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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
A. B. CHASEJVORK OF ART.
A
Remarkable Month of Publicity for the Mason & Hamlin Piano—Rudolph Ganz Great Success
—Visitors to Mason & Hamlin Warerooms—Wm. Knabe & Co. to Move to New Quarters—
Lhevinne and Miss Harris to be Heard With the Steinway.
Special Grand That Sheds Lustre on the
Name of A. B. Chase—An Interesting De-
scription of This Creation.
An A. B. Chase piano of exceptional beauty is
on exhibition at the warerooms of George Her-
February represents a remarkable month for something which will not satisfy them to the bert, where it has been stored before going into
the publicity of the Mason & Hamlin piano. Be- very last degree. The beauty of the late Knabe the home of one of the most prominent and
ginning with Sunday last, when Rudolph Ganz cases is attracting attention throughout the en- wealthiest families of New York. The piano was
made his initial appearance in New York with tire country, and when they will be enabled to an order and was paid for upon its completion.
the New York Symphony Orchestra, under the give them proper floor space the array will be The old-time friendship existing between Mr.
baton of Felix Weingartner, the piano will have very striking. The stock will be reduced to the Whitney and Mr. Herbert and the cramped quar-
been heard at nearly all the great orchestral lowest possible point between this and May 1, ters of the Apollo warerooms, where the A. B.
events of the month. Regarding Mr. Ganz, how- and when they make their announcements they Chase piano is sold in New York, is the reason
ever, and the superb piano which he played, it will be interesting, to say the least.
for the display of this piano on Mr. Herbert's
is necessary to say that before the New York
floor.
concert Mr. Ganz was on tour with this organiza-
It is a parlor grand of dull gold, with bur-
Safonoff left for Europe on Tuesday, after
tion, and while he was received with the great- strengthening greatly the excellent impression nished trimmings, and is altogether one of the
est warmth everywhere, in Chicago he was re- made by the noted Russian on his former visits. most striking and most exquisitely artistic of
called fifteen times. It will not be forgotten that He left his protege, Josef Lhevinne, in New the art grands ever shown in this city. It is of
Mr. Ganz was for some years a member of the York, where, under the patronage of Steinway & the Louis XV. period, and with all the lavishness
faculty of Dr. Ziegfeld's Conservatory of Music, Sons, he will probably be heard in recital before of decoration, nothing could be more refined and
and was among friends. When in New York, he leaves. M. Lhevinne was the victim of un- more direct in its appeal to the aesthetic tastes
however, where he was absolutely unknown, and, fortunate circumstances, and it is a great pity, of the lover of pure architecture. Attention has
indeed, unheralded, he was accorded an ovation since he is a pianist of very unusual parts.
been given to every detail and to every point.
equally pronounced; there was no room for doubt
The Steinway piano will also be heard on tour The blending of the burnished figures and deli-
in any one's mind what impression this excep- with Miss Zudie Harris, who has returned from cate scroll work into the dull background is
tionally talented man had made. Mr. Ganz has Europe to her Southern home, but who will im- done with such consummate skill that one can
the power of bringing from the piano a remark- mediately go on tour under direction of Loudon hardly say whether it is a strong contrast or an
ably pure, ringing tone, and his singing quality Charlton. Miss Harris has also won distinction absolute melting quality that has been achieved.
is positively delicious. The Mason & Hamlin as having composed and played her own piano The trusses and pedals are wrought out in a
piano offers him a rare avenue for his qualities, concerto, something quite unusual, and with the manner that gives them distinction, but not to
which are of the most musical and of the most exception of Mrs. H. H. A. Beach, entirely unique. the point of dominating—in a word, it is so per-
satisfying. Both Sunday and Tuesday evening It is not unlikely that she will be heard in this fectly balanced that there is no dominant note.
Mr. Ganz was received with such acclamation work in New York before long.
To the music lover, to the lover of a superb
that Herr Weingartner did the very remarkable
piano, however, there is an achievement beyond
thing of permitting him to repeat the last move-
that which reaches the eye. It is the mission,
G.
W.
MILL'S
DEPARTURE
REGRETTED.
ment of the Liszt E flat concerto. The critics of
after all, of the piano maker to reach the ear
the daily papers have been unanimous in accord-
G. W. Mills, who recently retired from the man- and the sensibilities of the music lover, to create
ing Mr. Ganz high rank. The Mason & Hamlin
that which will represent the all-satisfying
piano is to appear as follows: With Harold agement of the Packard Music Co., Ft. Wayne, vehicle to carry off those inspirations which are
Bauer and the Boston Symphony at Carnegie has left for Memphis, where he will take a re- beyond and above tangibility, and only to be ex-
Hall, Feb. 15, also at this organization's Brooklyn sponsible position with a large music house in pressed on a medium of incalculable merit and
concert, Feb. 16. With Heinrich Gebhardt, who that city. The employes of the Packard store, perfection. It is such an instrument that is en-
will play with the Boston Symphony concert, before his departure, presented Mr. Mills with an cased in the above-described setting, it is a musi-
Saturday afternoon, Feb. 17. Bauer is also to elegant gold watch fob as a token of their es- cal gem worthy of its setting, and in this A. B.
play with the Kneisel Quartet at the concert of teem.
Chase piano a standard has been set which is to
Feb. 27, and Ganz will play with this same or-
be achieved only through years of adherence to
SECURING ALL THE MEN NEEDED.
ganization March 7, in New York, and the fol-
the highest ideals possible to embody In piano
lowing night in Brooklyn. Bauer will also be the
making.
Regarding the strike of workmen employed by
soloist with the last pair of Philharmonic con-
The A. B. Chase has gained an immense hold
certs of this season under direction of Fritz Freeborn G. Smith at the Bradbury factory in
Steinbach. In addition to these, there are a Brooklyn, he said in the course of a chat with among the musicians of the country, and it is
large number of local pianists playing the piano, The Review this week that he is securing all the found in many homes where nothing but the very
and every day brings new applicants to the New men he needs, and that as far as he is concerned best would be tolerated. Both East and West it
has created its own value, and every instrument
York rooms for the privilege of playing this the strike is at an end.
strengthens the position of the piano that went
piano, which has made a most exclusive and most
before it.
CHICKERING IN MEMPHIS, TENN.
enviable position for itself.
On Wednesday morning Harold Bauer was in
New York for a short time, where he met
Rudolph Ganz, and together they played for sev-
eral hours at the Mason & Hamlin warerooms.
Mr. Bauer has lost none of his enthusiasm over
the piano upon which he made and sustained
such a marvelous reputation as Bauer has estab-
lished for himself in this country. Ganz is
equally enthusiastic over the beauties of the
Mason & Hamlin, and between them they were
certainly enjoying a musical feast in the fullest
acceptation of the term.
The Chickering pienos are now handled in
Memphis, Tenn., by the E. E. Forbes Piano Co.,
having been transferred from the Frank G. Fite
Music Co.
NORRIS NOISELESS AXIOMS.
No. C.
"He is rich that is satisfied" is a good old
saying which has a distinct pertinence when one
comes to consider the matter of the Norris noise-
SOME HANDSOME RAYMOND PIANOS.
less pedal actions. Dealers and purchasers of
The F. L. Raymond Piano Co., of Cleveland, O., pianos containing these devices are certainly
are right in line this season with a magnificent "satisfied" and are therefore "rich," because there
line of instruments which certainly merit the con- is never a complaint regarding their pianos.
sideration and encomiums of wide-awake dealers. How different from the dealers and purchasers
They are not merely handsome in design, but are of pianos containing the old-fashioned, squeaky
carefully constructed and contain a tone that has pedal devices which are a constant source of
won high praise from gentlemen competent to trouble and complaint. There is only one moral
A sign bearing the ominous words "To Let" pass judgment on such matters. The Raymond to this situation, and it is that the piano manu-
decorates the outer walls of the retail warerooms reputation has always been high, and the crea- facturer" is wise who embodies in these instru-
of Wm. Knabe & Co. Enlightenment upon the tions of 1906 are destined to augment it.
ments the pedal actions made by the Norris
matter from within proved that the lease, which
Noiseless Pedal Action Co., of Boston. They
will run out May 1, will not be renewed by Wm.
give satisfaction and contentment, and he is In-
WHY THE BEHR PIANO IS DIFFERENT.
Knabe & Co. at the rates demanded by the own-
deed rich who possesses these much-besought at-
ers of the premises. It has been a marvel to
The Foster piano house of Rockland, Me., re- tributes.
many that this energetic and wide-awake firm port u very active business with the Behr Bros,
have not long since made a move from what has piano, which they state is "different from others
SOLD 300 WEGMAN PIANOS.
been for so very long such extremely cramped because of its distinctive features. The cylinder
Three
hundred Wegman pianos were sold by
quarters, and the only reason they had not done top doesn't choke the volume—the Behr system
Andrew J. Spiech & Co., of Syracuse, N. Y., dur-
so long ago ,was due to the lease which held of stringing permits a more free vibration."
ing 1905. This is only one of many firms who
them. This expiring, however, leaves them free
John Lindman, a graduate of the Bechstein have found the Wegman proposition a very valu-
to move in whatever direction they will find ad-
vantageous. Any number of locations are offered factory in Berlin, Germany, has been engaged as able and profitable one. The Wegman is not only
them, but they will not make a hasty decision superintendent of the Miller Piano Co.'s factory a well-built piano, but contains many features of
excellence that are entirely individual.
and will take temporary quarters rather than in Chicago.