Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1905 Vol. 40 N. 25

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
62
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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In tKe Musical MercKandise Domain
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
CALL FOR QOODS HAS MODERATED
A MAKER OF CURIOUS THINGS.
feet in stature, tunes everything from wood to
steel, and invents original devices for educating
the musical sense.
In the Majority of Lines Although the Call for
Band Instruments is Quite Brisk—Foreign
Goods Now Coming In—Dealers and Jobbers
Looking Forward to a Large Fall Trade—
—A Review of the Situation.
Something of Mr. Kitching, Philosopher,
Acoustician and Mechanic Who Loves to
Have Everything, Even Humanity, in Tune
—Believes All Noises Should be in Harmony,
and Yet He is a Chicago Man.
Changes in the market are slight at this sea-
son, for the reason that business is of the be-
tween seasons kind. The call for goods has
moderated in a marked degree with a large
number of the leading houses, with the possible
exception of band instruments, and in this line
the demand has been exceptionally good, all
things considered. Staple lines are still selling
fairly well, but mainly for "shorts," and these
make up the majority of the shipments these
days. Where a special drive is made on prices,
to keep stock moving and "give the boys some-
thing to do," a factitious activity is observable;
elsewhere the regulation sales are in evidence.
As stated previously, goods from abroad are
coming in rapidly on direct importation order,
and going forward to their destination without
breaking bulk; and in this branch of the trade
the feeling is one anticipatory of a splendid fall
trade. Advices from Europe, where nearly, if
not quite all, the representatives or buyers from
the United States are gathered, are decidedly
bullish, in view of the possible change of prices,
and a by no means too liberal supply of goods
is being figured upon. Collections have im-
proved, but they are not expected to be much
better until after the first.
Referring to the general outlook, a conserva-
tive commentator said to The Review: "Noth-
ing has occurred recently to abate confidence in
general conditions. Nobody has said business,
broadly speaking, is not good. We must allow
for seasons in the small goods trade, and con-
sidering the present outlook, not any branch of
the business has reasons for complaint. A great
deal of activity is in sight later on, heavy in-
voices of European lines are in daily receipt,
and a decidedly.healthy aspect of affairs should
be recorded."
To think music, with vibrations for his alpha-
bet and notes for his words; to live the inward
life of an aesthetic, while executing each day's
task in a barn-like studio, is the daily experi-
ence of C. Kitching, musical hermit, acoustician
and genius, whose studio is at 2206 South Park
avenue, Chicago.
STEEL PLATES AS BELLS. •
Imagine a whitewashed barn doing duty for a
The hermit tunes his bells, which really are
sculptor and an inventor of tonal marine fog
whistles and of "signal music." In front lives steel plates, by filing them in the center to ob-
the sculptor. In the rear room, curiously hung tain a lower pitch, while to get a higher one he
with musical instruments, the big inventor, six cuts them off at the ends.
HOHNER SELECTING STOCK
For
Fall
Trade—Business Very Good With
This Progressive House.
Advices received from M. Hohner, who is now
in Europe, indicate that in a very short time
there will be a full line of new goods for fall
and winter selections shipped to his warerooms
at 354 Broadway, New York. These new special-
ties will give him a larger line than ever be-
fore, and when one takes the size of M. Hohner's
stock in consideration, that is saying a great
deal. There has been an unusual demand for
accordeons during the past week, particularly
among the better grades, and judging from re-
ports, the summer laxity of trade is scarcely
perceptible, at least with this progressive house.
NEW USE FOR TUNING FORK.
The tuning fork in conjunction with the medi-
cal stethoscope, has been employed to determine
the existence and extent of bone fractures. The
vibrating fork sends its note along the length of
a sound bone; but if a fracture exists in the bone
the note is not conveyed further than the spot
where the break is, and even with the aid of the
stethoscope no sound is heard at the opposite
end of the bone.
Last week the safe in the establishment of
A. C. Cline, piano dealer, Seattle, Wash., was
looted. Detectives have been working on the
case, and on Saturday discovered in a pawn shop
a part of the jewelry stolen.
INDIFFERENT TO MONEY.
He is remarkable not only for what he does
and thinks, but for his utter indifference to
money or the actual promotion and merchan-
dizing of his schemes.
A wide shelf runs around the four sides of the
square music shop and this answers the purpose
of benches. Always it is heaped with harps,
bells of every kind, xylophones, whistles, horns,
metal tubing and tuned wooden boxes, tuning
forks and books on acoustics.
AND S . KOCH
Manufacturer of
Harmonicas and Accordeons
296 BROADWAY, NEW YORK
Trosslngen, Germany
KOCH'S HARMONICAS have always received the highest award and medals
given for Harmonicas at all Expositions where they have been on exhibit.
JOS. W. STERN CSL CO., INSTRUMENT SPECIALTIES
S. S. STEWART'S SONS " 4'S" BANJOS
MARKSTERN MANDOLINS AND GUITARS
CLARK'S NEVERWET STRINGS
MARKSTERN STRINGS
HAWKES BAND INSTRUMENTS
"MARTI" BAND INSTRUMENTS
MARKSTERN STAR ACCORDEONS
MAJESTIC VIOLINS
BOOMERANG HARMONICAS
And everything else in the Musical Merchandise
line. Send for new Illustrated Catalogue
"M," Just published, to
JOS. W. STERN <& CO.
34 Eaat 21st Street
NEW YORK CITY
ANGELO-" • • Mandolins, Mandolas-^Guitars
MANNELLO
607-609
Highest Award and Gold Medal at all International
and Universal Expositions.
W R I T E
BERGEN
F O R C A T A L O G U E
AVENUE,
DURRO
A N D
NEW
T E R M S
YORK.
Violins, Bows, Strings
And High-Class Trimmings,
BUEQELEISEN & JACOBSON,
NEW YORK
THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD
THE
ORIGINAL
S. S. STEWART BANJO
and the BAUER. Mandolins and Guitars
MANUFACTURED BY
THC BAUER CO
1410-12 N. OTH ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Pacific Coast Agents, SHERMAN, CLAY 6 CO., San Francisco, Cal.
Canadian Headquarters, NORDHEIMER PIANO 6 MUSIC CO., Toronto, Ontario.
THE GRAND PRIZE
Awarded the C. G.
Conn Band, Or-
c h e s t r a and S o l o
I n s t r u m e n t s , Is
merely a new acknowl-
edgment of what waa
long ago c o n c e d e d ,
namely,that the
" W o n d e r s " are un-
paralleled in any excel-
lence or quality that goes
to make up a P e r l e c t
and I d e a l Instrument.
The Holidays Are
Almost Here, which
suggests that a gift to
y o u r f r i e n d of a
"GRAND PRIZE" In-
strument would make a
p r e s e n t that would
charm and delight :: ::
^<
Send for large ILLUS-
TRATED
CATA-
L O G U E telling all
about them :: :: :: ::
Address c . G. CONN CO., Elkhart, Indiana
P. S.—The Wonder Instruments are sent on trial and FULLY GUARANTEED
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
If a bit of wood prepared for its place, as a
"A very slight training would prepare a man
certain note in the xylophone, should give out a for such work," says the inventor.
sound too sharp, he takes up a fine saw and
Another remarkably simple and very useful
barely creases it across the middle. He revels invention, but which the hermit characteris-
in his work and in the demonstration of it.
tically makes no effort to promote because he de-
ALL KINDS OK INSTRUMENTS.
tests business in any form, is a musical staff to
Here is to be found a remarkable conglomera- be used in teaching. The lines of the staff, which
tion of musical bric-a-brac. Everything is there is about two feet wide, and as long as desired,
with tone and pitch, from door harps, chimes are made of wood or of wire, and to these are
and steel-plate bells, to curious and intricate in- attached notes made of tuned steel, each plate
ventions, some of them so advanced as to sug- or note giving out the exact sound represented
gest another age in which the people of earth by its position on the staff. His idea is to ap-
might demand harmony in every sound of the peal at once to the sight and the hearing of the
streets.
pupil. Mr. Kitching declares that children should
"Everything can be tuned," said Mr. Kitching, be taught the fundamental principles of music
taking up an oblong piece of white wood and so thoroughly that they can instantly intone any-
softly tapping it with a small hammer.
musical note at sight.
"These wooden bells are xylophones that I am
His favorite invention is his "Signal Music."
preparing," and he pointed to a row of the in- The instrument is composed of a keyboard,
struments that are nameless to most people and which, when played upon, gives no sound, but,
identified for the most part with vaudeville per- instead registers high above the keys and on
formers.
wires, skilfully placed, the notes of the composi-
"This bit of wood is flat. I remedy that so." tion played.
And, taking up his fine saw, he dropped off an
NOVEL MUSICAL PLAN.
end of the block, struck it again and compared
His theory is that in chorus work, each child
the sound with another bell instrument. The
in an aggregation of hundreds, or thousands
pitch was perfect.
even, will have his tuned bell or plate corre-
CAN TUNE MEN'S BONES.
"Everything can be tuned," he repeated. "A sponding in sound with a certain one of the notes
dead man's bones can be made musical, even flashed, and this he will strike at sight of his
though the man himself could not and would not signaled tone. The chorus may be divided into
carry a tune. Serve him right, too. An Irish- groups of hundreds if necessary. Each group
man's bones can be made to play 'God Save the will have the same note in a musical staff, until
Queen,' and the dry bones of an Englishman can every shading of sharp or flat is given out. As
give out 'The Wearing of the Green' very pret- the director plays his signal organ, the bells
tily. Not that I make a specialty of tuning dead respond. The director is really playing upon
the children, and Mr. Kitching thinks that in a
men's bones," he added with a smile.
Mr. Kitching is an inveterate student and an short time, with such training, the pupils' ears
would become so sensitive to pitch that they
original thinker.
could respond to the signals vocally as well as
HAS MAKINE FOCi WHISTLE.
His tonal marine fog whistle Is designed for with their bells.
The special use for signal music is in the open
warships and is so constructed as to give out a
peculiar tone for each point of the compass, so air choral work, and the instrument may be
that another vessel, hearing the whistle, has but wired to flash out notes of electric lights so that
to pull a cord and a receiver registers the tone enormous gatherings in a park of an evening
indicating the point from which the sound comes. would be able to participate.
Awarded a GOLD
63
WANTS LAW A0A1NST DISCORDS.
It is his dream to see the public so educated
that inharmonious sounds are unlawful. He
thinks that the disagreeable noises caused by
machinery in public conveyances may be abated,
and that horns used on election nights and for
other celebrations should be tuned and made by
the manufacturer to harmonize.
Municipal authority should demand that sleigh-
bells be in tune, he says, and steam whistles
might just as well chord harmoniously together
as to cause the hideous noices which they now
send forth.
Tuning forks and musical boxes Mr. Kitching
sends out to Yale and Harvard and other col-
leges, and he puts bells in tune for target prac-
tice. Many pieces of metal tubing lie about his
shop, and when asked what they are for, he ex-
plained that each tube is a chime for stage use,
the longer the tube the lower the pitch of the
church bell.
"PHILOSOPHIC
MUSIC."
"Most persons," says this musical man, "think
that expression means so many words put to-
gether in a sentence. In reality, an emotion, a
thought even, may be expressed as well in tones
of music if one but understands the language."
MUSICIANS' SUPPLY CO. INCORPORATED.
The Musicians' Supply Co. was incorporated
with the Secretary of the State of Massachu-
setts this week for the object of dealing in mu-
sical instruments. Capital, $15,000. President,
Carl L. W. Nellson, Summerville; treasurer,
Adolph J. Oettinger, Roxbury, Mass.
EXHIBITS HUGE BANJO.
The Benjamin Temple of Music at Kalamazoo,
Mich., has been displaying in its window what
is reputed to be the largest mandolin ever manu-
factured. It is the product of the Washburn
Co., and has been used by them in various places
for exhibition purposes, including the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition at St. Louis.
MEDAL
at World's Fair. Saint Louis
South African Ex. Capetown
1904
The only H a r m o n i c a s and
Accordeons
that ever re-
ceived the G O L D
MEDAL
at a World's Fair.
Ask Your Jobber
M. HOHNER
354 Broadway
NEW YORK
"HOHNER'S
ARE THE BEST
The People Know It
They Ask For Them
They're Bound To Get Them
They INSIST Upon Getting Them
WELL!
Why Not Sell Them ?

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