Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
OPPOSE AUSTRALIAN TARIFF.
The German Piano Manufacturers' Association
Protest Against Advance jn Duty.
The increase in the Australian tariff on pianos
has raised the ire of the Germans and as a re-
sult the Association of German Piano Manufac-
turers held a meeting in Leipsic on October 19,
for the purpose of protesting against the ad-
vance. The association have demanded of the
government that it take active measures against
action of the Australian authorities which is de-
nounced as being entirely unjustified. Just what
the government will do in the matter has not
been announced.
THE TIME FOR OPTIMISM.
Some Pertinent Words from Wanamaker—
Inflation and Hysteria Is Being Steadily and
Surely Supplanted by Confidence.
A very interesting feature of the clever adver-
tising carried on by John Wanamaker in the
daily papers of New York in his heart-to-heart
talk in the form of a striking "editorial." On
Friday the following appeared, and it is so time-
ly and hits the mark so well that it is worth
reproducing:
NOW
IT'S SUN-UP.
A new business era is dawning.
The bubble of inflation and hysterical specu-
lation has been pricked.
The foundation of the Nation's financial insti-
tutions has been found to be as solid as the rock
of Manhattan Island itself.
The storm came. I t has practically blown
away only a few dead Autumn leaves. The storm
has died down for good. Not one brick of the
sky-line is missing.
The nations of the world look on. American
financial, commercial and manufacturing institu-
tions have been tried in the fire and cyclone.
The soundness of our business enterprises is now
demonstrated to be a certainty.
A new era of national growth and prosperity,
infinitely greater, and more solid than ever be-
fore, is clearly before us.
The institutions that deserve it, will share it.
AGENCY PLACED WITH WURLITZER.
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., following out their
plans for developing their piano department,
have secured the agency of the Smith, Barnes &
Strohber Co. line and are negotiating for the
agencies for other pianos, among them Vose, it is
stated. The company are giving much attention
to the developing of their trade in Steinway
pianos—their leader.
BEETHOVEN'S PIANO.
The Beethoven Museum in Bonn has a most
precious relic in the grand piano which Bee-
thoven used in the last days of his life—so full
of sprrow and pain. The instrument was made
by Qyaf, of Vienna, and contains some very pecu-
liar features.
It | s a four-string instrument; that is, each
tone \s made by the stroke of a hammer upon
four strings, and not two, as was the case in the
earlier pianos. These four strings naturally give
a very strong and effective tone, particularly
necessary to Beethoven on account of his deaf-
ness. Upon the keyboard and the action of the
instrument beyond this was fastened a resonance
shell, made of thin wood, which had the appear-
ance of a prompter's box, which, however, has
not been preserved to the present time. This
box, built by Maelzel, led the sounds in a con-
centrated manner to the ear of the deaf musician
with overpowering strength. At this piano Bee-
thoven was greatly pleased to sit in the evening
hour and hold conversation, as it were, with his
genius, in free fancy.
Beethoven was a great master in improvisa-
tion, and his intimate friends of later years,
especially Schindler, tell that in his extemporiza-
tion he showed the greatest charm, and intro-
duced overpowering, even tremendously dis-
MUSIC TRADE
9
REVIEW
sonant, passages. After Beethoven's death this
remarkable instrument reverted to Graf. Later
it passed into the hands of a bookseller by the
name of Winter, and later into the family of
Pastor Widman, until finally it was placed in the
collection of the Beethoven Museum at Bonn.
BANKRUPTCY_LAW CHANGES.
Some Remarks by Judge Hough That Are to
the Point.
Judge Charles M. Hough, of the United States
District Court, at a meeting of the New York
Credit Men's Association held last week, made
some pertinent suggestions regarding the chang-
ing of the present bankruptcy law. He stated in
part as follows:
"There are three amendments that could be
made to improve the Bankruptcy law. First,
there is no reason based on common sense why
a corporation making shirts should be put into
bankruptcy while a corporation that washes
shirts should not. In a word, the men who con-
cocted the act made the mistake of trying to
put into the law those corporations that could
be put into bankruptcy instead of those that
could not.
"Secondly, it is the popular impression that the
receiver is as bad as the thief. A receivership in
the larger cities of the East is a necessary evil.
But I have heard of very few cases of a bank-
ruptcy worth saving where the bankrupt hadn't
a commercial rating, and I see no reason why
a number of creditors representing a percentage
of that rating should not get together at the first
sign of trouble and file a petition against him in-
stanter. In other words, see that you control
the bankrupt's affairs earlier than you do now.
"Thirdy, as to discharges in bankruptcy. I
do not advocate the French system, where a man
gets a discharge only by the consent of the cred-
itors, but I do think that a discharge ought to
be granted not as a right belonging to the bank-
rupt, but as a privilege and a reward of merit."
The president of the Credit Men's Association
is W. S. Armstrong, of the American Felt Co.
PIANOS IN DULL FINISH FOR SCHOOLS.
The New York public schools need forty-eight
small sized uprights in dull finish. That at least
is what the Board of Education want, and they
recommended the acceptance of bids ranging
from $240 to $265. In meeting the specifications,
for school use, the pianos may be made for less
money than those sent out to the trade.
DENOUNCE FAKE TUNERS.
So annoying have become the practices of the
fake piano tuners in and around Calumet, Mich.,
that R. W. Wilson, manager of the Cable Pia'no
Co.'s branch in that city, published the following
notice in an effort to keep them out of his terri-
tory:
"There are a number of tuners and piano
salesmen that are canvassing Calumet and sur-
rounding vicinity for work who represent them-
selves as being employed by the Cable Piano Co.,
and are soliciting business on our reputation.
"We wish to announce that we only employ
one tuner, Harry Harvey—and John McCalmon,
John Kyllonen, Harry Trythall and R. W. Wil-
son as salesmen in this immediate vicinity.
"Anyone else who represents himself as being
employed by us, without showing a letter from
our firm, written on our stationery, authorizing
him to transact business for us, is an impostor
and we hope the general public will treat him as
such."
CHICKERING BABY GRAND AS PRIZE.
A handsome Chickering baby grand is the first
prize in a popularity contest conducted by the
Milwaukee (Wis.) "Sentinel." The instrument
has been on exhibition in one of the windows of
the J. B. Bradford Co.'s remodeled stores in Mil-
waukee, and has attracted much favorable atten-
tion.
Reg. U. S. P a t . Off.
I
Victor "facts"
for piano dealers
The Victor is hailed the world over
as the greatest of all musical enter-
tainers.
Exacting critics recognize in the
Victor a musical instrument of the
highest order.
The Victor's list of artists includes
the world's greatest operatic singers.
New acquisitions of the most brilliant
talent are constantly being made. And
all these artists sing only for Victor
records.
The Victor is the only instrument
that reproduces the human voice
clearly, fully and true to life.
Victor advertising is the most ex-
tensive and convincing, and its scope
is being steadily and rapidly increased.
People of refined musical taste buy
the Victor. And the popular demand
for the Victor is increasing enor-
mously.
Small capital starts you in the Vic-
tor business. While you are making
big Victor profits you are increasing
your piano sales and your business
popularity. Piano dealers who are
taking advantage of these Victor
"facts" are building up a big, perma-
nent, thriving business. Why don't
you?
Write and ask us all about it.
Victor Talking Machine
Company,
Camden, N. J.
Berliner Gramophone Company
of Montreal, Canadian Distributors.