compelled to tie the animal's legs and
carry him to the engine house.
After all this excitement the paraders
started off, brass band and all, without
serious damage. They had a most enjoy-
able day. One of the paraders informed
The Review that the trouble was caused
by the band playing "Hiawatha." Even
truck horses won't stand this affliction.
Julius Wellner Secures the Agency—Atlantic City
Exhibit a Big Success—Mr. Ackerman Reports
the "Nicklin" in Great Demand.
The Atlantic City exhibit of the "Piano-
tist" and "Nicklin" instruments on the
Board Walk, has proved to be quite a suc-
cess. Numerous sales and important new
connections have been brought about
through this latest stroke of enterprise on
the part of Mr. Ackerman. The most re-
cent accession to the growing list of live
Pianotist and Nicklin agents is Julius Well-
ner, the well known Philadelphia dealer,
with headquarters at 905 Walnut St. "We
are doing a big business with the 'Nick-
lin,' " said Mr. Ackerman to The Review
on Tuesday at the Pianotist factory, "and
every one now using it is evidently de-
lighted with results achieved. We are
now adding to our chain of agencies and
shall be glad to hear from any dealer who
is in business for larger profits."
INCORPORATED IN MAINE.
The Tammany Organet Co., of Port-
land, was incorporated this week with the
Secretary of State of Maine, for the pur-
pose of making and dealing in musical in-
struments. Capital, $150,000. President,
E. S. Jones, Port Deposit, Md.; treasurer,
J. H. Fogg, Portland, Maine. Directors:
E. S. Jones, J. H. Fogg, J. T. Fagan, F. I.
Moore and John C. McTammany, all of
New York City, and A. H. Bellowes, Worces-
ter, Mass.
PIANO MEN OBJECT TO OPEN TRENCH.
The piano dealers and other merchants
located on Fulton Street, Brooklyn, have
joined forces with the business men of
Broadway in protesting against taking the
lid off these prominent thoroughfares, ren-
dering them impassable for months, which
will occur if present plans of open trench
construction is pursued in connection with
the building of the subway. For this atti-
tude no one is responsible but the sub-
contractors of the tunnel now nearing
completion, some of whom have shown a
wanton and continuous disregard of the
people's rights and interests.
Efforts are being made by G. S. Smythe,
of Smythe & Benzinger, Binghamton, N.
Y., to organize the piano dealers of that
city. The majority of the dealers have
signified their intention to aid in organiza-
tion, and it is very probable that an asso-
ciation will be formed in the near future.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE: REIVIEIW
8
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN
BILL,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E
MANAGING EDITOR.
culties arose between the managers and stockholders who had been
accustomed to receive fat dividends on their stock. Still the Masons
fought on, and exhibited a courage and persistence where many men
would have given up the fight disheartened.
At various.times it was reported that the Steinert house, the
Aeolian Co. and John Wanamaker in turn would control the des-
tinies of the Mason & Hamlin piano. However, there were always
obstacles intervening which prevented the consummation of such
a plan.
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
THO8. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
flEO. B. KELLER
W. MURDOCH LIND
A. EDMUND HANSON.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKL1N
Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New Y o r k . *
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage). United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount la allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00 ; opposite
reading matter. $76.00.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
^ Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, AUGUST 29, 1903.
,
TELEPHONE NU/1BER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
ARTISTS'
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This la
nc-Bj>B-»
effected without In any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora-
r I RECTORY
tlona found on page 31 will be of great value as a reference for
fir piAun
MANUFACTURERS
EDITORIAL
XT ATURALLY the collapse of a concern so widely known as the
* ' Mason & Hamlin Co. has caused a great deal of comment not
only in trade circles, but far outside as well.
To those uninformed it seems that the financial downfall of so
old and distinguished a house reflects in a certain degree upon the
financial stability of the music trade industry.
It does not in the slightest, and if the critics of this industry
were as faithful in recording its advances as they are in magnifying
its weaknesses, the piano and organ affairs would occupy a larger
position in the public eye. The stability of this industry was never
so pronounced as to-day. During the past two years there have been
fewer failures in the piano and allied trades than for any similar
period that can be named.
I T would be difficult to locate another concern in the country that
*• has had greater obstacles to oppose its progress than Mason &
Hamlin have encountered for many years. While a great many
criticisms have been made upon the management of the business by
Edward P. Mason and Henry Lowell Mason, it should be under-
stood that they had unusual legacies bequeathed them in the way
of a business seriously hampered by conditions which they in no
wise created but were compelled to fight for in order to sustain the
business. There was what was known as the Mason & Hamlin
Stringing System, opposed by tuners, and yet exploited at a vast
monetary expense in a vain endeavor to establish its popularity.
And after all the years, energy and money, devoted to its cause, it
was finally conceded to be impracticable by the firm, by its utter
abandonment.
Then again, there was a change, amounting to practically a
revolution going on in the organ business and complications or diffi-
T~"\ URING all the years, notwithstanding internal and monetary
*— troubles, the Masons constantly exhibited a desire to create
a betterment in their piano product. This is conceded by artists and
experts, and the name of Mason & Hamlin is universally acknow-
ledged to carry greater weight in the realm of art to-day than at
any other time in its history.
The name itself constitutes too valuable an asset to long remain
out of active trade lines.
The vitality of a piano name is surprising and whatever finan-
cial difficulties overtake a truly great institution, seem to be com-
pletely forgotten in a little while outside of purely trade circles, pro-
vided the manufacture of the product is taken up by able and pro-
gressive men.
Of course there are all sorts of conjectures as to the future of
the Mason & Hamlin business. It is universally admitted that its
future can be made a brilliant one, if a reorganization is made on
lines that assure the admission of ample capital so necessary to the
conduct of a large business enterprise. The possibilities of the Ma-
son & Hamlin product, even though temporarily halted, are admit-
tedly great. The tarnish on the escutcheon may be speedily removed,
and the institution be made to shine more brilliantly than ever, pro-
vided the polish is of the right sort and speedily applied.
I J OW the detail work of pianos has improved within the past
* few years. To-day, even in instruments of medium price,
the trade demands that they shall be well finished. Finish carries
great weight in piano selling, and the better the finish, the easier the
piano sells, for it is the finish that first catches the eye of the con-
sumer before he hears the tone.
It is true that a great many people do not understand much
about finish, but jvhen a dealer has two pianos in his store, one
with a good finish and the other with glaring imperfections, and
yet having precisely the same tone, which one will he sell the easier ?
Not a difficult question to answer, surely, and yet it is a prac-
tical illustration that finish pays.
T""* HERE are a number of music trade institutions which carry
*
on an enormous trade through correspondence. We could
name some in Boston, New York, and Chicago that have worked
up a business through this medium.
It not only benefits them
directly, but through their system, thousands of fine prospects are
handed over to their agents in various sections of the country.
One of the greatest business problems during the past few
years has been that of working out a system to handle any par-
ticular line of business to a large extent by mail. By this we do not
mean what is known as the strictly mail order but through a system
which could be applied to almost any line of business. The system
of selling direct has gone on each year in all of the various branches
of trade and industries, and to successfully develop this part of the

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