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VOL. XXXVIII. No. 20.
PnlilMiifl EYCIT 8at. liy Eflwarfl Lyman Bill at 1 Madison ATe, New Tort, May 14,1904,
GRINNELL PRESENTS REASONS
Why Dealers Should Join the National Associa-
tion of Piano Dealers—Some of the Many
Points of Advantage.
The following letter has been sent out by C. A.
Grinnell, chairman of the Membership Commit-
tee, to one thousand dealers throughout the
United States who at the present time are not
members of the organization:
Detroit, Mich., May 4, 1904.
The third annual meeting of the National As-
sociation of Piano Dealers of America is set for
the week of May 23 at Atlantic City, N. J., and
its officers have instructed me to invite you to
become a member and (particularly) to attend
the meeting in person. The encouragement of
your personal presence would be highly valued
by all, and the fellowship and community of in-
terest you would show by joining the association
would be an inspiration to those who have la-
bored hard to bring it to its present high position.
I desire to suggest to you, as a prominent mem-
ber of the piano trade, a few reasons for joining
our association, and will put them in the inter-
rogatory form, viz.:
(a) Do not some of your patrons occasionally
move out of your vicinity, without your knowl-
edge or consent, a piano or organ on which you
have a lien?
(b) If you are obliged to send your claim to
an attorney, how often does he succeed in recov-
ering the property, and are his fees reasonable?
(c) Are you ever called upon by a piano dealer
residing elsewhere to aid him in locating a
piano moved into your city or vicinity?
(d) Would you not more readily aid, in such
matters, fellow-members of an association such
as this; and would you not more freely and con-
fidently ask such a favor from a fellow-member?
(e) May there not be times when you wish to
inquire of some "brother dealer" in some far
away city, his "confidential" idea of the value
and worth of certain makes of pianos he may
handle, and which you may think of represent-
ing? In such a case, would his experience and
views not be of great value to you?
(f) Are there not times when you wish to
know from those with whom he has previously
been employed, something of the ability, honesty,
habits and general make-up of a salesman apply-
ing to you for a position?
(g) Would it not be of value to have copies
occasionally of advertisements of other success-
ful dealers operating in distant cities, and feel
free to inquire of them whether they found such
ads business getters?
(h) May it not be possible to bring about bet-
ter observances of territorial rights by estab-
lishing a more friendly relation through social
meetings with the "other fellow" and the manu-
facturer?
(i) Do you consider it money well spent to
attend a meeting of say, 600 members of the
piano trade—manufacturers as well as dealers—
from all parts of the country; from Portland,
Maine, to Los Angeles, and from Portland, Ore-
gon, to Tampa, Florida?
(j) Is it not possible you would there form per-
sonal friendships and, mayhap, business
tions that would repay you fourscore your time
and outlay? It is admitted by all authorities
that a merchant owes it to himself and his pat-
rons to visit "the market" at least once a year,
in order to keep in touch with new goods and
new ideas; money spent for that purpose is well
spent and is returned a hundredfold. Many a
modest merchant in a modest town has attained
prominence and affluence in a great city through
personal acquaintance formed with a large
manufacturer, as a result of "going to market."
The above are just a few of the many points
of advantage members of the Association enjoy.
The question now is, can you as a reliable, pro-
gressive piano dealer, afford to be without these
benefits? And, as the motto of the Association
is "To Benefit and Uplift the Trade," the Asso-
ciation needs your co-operation and help. Come
with, be one of us, and be identified with this
worthy enterprise—The National Association of
Piano Dealers of America—the Association that
is enrolling as members the names of the strong-
est and best houses in America.
Interesting addresses on trade subjects by ex-
perienced piano dealers have been arranged for
the forthcoming meeting, to be followed by open
discussion, from which much good is expected.
The climate, beauty and animation of Atlantic
City in May is proverbial, it being patronized at
that season by the wealth and fashion of America.
Every member of the Association is particu-
larly requested to bring his wife and daughters
(if he have any), as special provisions are be-
ing made by the wives of the officers for their
entertainment. The social pleasures are not to
be the least of this convention. Atlantic City
has an endless number of hotels with accommo-
dations and prices to satisfy all tastes. The
Hotel Rudolf is to be the headquarters of the
Association.
In closing, I beg to state that the present
membership of the Association is in the neigh-
borhood of 500; that it is constantly growing,
that the forthcoming meeting promises to be the
largest and most enthusiastic of all, and finally,
that we want you to sign and return enclosed ap-
plication with membership fee of $5.00, to the
secretary, Geo. B. Bradnack, Middletown, N. Y.
Awaiting the favor of your kind response,
Very truly, C. H. GEINNEIX,
Chairman Membership Committee.
EGERMANN & RANDOLPH OPEN.
(Special to The Review.)
Aurora, 111., May 9, 1904.
The new firm of Egermann & Randolph, who
have succeeded to the business of C. H. Clemons,
have opened their new piano department, in
which it is proposed to carry some leading pianos
from the best factories. Mr. Randolph is a prac-
tical piano man, both by education and experi-
ence. He was for ten years with the C B. Clem-
ons Piano Co., of Chicago, returning to his old
home in Aurora at the death of C. H. Clemons,
who formerly owned the business. He is musical
and has many friends among the musical fra-
ternity. For the past twelve years he sang in
Chicago choirs and church quartets. It is un-
der the most favorable auspices that the new firni
begins business.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
POPULAR MUSICAL EDUCATION.
A Great Scheme Which Has Engaged the Ser-
vices of Some of the Leading Musical Lights
of the Country and in Which the Aeolian
Co. Are Interested.
The Aeolian Co. publish details concerning
their, new schemes of popular musical education
on which they have been at work for the last year
or more. These popular courses in music are
under the general supervision of Prof. Walter R.
Spalding, of Harvard University, who has charge
of the courses in harmony and counterpoint;
Prof. Albert A. Stanley, of the University of
Michigan, who supervises the courses in opera;
Prof. George Coleman Gow, of Vassar College,
who supervises the courses in musical form;
Thomas Whitney Surette, of the American Uni-
versity Extension Society, who has charge of
the courses in great composers; and August
Spanuth, of the New York Staats-Zeitung, who is
editor of the courses on programme music. Others
actively engaged in the work of preparation are
Paul Morgan, Caroline B. Dow and Edward Zieg-
ler.
The success of the plan as an experiment in
popular musical education will be watched with
much interest. Its aim is not so much to teach
music absolutely as to give a foundation of
knowledge which will lead to an intelligent ap-
preciation of music by those that are without a
technical education, which applies to the vast
majority of music lovers. Naturally the chief
means to this end is the pianola. A course in
Beethoven, one of the two which have been pre-
pared, consists of lesson papers which treat of
the master and his works from historical and
analytical points of view, annotated rolls which
contain characteristic works in all the various
forms he used and full scores of the rolls, so that
the student may follow the score as he plays, cor-
responding annotations of the rolls and scores
enabling him in the beginning to follow the one
with the other correctly. Besides the Beethoven
a course in Wagner has been prepared. The
whole enterprise is something quite new in
popular musical education and seems to be based
on sound logical foundations. The mistake has
not been made of attempting to do too much, yet
if a person musically inclined follow the courses
conscientiously, he will in the end have a very
wide and appreciative knowledge of the best the
art contains.
CHANDLER & HELD INCORPORATED.
Chandler & Held Piano Co., of Brooklyn, was
incorporated with the Secretary of State of New
Jersey this week with State headquarters at
Elizabeth. Objects, to deal in musical instru-
ments, capital, $50,000. Incorporators: Frank H.
Chandler, Chas. W. Held, Gustave B. Greve, Chas.
C. Clark, Carl F. Held, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Farley
S. Taylor, Elizabeth.
During the recent extended trip of Harry J.
Raymore, ambassador for Otto Wissner, the well-
known manufacturer of Brooklyn, he closed a
number of important agencies for the Wissner
and Leckerling pianos in the West and South-
west.