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THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Business Continues Quiet—Little Prospect of Betterment in View—The Situation Handled With-
out Gloves—If Success Is to be Won More Enterprise Must be Manifested and a Greater Feel-
ing of Optimism Must Prevail—John Brinsmead to Participate in a Number of Celebrations
—Beethoven Manuscript Goes to Italy—An Historic Piano—Trade Conditions in South
Africa—Increased Cost of Raw Materials Affect Pianos—Autopiano Piano for a Member of
the Turkish Court—Other Comments of General Interest to the Trade.
(Special to The Hevlew.)
London, Bng., May 23, 1907.
Business in all branches of the music trade in
this country is very quiet, and present prospects
are that this unwelcome condition will prevail
right through the summer, although everyone is
hopeful of better times to come. Unfortunately
the foreign piano is finding a large market here
and is being sold at a price that it is difficult to
compete with. It is all very fine to talk about
optimism, but the Englishman is human like
everybody else, and when it comes to buying
pianos he wants an instrument at a low price,
and the English manufacturer can hardly supply
it as readily as can the German. The German
manufacturers are placing their factory system
on a basis like the United States and equipping
the plants in a thoroughly up-to-date manner.
This combination of labor saving machinery and
cheap labor gives them a position that the Brit-
ish manufacturer finds it difficult to compete
with. The majority of our plants are small and
need new equipment to keep up with this pro-
gressive age. There is no question that we turn
out splendid instruments—well made, reliable
musical creations, but they represent a greater
expense in production than do the German in-
struments. Then the fact that we have absolute
free trade and that we are at the mercy of Ger-
many or any other country where labor is cheap,
places us in an unenviable light and makes it ex-
ceedingly hard for our local manufacturers.
There are also many evils to be remedied in the
retail line. The entire system needs revision.
Trade is not developed in the smaller cities as
it might be, and there should be a closer under-
standing between both manufacturer and dealer
in order to enable the British piano to command
the sales to which it is justly entitled.
There is one other phase of this question that
the observant newspaper man cannot overlook,
and it is that our people are too prone to take
bad times as a matter of fact. When one jour-
neys around the trade, the cry everywhere is
"bad times." If you ask what is being done to
offset them, the answer is "Nothing," and, like
some of our Celtic friends, answer a question by
asking "What can be done?" without making the
least effort to reason out the matter for them-
selves. This tendency to accept conditions with-
out seeking the cause is certainly an evil to be
regretted. Both.manufacturers, dealers and fac-
tors must endeavor to get out of the rut, and to
do so by the adoption of some original ideas: We
could easily stand the Yankee invasion, at least
in brains, when it comes to turning defeat into
success in the business world. The slackening of
trade with us means such retrenchment as the
withdrawal of advertising and a complete cessa-
tion of activity, when it should be just the other
way. Trade should be forced, and activity stim-
ulated by unusual labor on the part of all con-
cerned. This may be gratuitous sermonizing,
but it is well meant and, what is better still, the
facts related are true.
Kapps Will Ship from Dresden.
Messrs. E. Kapps, Ltd., are giving up their Lon-
don showrooms, and all instruments sold in
Great Britain in future will be despatched from
Dresden. In this connection they disposed by
auction of ten grands and twelve upright pianos
on May 7. E. W. Shackell will continue to rep-
resent the firm in this country.
John Brinsmead the "Grand Old Man."
John Brinsmead, head of the famous piano
house of Brinsmead, and his wife, will celebrate
on June 3 the seventieth anniversary of their
wedding. This achievement will be marked by
a reception to be held at 16 Albert Road, Regents
Park, where they will receive their thousands
of friends during the hours of four'and six
o'clock p. m. There will be a great gathering of
the Brinsmead clan, including twenty-three
grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, many
friends and all the employes of the Brinsmead
firm. The wife or sweetheart of each employee
will receive an artistic souvenir brooch, and the
festival, so far as the workpeople are concerned,
will be made a husband-and-wife festival. It is
noteworthy, too, that both Mr. Brinsmead and
his wife will have reached the grand old age
of ninety-two this year. Another fact worth re-
cording is that this marks the completion of
seventy years of Mr. Brinsmead's establishment
in business. It is Mr. Brinsmead's intention on
June 3 to hand over to the trustee £1,000
($5,000) for the benefit of those who are working
with him to-day, and who have assisted him in
his successful career. With this sum as a basis,
it is intended to establish a provident fund, pro-
vided it meets with the approval of the majority
of the staff. With some small weekly or monthly
contributions from the men it is proposed to get
together sufficient funds from which those in real
need may be looked after and provided with nec-
essary comforts.
Beethoven Manuscript Sold.
It is stated here German music lovers are much
distressed that Beethoven's sonata, "Opus 96,"
which brought the price of $10,500 at a recent
sale in Germany, was sold to a Florentine col-
lector. The owner attempted to sell it to some
German library or museum, but was unsuccess-
ful. The manuscript comprises twenty-three
folios written in Beethoven's own hand. That
the master thought much of the work is shown
by the fact that, contrary to his usual custom, he
signed his full name.
pessimistic frame of mind, but all are hoping for
the best. A recent report presented to the Cham-
ber of Commerce of Capetown states that "the
depression, so far from lifting, has become more
accentuated, and trade continued to shrink dur-
ing the year, more particularly in the second
half." The imports into Cape Colony, as well as
into the whole of South Africa, have shown a
falling off as compared with the previous year.
Increase in Price of Raw Materials.
The secretary of the pianoforte, harmonium
and reed organ section of the Musical Instrument
Trades' Protection Association is sending out a
•communication to the music trade regarding the
increase in prices of raw materials as a result of
the meeting of the piano and organ manufac-
turers, held some time ago at the Midland Hotel,
when the following resolution was passed: "That
in view of the rise in the prices of raw materials
and component parts, the trade price of piano-
fortes and reed organs shall be advanced on or
before July 1, 1907, and retail prices advanced to
the same extent."
The secretary then adds: "That you may the
better appreciate the extent of the rise in prices,
a rise involving very serious loss to manufac-
turers, a list of some of the articles affected is
appended.
"Timber—Rise—Spruce, 10 per cent.; belly-
wood, 12% to 15 per cent; whitewood, 15 per
cent.; oak, 14 per cent.; American walnut, 12%
per cent.
"Metals—Rise-^Iron frames, 10 per cent.;
sconces, 10 to 20 per cent; hinges, 35 per cent.;
lead, 25 per cent, (this is in a comparatively re-
cent period, and is much more if the time is ex-
tended) ; copper wire, 60 per cent.; pressure bars,
33% per cent.
"Component Parts—Rise—Actions, 5 per cent.;
keys, 7% to 12% per cent.; ivory, 33% per cent.
"Other Articles—Rise—Felt, baizes, cloths, 15
to 20 per cent.
"Shellac—40 per cent., and, compared with a
few years ago, 250 per cent.
Piano Made from Historic Oak.
Thanks to Messrs. Challen & Son's enterprise,
they have been attracting considerable notice in
the newspapers owing to their turning out an up-
right grand piano made of the timber taken from
Lord Nelson's flagship, the "Poudroyant," which
was built in 1789. This piano is of old English
oak, of which the man-of-war was built, and on
the music desk appears a handsome example of
inlaid work representing the flagship "Victory."
The lower panel of the piano is made from a
piece of oak taken from the deck of the "Vic-
tory," which Nelson commanded at that famous
battle of Trafalgar. Speaking of Messrs. Challen
& Son brings to mind that Chas. Challen has re-
tired from the active control of the firm. His
eldest son, Chas. H. Challen, who has assumed
the head of the business, has been connected
with this establishment for over thirty-eight
years and is a thoroughly practical man.
GOLDSMITH IN NEW aTJARTERS.
Henry Goldsmith, piano dealer of Columbus,
Ohio, whose store was recently gutted by fire,
has taken new and attractive quarters at 67-71
South High street, that city, where he is showing
a new line of Hardman, Estey, Emerson pianos,
the Knabe-Angelus, Emerson-Angelus and the
Regina line.
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE"
Autopiano for the Turkish Court.
D. Miller Wilson, secretary of Messrs. Kastner
& Co., Ltd., has returned from Constantinople,
where he went to explain the working of an
autopiano piano which was designed for the Sul-
tan of Turkey and intended as a present for one
of the princesses of the Turkish court. The Sul-
tan was highly pleased with the instrument and
expressed his appreciation by conferring on Mr.
Wilson the Order of the Medjidieh.
i
Business Poor in South Africa.
There has been a marked falling off in the
shipment of musical instruments to South Africa,
due, as a matter of course, to the depression which
has existed in that country for the past few
years. The sales of pianos; organs and sheet
music have fallen off most markedly, and there
is a very limited demand for small musical mer-
chandise. The people as a whole are in a very
6/)e CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND
is the greatest success of the day.
It possesses a scale of rare ever,
ness, a tone of remarkable sonority
and richness, with a quality that
is highly orchestral. Our latest
styles of Grands and Uprights
mark a decided advance in the art
of piano-making. We court inves-
tigation. Some territory still open.
CHRISTMAN SONS, Manufacturer.
FACTORY AND OFFICE:
WAREROOMS:
869-873 East 137th St.
35 West 14th St.
NEW YOR.K