Music Trade Review

Issue: 1904 Vol. 39 N. 25

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
46
THE MUSIC TRADE
EVOLUTION OF AUTOMATIC MUSIC.
Interesting Address by John McTammany, the
Weil-Known Inventor, Before the Board of
Trade of Stamford.
(Special to The Review.)
Stamford, Conn., Dec. 12, 1904.
Before a large gathering of the merchants
of this city, who assembled at the Board of Trade
rooms on Tuesday evening, John McTammany,
who has just established a plant in this city for
the manufacture of music boxes, based on some
new patents of his, entertained them with a very
interesting address upon the evolution of the
music box and its mechanism. In this connec-
tion he gave a demonstration of the music box,
which he is about to manufacture in Stamford,
and spoke of the growth of automatic instru-
ments.
He gave credit to the barrel organ as being
the first practical device in connection with the
automatic production of music, and than pro-
ceeded to show the inadequacy of the barrel or
cylinder organ, and later the music box, each of
which had its limitations. Only short composi-
tions or sketches of long ones could be playad
and again cylinders were costly, and there were
multitudinous other objections. To overcome
these the disc was invented with the result that
a great impetus was given to the manufacture
of mechanical musical instruments. According
to Mr. McTammany we have now advanced to
the third stage and he claims that this is repre-
sented in his device which is operated by the
perforated music roll.
In the course of his remarks he paid a very
graceful tribute to the men who have labored for
the advancement of music in these words:
"And no class of men have been more self-
sacrificing in this respect than those who have
spent their lives and energies in developing the
art of music, which can no longer be regarded as
a luxury to be possessed alone by the few, but
rather as a necessity of every home. It is not
necessary to be an artist now to spend years
REVIEW
in learning how to produce the works of even
the greatest masters, for, thanks to the genius
and mechanical skill of a few men, it is possible
for anyone to render, with taste and expression,
the most difficult classical music."
Mr. McTammany is fast completing his equip-
ment for the manufacture of music boxes, and
expects to have everything in running order by
the first of the year.
up-to-date musically."
Referring ±o the new Victor dance records it
is pointed out that there is "No more need of
asking a friend to play the piano while the
others enjoy their dancing. Better music and
perfect tune. Between the dances you can hear
the greatest grand opera and light opera sing-
ers, and music of every kind."
The Victor catalogue of new records for Janu-
ary, 1905, now issuing from the press, contains
many valuable and rare additions. These will
THE VICTOR CALENDAR.
be referred to in greater detail in a later issue.
A Very Artistic Holiday Gift Which Will Be The Victor Co. have a number of pleasant sur-
Treasured
by Recipients—Victor
Dance prises in store for their patrons.
Records in Demand.
Music dealers who are not already handling
the Victor are invited to send for catalogue and
The Victor Distributing & Export Co., 7'r other information.
Chambers street, have just issued a beautiful re-
production, 10x7 inches, in colors, perfectly fin-
PHONOGRAPH DEALERS' DEVICE.
ished, of the famous painting entitled "His
Most
of the musical stores which make a spe-
Master's Voice." This picture, which closely re-
cialty
of
phonographs kept their doors open and
sembles the original painting, together with a
calendar, is available for those who desire it and one of the instruments going in the summer to
will be sent to any address in the United States attract the public. When the cold weather set in,
and possessions, also to Canada, on receipt of however, most of them found it too cold to leave
the doors open, and stopped the practice. The
ten cents in stamps.
Sun says a dealer uptown devised a scheme to
With this picture and calendar is sent a hearty
greeting in which is said: "Most people know a keep his machine going so that the passersby
talking machine as a more or less ohtrusive de- can hear it and the doors be shut at the same
vice used in public places for gathering nickels time. He bored in the frame of the door a hole
and pennies from the waiting public. It is amus- large enough for the neck of the horn of the
ing, when the train is late, but it is hardly a phonograph to slip through, and with the horn
musical entertainer of a high order. The Victor on the outside and the instrument on the inside,
is just that. We have pictured the voice of he still draws the crowds to his window.
Caruso as faithfully as an artist can paint his
"REGALS" IN DEMAND.
portrait."
There is nothing disappointing in the likeness.
As already announced in The Review, Lyon
He says so himself, and grand opera stars & Healy, of Chicago, have purchased and now
are exacting. These grand opera voices are control the Regal Mfg. Co.'s whole line, which
at your command if you have a Victor. It's not have long been known and esteemed among deal-
only the greatest entertainer in the world, but ers in small goods. The name of Regal on a
it is a musical educator as well. The owner of
mandolin, guitar and other instruments of that
a 'Victor,' who has our Red Seal records, is more family is a guarantee of excellence, and with the
familiar with opera selections than the average well-known enterprise of Lyon & Healy these in-
opera-goer. He may also hear the best bands struments are destined to become a greater and
and the latest popular songs. It will keep him more important factor than ever before.
COLUMBIA GRAF»HOF»HONES
The Best Talking Machines Made.
$5 to $100.
The Graphophone is the univer-
sal entertainer* It will Talk, Sing,
Laugh and Play. It combines all
instruments in one.
Send for complete list of records.
25c.
THE WORLD-FAMOUS COLUMBIA
GOLD MOULDED CYLINDER RECORDS.
$5 per doz.
} DISC RECORDS. }
25c.
$ t 0 per doz.
Grand Opera Records (10 inch discs only), $2 each.
THE LATEST TYPE—Solid Mahogany Cabinet—Beautiful in design; and an ornament
wherever placed.
The Best Talking Machine Ever Placed Before the Public at this Price.
Absolute perfection of sound reproduction. All the sweetness, volume and beauty of the
original rendition.
The word COL UMBIA on a Talking Mach ine or Record is always a guarantee of merit and
quality.
Columbia Records Fit Any MeJce of T a l k i n g Machine
FOR SALE BY DEALERS EVERYWHERE AND BY THE
COLUMBIA
F»HONOGRAF»H
Type AY. $ 5 0 .
COMPANY
GRAND PRIZE, ST. LOUIS, 1904.
GRAND PRIZE, PARIS, 1900.
PIONEERS AND LEADERS IN THE TALKING MACHINE ART.
UPTOWN, RETAIL ONLY, 872 Broadway.
NEW YORK. Wholesale. Retail and Export, S6S Broadway.
LOS ANGELES, 828 South Main St.
SAN
"FRAN
CISCO.
126
Geary
St
TORONTO.
ONTARIO.
107
Yonsre
St. MEMPHIS, 302 Main St.
CHICAGO. 88 Wabash Ave.
PHILADELPHIA. 1019-1021 Mai rket St. CINCINNATI, 117-119 West Fourth St. MINNEAPOLIS, 18 Fourth St. South. PORTLAND. ORE., 128 Seventh St.
_..
INDIANAPOLIS, 48 N. Pennsylvania St. OAKLAND, CAL.. 61!118th St.
ST. LOUIS, 908 Olive St. (Frisco Bldg.)
PITTSBURG, 616 Penn Ave.
TERRE HAUTE. 28 S. Seventh St
KANSAS CITY, 1016 Walnut St.
BOSTON, 164 Tremont St
NEW ORLEANS, 628-630 Canal St.
DUBUQUE, 628 Main St.
ST. PAUL, 886 Wabasha St
BALTIMORE, 281 N. Howard St
DETROIT, 272 Woodward Ave.
ST. JOSEPH, MO., 718 Edmond St
DENVER, 606-607 Sixteenth St.
CLEVELAND, Cor. Euclid Ave. & Erie St MILWAUKEE, 891 East Water St
SPRINGFIELD, MASS., S66 Main St
OMAHA, 1621 Farnam St.
BUFFALO, 646 Main St.
WASHINGTON, 1212 F St., N. W.
BERLIN, 71 Ritterstrasse.
LONDON, Wholesale. Retail, 89 Great Eastern St., E. C
RETAIL BKANCH STOU, 200 Oxford St., W.
HAMBURG, Adolphsplat* No. 4.
PARIS, 111 and 118 Rue Montmartre.
ST. PETERSBURG. 68 NevsH Prospect.
VIENNA, Seilergasse No. 14.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
47
In the World of Music Publishing
ooooooooooooooooooooooooocxxooo
REVIEW OF TRADE CONDITIONS.
Julius Steger, Harry Fischer, Joseph Carroll and
Frank O'Neill. I t may be truthfully said that
Lew Fields is a star of the first magnitude, and
is certainly to be congratulated on his successful
venture.
Mr. Herbert's music and Mr. MacDonough's
book are not only worthy, but have received the
highest praise, all agreeing that "It Happened
in Nordland" is a bright and most pleasing mu-
sical play.
Buying of a Conservative Nature in the Pub-
lishing Field, Although Some Houses Report
a Very Active Demand—Trade in the West
Much Better Than in the New England
States—A Leading Jobber Summarizes the
Situation for The Review.
In spite of the usual highly colored reports
handed to the earnest newspaper seeker after
truth, business with publishers, jobbers and deal-
ers is a conservative proposition. The buying is
from hand to mouth, as there is no desire to stock
up before the new year's arrival, when deals
of magnitude are expected to eventuate. Never-
theless the volume of sales is keeping up fairly
well, and in some instances trade is quite smart;
but quarters responsible for these pleasing re-
ports represent concerns that are sturdy believ-
ers in every form of advertising, and metaphori-
cally leave no stone unturned nor any avenue in
the line of publicity unexplored, which is really
the only royal road to success in the marketing
of their output. This applies to every publishing
house, no matter what may be their classifica-
tion or how they are specialized. It is an old
sermon this, to be sure, and the only scoffers at
the burden of the discourse are the has-beens
and those minus the price.
In the West trade is more satisfactory than in
eastern territory. In New England the experi-
ence of New York with price cutting has reached
a stage where the old established concerns are
greatly perturbed. The situation, however, is
not so binding, especially in Boston, as in the
metropolis, where, it is solemnly averred, mat-
ters are slowly improving, though no official
declaration of peace has as yet appeared.
Reviewing conditions on Monday, a jobber
confided the following information to The Re-
view: "Well, business is not altogether to the
bad by a long shot. As you see our force is as
busy as they can be, but November fell behind
the October sales about $900. This we consider a
pretty good showing. December promises to
keep up the same ratio, and as we sell only to
dealers, from this a fairly correct idea of retail
trade may be deduced. The only real trouble
we are having is with collections; but no more
than is usual at this time of the year. As regu-
lar as the period arrives the payment of monthly
accounts slows up. Possibly the dealer is figuring
on the Christmas presents, which seem to be as
inevitable as 'death and taxes'; but we strongly
object to being made a party of convenience. As
an expression of 'peace on earth and good will
to good men,' as it is expressed in the original
Greek, we cordially approve of the beautiful cus-
tom; it is to be commended on every ground but
one, and that is a man's just obligations should
not be sidetracked to gratify this indulgence. It is
keeping our typewriters warm grinding out
vigorous protests, and dealers prone to procrasti-
nate too long are receiving a line of missives
in which the compliments of the season are con-
spicuous by their absence. With this drawback
eliminated we should say business could be a
trifle more brisk without overtaxing the capacity
of the publisher or keeping the jobber working
overtime to fill orders."
The opening of Lew Fields' all-star stock com-
pany at his new theatre on 42d street, introduced
a song hit by Clare Kummer, the author of
"Egypt." It was sung by Miss Marie Cahill, and
is spoken of as one of the biggest successes
of the show. "Dingle Dongle Dell" is the odd
title of Miss Kummer's latest.
Fay Templeton, Virginia Earle and Pete
Dailey, will be the stars in a new musical
comedy, "Life in Newport," which Bob Cole and
the Johnson Bros, are writing for Klaw & Er-
langer. This will have a New York production.
CUTTING PRICES IN BOSTON.
Leading Dealers and Publishers Much Per-
turbed Over the Situation—G. W. Setchell
Chats of Conditions in the "Hub"—New
York Publishers Accused of Being Back of
the
Movement—The Advertising
of Low
Prices in New York Is Having Its Effect in
Boston and Other Cities.
LEW FIELDS.
The gentleman pictured above needs no formal
introduction to the public, for he is probably as
well known as any other person on the American
stage to-day. His long partnership with Joe
Weber, in the little house, corner of Broadway
and 29th street, will not soon be forgotten by
New Yorkers and hundreds of visitors to the
metropolis. It was there that Weber & Fields
made their famous record-breaking success and
where they gathered about them their large
circle of friends. These friends they still retain,
notwithstanding that they are working separ-
ately, and only the best of wishes go out to each
of them in their respective playhouses. When
the firm of Weber & Fields dissolved—which, by
the way, was with the best of feeling—it is but
natural that each should strike out for pastures
new and scenes where fresh conquests, as it were,
could be made.
As soon as the necessary arrangements were
effected Mr. Fields organized a strong stock com-
pany and secured a most delightful and access-
ible house on 42d street near Broadway. It is
known as the Lew Fields' Theatre, and a pret-
tier and more commodious playhouse it would
be hard to find. It is complete in every respect
and is sure to become one of the most popular
in New York. Mr. Fields' new house was opened
Monday week with "It Happened in Nordland,"
written expressly for him by Victor Herbert and
Glen MacDonough, on which occasion the the-
atre was packed. Lew Fields himself received
a genuine ovation and was recalled so often that
he felt somewhat embarrassed. Mr. Fields is not
only a great favorite for his genial personality
but for the real art he displays in his stage work.
TJie supporting company includes Marie Cahill,
May Robson, Bessie Clayton, Rosemary Glosz,
Marion Graughm, "Billie" Norton, Pauline Fred-
erick, Harry Davenport, Joseph W. Herbert,
Boston is now in the debilitating throes of the
rapacious price-cutter, and the leading publish-
ers and dealers are greatly disturbed over the
situation. G. W. Setchell, who was in New York
Monday, where he maintains a branch office,
incidental to conditions of the sheet music busi-
ness in the New England capital expressed his
views and feelings tersely and emphatically to
The Review as follows: "For the past four
months prices have been slashed in a manner to
upset all precedents. It is sheer nonsense, for
the public will always pay for what they want,
and the cost is secondary. We wero getting 19
and 20 cents until Henry Krey & Co. started a 15-
cent raid. They have been advertising the re-
duction freely, and the result is we have all
been compelled to meet the figure to hold our
trade.
"I control solely the sheet music department
in one of Boston's largest dry goods establish-
ments, and I was the first man to demonstrate
music in a store with a piano. For years the
trade has been working together on a satisfac-
tory basis until Krey started his crusade, and
now we are up in the air. The fight will be to a
standstill, and we are prepared to meet any cut
announced. I am satisfied, in fact know, that a
New York publisher, one of the concerns respon-
sible for the turmoil here, is behind the house in
question, which is advertising at 15 cents and
postage prepaid on mail orders. These tactics
are making inroads on the business of everyone
in Boston.
"Do we feel the influence of the senseless cut-
ting of prices in New York? Well, I guess. The
New York daily papers have a large circulation
in Boston, and who wouldn't save from 6 to
8 cents on each piece of music by sending
for it here in preference to paying double the
price with us? It hits us hard, but let me tell
you Sol. Bloom is not so black as he is painted
by the New York publishers and others. He is
HITS! HITS! HITS!
VOCAL
Goodbye, Little Girl, Goodbye
50 You're the Flower of My Heart, Sweet
Goodnight, Beloved, Goodnight
50
Adeline • •
50
Girl Who Cares for Me
50 Lucy Lindy Lady
50
Because You Were an Old Sweetheart of
Listen to the Big Brass Band
50
Mine
50 My Little Love-Bird
50
There's Nothing New to Say
50 In Dreamland, In Dreamland
• • 50
M. WITMARK & SONS, New Yo*k
CHICAGO
LONDON

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