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THE MUSIC TRADE
PIANO EXPERIMENTS.
Playing by Sweeping the Strings
Feather.
With a
Sometimes we come across some remarkable
news relating to pianos in the daily papers. For
instance, the Philadelphia Press of recent date
contains the following pointers:
"Open wide your piano £o that the wires are
exposed. Over the wires place sheets of music,
and when you strike a tone you will find that it
has a rattling sound. If now you play a tune
in the same manner, with the sheets of music
still lying on the strings, it will sound as if the
instrument were a banjo. Anyhow, it is a good
imitation.
"Now, remove the music sheets and press
down gently, but firmly, the keys belonging to
any chord. Take the simple chord C, E, G, for
example. The keys must be pressed down with-
out sounding them and held down while some
one gently brushes the strings with a feather or
a straw. The effect will be as if the chord were
played far away and is heard by you as very
soft tones.
"Change the chord, always pressing down the
keys without sounding them, while the feather
Still sweeps the strings lightly. In this way you
may modulate or play a slow piece, and the ef-
fect will be very beautiful, indeed, as if heard
from a great distance.
"The reason of this is that ordinarily a dam-
per rests against each string, but when the cor-
responding key is struck or pressed down the
damper is raised. In sweeping the strings with
the feather, lightly, only the strings that are
undampered sound, the others being held mute
by the dampers, but if the touch of the feather
is too heavy even the other strings may sound
so your care must be in making a light and deli-
cate touch.
"Now, press down a key gently and hold it.
Strike very hard the octave above this key, but
do not hold it after striking the tone. When
the wire of the tone struck has been sufficiently
dampered, so that it does not sound so loud, the
pressed-down key will be heard to 'sing' clearly,
even though it was not struck. This is because
every note struck is composed of several notes,
being in reality a chord in itself, and each note
contained in that chord causes the corresponding
note in the keyboard to vibrate, or 'sing,' in
sympathy if held down in like manner.
"The other notes that will sound under these
conditions will always be the fifth above the
octave, the second octave and the third and fifth
above that, and these tones that sound are called
'overtones.'
"For illustration, if C in the lower part of the
piano is struck, any or all of the notes that fol-
low will sound if their keys are first pressed and
held down."
REVIEW
Col. F. B. T. Hollenberg, the head of the com-
pany, is very enthusiastic regarding the future
of Arkansas, and especially that of the music
company. Arkansas has never experienced a
boom, anu therefore its growth is of healthy and
permanent nature that can be relied upon to
continue.
13
fail to realize under what distressing conditions
an artist is often obliged to play in America."
MUELLER WILL IS CONTESTED.
Fight Made by Relatives to Prevent the Pro-
bating of the Instrument.
A fight to prevent the probating of the will of
the late Arthur C. Mueller, junior member of the
Could be Featured by Piano Dealers With Schmoller & Mueller Piano Co., who died in Chi-
Great Success During Summer—Quick Re- cago last May, is being made in the courts at
turns on Sales—Repossessions Few as Com- Chicago and also in Omaha. The will has been
filed in Chicago and the fight on it is being made
pared With Pianos.
by Mr. Mueller's half brothers and sisters, who
The following excellent remarks are from our are not given any of his property. A similar
Canadian contemporary, The Music Trades fight is being made to prevent the probating of a
Journal, and apply with pertinence to the trade copy of the will in the county court here, and
on "this side of the border": "There is a re- the heirs not named in the will are seeking to
grettable lack of enthusiasm with many piano have an administrator appointed here on the
dealers over the trade possibilities of the organ. grounds the will is not valid.
One ground upon which the objections to the
Why this should be it is rather hard for those
who have made this branch of their business a will are based is the fact he left a large part of
most profitable one to understand. During the his personal estate and all of his real estate to
quiet season in pianos, an energetic dealer can Mrs. Amelia Sti'adler, of Omaha, who is not re-
start his representatives out with organs, and lated to him. After disposing of his stock in the
the right salesman will soon prove the wisdom Schmoller & Mueller Piano Co. and the manufac-
of the move. The returns on organ sales are turing company, the will directs that the re-
found to be generally much quicker than on mainder of the personal property be left to Mrs.
pianos, and the sales are, on the whole, much Stradler, and another section gives her the real
more satisfactory. If a percentage of reposses- estate.
To William H. Schmoller, his partner, he leaves
sions were available, it is safe to say that with
organs the number would be really nominal eighteen shares of stock in the Schmoller &
when compared with pianos. If the dealer can Mueller Piano Co. and eight shares in the
cater to a country trade, where perhaps the Schmoller & Mueller Mfg. Co. The remaining
greatest number of organs are placed, he will shares of stock he directs shall be divided into
find that the payments will be more promptly three equal parts to be held in trust by William
met than in the city. There are a few dealers H. Schmoller and John V. Steger—one-third for
who have the notion that it is not quite so his sister, Maud E. Mueller; one-third to Hattie
dignified to feature organs as it is pianos. This E. Mueller, and one-third to Mrs. Stradler.
Mr. Schmoller, through his attorney, has en-
is utter nonsense, in the first place, and if the
returns from the organ are quicker and more tered objections here to the appointment of an
satisfactory, it is like cutting off the nose to administrator on the grounds the will has been
spite the face to overlook them. It is business filed for probate in Chicago.
and money we are all after, anyway, and a man
can uphold his dignity if he is the right man,
GREETINGS FROM 'FRISCO.
whether he is selling a piano, an organ or a
washing machine. The farmer of to-day is not Merchants' Association Telegraphs Apprecia-
the stay-at-home man of fifty years back. He is
tion of Aid from New York.
up-to-date HO far as his purse will let him, and
there are as few homes in the country now with-
The Merchants' Association, of New York,
out an instrument of some kind as there were a which raised and disbursed $185,362.04 for the
few years ago with one."
sufferers by the San Francisco earthquake and
fire, has received the following telegram from
the Merchants' Association, of San Francisco:
WHY THE PIANISTJ)FTEN SUFFERS
"The Merchants' Association, of San Francisco,
assembled at its semi-annual dinner in the cen-
From Unfavorable Criticism—Long Distances
ter of the burned district at the St. Francis
to Cover Make Artists Tired and Travel
Hotel, ninety-eight days after the fire, sends
Worn—Reisenauer Says It Is Hard to Have
greetings to its honorary member, the Merchants'
a Man Do His Best Under Such Circum-
Association, of New York, with grateful appre-
stances.
ciation of its generous aid rendered our city in
its hour of need. We send assurances that the
Last season the uneven playing of certain courage and the commercial spirit of the people
noted pianists was the subject of comment. For are unbroken, and that in record time San Fran-
instance, the opinions of critics in the East and cisco will arise better and greater than ever."
HOLLENBERG'S NEW BUILDING
West often were in conflict. The reason for this
Will be a Credit to the Company and to Little has now come to light through the contribution of
ANOTHER WOMAN AT THE HELM.
Reisenauer, which appears in the Etude. He
Rock—Will Have Handsome Music Hall.
says: "I have been obliged to play in one West-
Mrs. E. L. Gregory, who for some months has
The new building now being erected for the ern city one night, and in an Eastern city the been the proprietor of Gregory's Music House,
Hollenberg Music Co. at Seventh and Main following night. Hundreds of miles lay be- Saginaw, has announced that she has now as-
streets, Little Rock, Ark., will be in full accord- tween them. In the latter city I was obliged to sumed sole management of the business. Mrs.
ance with the growth and bright future of this go directly from the railroad depot to the stage Gregory is thoroughly conversant with the music
enterprise. It will be 50x160 ft. ground measure- of the concert hall, hungry, tired, travel worn trade, having been connected with it ever since
ments and will be five stories high, of pressed and without practice opportunities. How can a her husband established the music store ten years
brick, decorated with architectural relief work man be at his best under such conditions? Yet ago, and she will carry the business on along
certain conditions make these things unavoid- the broad lines that were laid down in the be-
and copper cartouches. The style is Venetian.
The first two floors will be given over to piano able in America, and the pianist must suffer oc- ginning.
salesrooms, the third to recital hall, which will be casional criticism for not playing uniformly
equipped with pipe organs, self-players, etc., and well. In Europe such conditions do not exist,
In one mail last week, M. P. Moller, the pipe
capable of seating 225 people. There will also be owing to the closely populated districts. I am organ manufacturer of Hagerstown, Md., re-
piano and phonograph parlors, with sound-proof glad to have the opportunity to make this state- ceived orders for four instruments, a decided
ment, as no doubt a very great many Americans tribute to the quality of his products.
walls for private display of instruments.
POOLE
ORGAN TRADE POSSIBILITIES
and 7 A P P L E T O N
Appeal to cultivated tastes. They are
marvels of beauty and form at once'a
valuable accessory *o any piano store
S T R E E T . BOSTON, MASS,