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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Business Quiet Owing to Holiday Dealers Decorating for Elk Convention—Cunningham Factory
to be Enlarged—Schomacker Pianoforte Co. Declared Out of Bankruptcy—Wanamaker to
Have Schomacker Pianos on the Market This Week—Gustave Herzberg Heard from—Estey
Co. Items Haskell Co. Building Big Organ—Good A. B. Chase Sales—Woodford-Crouse
Co.'s Proposition Favorable to C. H. Fischer Co. Stockholders—Affairs With Lester Piano Co.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., July 10, 1907.
The piano business in Philadelphia was a little
quiet last week, on account of the holiday coming
in the middle of the week, taking so many people
out of town. The dealers do not expect the
month to be up to the average, for hardly having
recovered this week from last week's celebration,
we are about on the dawn of the big Elk Con-
vention in this city, which begins next Monday,
and which will take the attention of every one
away from business, in their enjoyment of the
festivities. Philadelphia never looked as fine as
it. does at present in the way of ornamental
decorations for this occasion, and the piano
houses have sustained their full share in beauti-
fying the city. Already many of the houses are
covered with bunting and appropriate designs.
While there is little in the way of business ex-
pected next week, it will unquestionably come
later, for the piano houses will no doubt attract
many people. All of the firms have made a
special effort in the way of interior display, and
have gotten together all the novelties in the
way of instruments their various firms possess.
The large firms expect to have musical features,
and daily concerts will be given on the self-
players at the various stores.
Most of the Philadelphia piano dealers have
their families located at some nearby seashore
resort. The reason for this is that they can
visit them quite frequently, and thus obtain a
much needed relaxation. Patrick Cunningham
has a most delightful seashore home at Sea Isle
City, and he has been spending considerable tiim;
there recently. R. S. Sheets, one of his employes,
has a pretty summer home at Belmar, where he
goes every Saturday to Monday, and where he
will pass his vacation shortly.
Mr. Cunningham has for some time been pre-
paring extensive plans for the enlargement of his
factory in Philadelphia, which has grown to be
entirely inadequate for his business. These plans
will be submitted to the stockholders at an early
meeting, and it is expected that an addition al-
most of the extent of the present building will
be put up early in the fall.
The courts have finally declared the Scho-
macker Pianoforte Co. out of bankruptcy and
have sanctioned the purchase of that company
by the Wanamaker firm. The Wanamaker firm
expect to have Schomacker pianos on sale in
Philadelphia during the coming week. They will
go to work at once putting the Christian street
factory into working order, and are making an
effort to get as many hands as possible that they
may resume the building of pianos before the
first of August. They will employ none but
skilled workmen, for the reason, as stated before
in my letter, that they intend to make the Scho-
macker piano in every way as first class as it
has ever been constructed. To secure first-class
workmen such as they want will be no easy
matter, and it may be some time before they
will be able to get their factory in good running
order. There are so many pianos already con-
structed, and so near completion that they will
be in a position to wait until they can get the
men they want.
Gustave Herzberg writes that he has completely
recovered his health and that his European trip
is doing him a lot of good. Harry Herzberg
is looking after the business and has found a full
share of the local trade for both the Kranich &
Bach and the Mehlin. He has sold a number of
fine Kranich & Bachs among the firm's exclusive
trade with suburbanites, the Herzberg house en-
joying this class of trade to a greater extent
than probably any other individual house in
Philadelphia.
D. E. Woolley has sent his family to Pleasant
sirable buildings on Chestnut street, and shortly
they may be expected to build in Philadelphia
the finest retail establishment in this city. John
Wanamaker will have the finest piano department
in a piano store, and as the firm of F. A. North
& Co. is directly opposite the Wanamaker store,
this will center the business in this location,
and in a measure will carry it out of Piano
Row, two blocks further east, where it has re-
mained so long.
Beach, South Thomaston, Maine, and he will go
there for two or three weeks the latter part of
the month.
Business with the Estey house has been very The Eastern Cahill Telharmonic Co. Make an
good. At present they are installing an organ in
Interesting Report of Work Accomplished.
the Epiphany P. E. Mission at Fifty-seventh and
Baltimore avenue. Henry S. Fry opened an
Local stockholders of the Eastern Cahill Tel-
organ at Roaring Springs, Pa., on the 5th, at the harmonic Co. have received copies of the first
Prospect Hill Baptist Church on July 9th, and annual report of the corporation, which tells in
will open one of the finest Estey organs, and the detail the progress made in the electric music
Epiphany Mission Church organ will be opened field. The directors are F. C. Todd, A. H. S.
on the 18th.
Post, H. Carroll Brown and Edwin G. Baetjer, of
Elliot Davis, of the Estey house, is at present Baltimore, Md.; Oscar T. Crosby, of Washington;
away on a two weeks' vacation, part of which F. W. Lord, of New York; William Skinner, of
he is spending at the factory at Brattleboro, Vt. Holyoke; J. G. White, of New York, and Rear
John B. Riggins is away on a four weeks' vaca- Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee. Mr. Crosby is presi-
tion at his country place at Clinton, Salem Co., dent of the company; Mr. Todd vice-president;
N. J. Howard Wilson has gone to Niagara, and Mr. Post treasurer and Mr. H. F. Stevenson, of
Chauncey De Long will go away on the 20th of this city, assistant secretary and treasurer.
July to remain until the second of September,
The report states that the New York Electric
spending the time at his farm near Bellefonte. Co., of which the Cahill corporation is the hold-
R. E. Watrous, who has charge of the Estey ing company, gave public recitals in New York
tuning department, will begin his vacation on last winter, which were attended by about 20,000
July 13th.
people. In addition to these demonstrations a
Clarence Shank, of the firm of N. Stetson & Co., number of transmissions of music to various
is also going to spend his vacation on his farm places have been effected in New York with much
in Center County, and he and De Long have set success. Plans for developing the service along
a meeting place midway between their farms broad lines in New York are outlined in detail.
where they will meet twice a week and talk
In addition to the extension of the service of
about crops. They expect also to bring some of music in New York City, it is the intention of
their finest growings along to each meeting to see the Cahill Co. to establish companies in various
who is the best farmer.
cities to market music. The telharmonium, or
The Charles E. Haskell Co., under the direction electric music machine, was invented by Dr. Ca-
of Eugene Haskell, are building the fine $30,000 hill, of Holyoke, Mass., and has attracted atten-
organ that will be placed in the new Wegafarth tion from all parts of the world. It is possible
Theatre now building in West Philadelphia. to operate the keyboard on the machine and sup-
This will be one of the finest organs in such an ply music to thousands of homes at the same
edifice in this city, and will be ready for use time. In many respects the service is similar to
early in the fall.
that of the telephone, the music being transmitted
Joseph Allen is congratulating himself on sev- to subscribers over private wires, and being ob-
eral very line A. H. Chase sale«, which were on tainable whenever the subscriber may desire.
the "carpet" for some little time. It is rarely
C. L. Heskett has engaged in the manufacture
that Mr. Allen loses a sale when he once has it
started, for the A. B. Chase is an irresistible of violins in Omaha Neb. He was formerly lo-
proposition. When a person has become thor- cated in David City, Neb.
oughly saturated with the A. B. Chase tone, it is
rarely that he can be talked mto anything else.
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GKADE"
The proposition recently presented by the
Woodford-Crouse Co. to the stockholders of the
former Charles H. Fischer Co. seems to have
taken their fancy. It is a reasonable way out
of a trying dilemma, and they are profiting by
at least trying to get a part of their loss back.
They say they find it is not °uch a hard propo
sition to sell a Steger piano lo a purchaser at a
little reduction, not on the part of the instrument
—for the Stegers are going to adhere to the one-
price system, but the Woodford-Crouse proposi-
tion allows stockholders to make a little personal
loss to gain considerable more than they would
get by not making a little exertion.
The Lester Piano Co. are finally getting ahead
of their business. When people get ahead of
their lmsiness they are usually a subject for
criticism, but it is riot this condition with the
Lester Co., but rather a thing for congratula-
tion. It has been close to a year since they
have had more pianos on hand than they had
orders for them on their books. But with great
is the greatest success of the day.
energy, and an expenditure to get as much power
It possesses a scale of rare even
as possible, they have finally begun the piling
ness, a tone of remarkable sonority
up of pianos, and although orders are coming In
and richness, with a quality that
a? fast as ever, yet they have facilities that will
is highly orchestral. Our latest
permit of them getting some instruments at
styles of Grands and Uprights
least ahead for the fall trade.
mark a decided advance in the art
of piano-making. We court inves-
Every one is anxiously awaiting some news
tigation. Some territory still open.
from the Lester Co. as to when the new F. A.
North & Co. building is to go up in Philadelphia,
CHRISTMAN SONS, Manufacturer.
the latter name being the name by which the
FACTORY AND OFFICE:
WAUEKOOMS:
retail business is carried on in Philadelphia. The
35 West 14th Si.
869-873 East 137th St.
NEW YOR.K
company have purchased three of the most de-
REPORTS PROGRESS MADE.
Ghe CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND