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THE
DETROIT'S BUDGET OF NEWS.
Farrand Co. Notes—Some Good Orders Received
—Early Closing Question Lags Though Ma-
jority Are Willing to Close*—Special Sales
in Order—Other News of General Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, August 4, 1908.
Things have been dull this week in music
trade circles, but the dealers appear to be taking
it as a matter of course and in no way are down-
cast.
Things have been happening with the Farrand
Co. Howard M. Miner, in charge of the Cecilian
department, journeyed to Manistee, Mich., and
took a bride, Miss Edna Elmira Roussin, daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis N. Roussin, of that
place. The wedding was July 27. After a little
trip, Mr. and Mrs. Miner will return to Detroit.
E. P. Andrew and wife and his son and wife
returned this week from Ludington and Hamlin
Lake, where they enjoyed a short period of
recreation.
C. H. Hoffman, secretary of the Herrick Piano
Co., of Grand Rapids, Mich., visited the Farrand
factory within the last few days. He was ac-
companied by Mr. Dietzel, head salesman of the
Herrick store. They left good orders and par-
ticularly for player pianos and spent some time
at the factory having the metal actions ex-
pounded. Williams Bros., of Jackson, Miss.,
were also visitors at the Farrand Co. factory on
their way East.
W. R. Farrand declares that business is most
favorable and that there are good prospects, par-
ticularly in the line of player pianos. The fac-
tory is busy.
The agitation among the music dealers for a
Saturday closing agreement has progressed as
far as the last man and there it seems to lag.
Grinnell Bros, say that they cannot adopt the
Saturday closing plan without materially in-
juring their business. Their extensive small in-
strument business and their sheet music depart-
ment and the collection department all it is said
might suffer if the store were to close Saturday
noon.
Other dealers say that the cash taken in and
the new business done after noon Saturdays in
hot weather does not pay for the expenses of
keeping the store open. Nearly all are in favor
of closing, but none of them feel that such a plan
is feasible unless everyone will fall in line.
Milton A. Van Wagoner, of the Detroit Music
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE*
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Co., who only recently moved to 288 Woodward
avenue, is advertising a "sample piano sale."
"Manufacturers' samples direct from the fac-
tory," says the ad, "new pianos in oak, walnut
and mahogany; regular price $300, sample price
$185."
Schwankovsky is advertising a midsummer
sale, "pianos on credit terms at less than you
can pay cash for elsewhere." New and nearly
new pianos are advertised.
OLD BEAMS FORORGAN PIPES.
Turning Lumber from Ancient Public Buildings
to Account in England.
"Organ pipes," says a well known builder, "are
made of the best white pine and the older and
better seasoned the wood the better the quality
of tone given out by the pipe. In Germany and
England when an old public building, such as a
church, town hall or large structure of any kind,
is to be taken down there is always an organ
builder haunting the place to find out of what
wood the roof and floor beams are made, and if
he discovers that they are of white pine he is
ready to pay almost any reasonable price for
them, provided, of course, they are in good con-
dition, without knots or nail holes. He knows
that many of these churches and other buildings
were erected 400 or 500 years ago and that
through forty or fifty decades the wood has been
slowly drying and hardening until it has reached
a condition which from the organ builder's point
of view is perfection. Then he takes the old
beams home to his factory, covering them in tran-
sit with tarpaulins, cuts them into boards of the
desired size and makes his pipes with perfect
confidence that the organ will be a musical suc-
cess.
"Most of the old organs of Europe, that is or-
gans built from 100 to 300 years ago, have a mel-
lowness of tone that distinguishes them from
modern instruments, and although the skill of the
toner is now lessening the difference between new
pipes and those that have been seasoned by long
use, there is still a difference between the old
organs and the new, just as there is between vio-
lins made now and those Cremona instruments
that have mellowed with time.
"American organ builders spend no time look-
ing for old beams, but they do keep their lum-
ber seasoning and for several years before they
use it and then depend on the toner to make up
the difference."
OUR FOREIGNCUSTOMERS.
Pianos and Other Musical Instruments Shipped
Abroad from the Port of New York for the
Week Just Ended—An Interesting Array of
Musical Specialties for Foreign Countries.
(Special to The Keview.)
GAe CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND
is the greatest success of the day.
It possesses a scale of rare even-
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
35
•(9-S75 Eut 137th St
NEW YORK
WAREROOHS'
West 14th St.
Washington, D. C, August 2, 1908.
The following were the exports of musical in-
struments and kindred lines from the port of
New York for the week just ended:
Auckland.—40 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $626; 4 cases organs, $241.
Barrios.—8 pkgs. talking machines and mate-
rial, $590.
Berlin.—227 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $1,917.
Brussels.—1 case pianos and material, $500.-
Buenos Ayres.—2 cases piano players and ma-
terial, $465; 2 cases pianos and material, $525;
18 pkgs. talking machines and material, $666; 21
pkgs. talking machines and material, $3,397.
Choesbeama.—2 cases organs and material,
$154.
Colon.—1 case pianos and material, $300; 5
pkgs. phonograph goods, $129; 5 cases pianos
and material, $1,410.
Guayaquil.—2 pkgs. phonograph goods, $105;
1 pkg. talking machines and material, $100.
Hamburg.—2 cases organs, $190; 2 cases pianos
and material, $425.
Havana.—26 pkgs. phonograph goods, $810; 2
cases pianos and material, $150.
Hong Kong.—37 cases music, $3,190; 38 pkgs.
phonograph goods, $3,451.
Leipzig.—14 cases organs and material, $1,617;
10 cases organs and material, $490.
Lisbon.—2 cases organs, $192.
Liverpool.—5 cases organs and material, $489f
71 pkgs. talking machines and material, $2,857.
London.—27 cases piano players and material,
$7,505; 4 cases music, $295.
Madrid.—2 cases organs and material, $135.
Melbourne.—1 case music, $112; 11 pkgs.
phonograph goods, $112; 12 cases organs and
material, $441.
Munich.—2 cases piano players and material,
$350.
Naples..—4 cases pianos and material, $450.
Rio de Janeiro.—5 cases music rolls, $280; 5
eases piano players, $820; 43 pkgs. phonograph
goods, $2,912.
Santos.—4 pkgs. talking machines and mate-
rial, $187; 5 cases pianos and organs and mate-
rial, $399.
Shanghai.—9 cases pianos and material, $1,000;
38 pkgs. talking machines and material, $1,138;
1 case organs and material, $397.
St. Johns.—6 pkgs. phonograph goods, $167.
Savanilla.—10 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $120.
Trellsborg.—1 case organs and material, $110.
Trieste.—1 case pianos and material, $225.
Valparaiso.—8 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $242; 4 cases organs and material, $238;
17 cases piano players and material, $2,140.
Vera Cruz.—45 pkgs. talking machines and
material, $947.
Vienna.—6 pkgs. talking machines and mate-
rial, $299.
Yokohama.—38 pkgs. talking machines- and
material, $3,514.
Zenich.—1 case pianos and material, $500.
OFFICERS OF CARL HOFFMAN CO.
Messrs. Hoffman, Rosenfield and Armstrong
Elected—Capital Is $130,000, but They Con-
trol $250,000 if Necessary—Will Handle
Same Line of Pianos as Before.
(Special to Tlie Review.)
Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 3, 1908.
The Carl Hoffman Music Co., which was es-
tablished in this city forty years ago, has been
reorganized with a capital of $130,000. Arrange-
ments have been made, as the business require-
ments needs it, to control, if necessary, a quarter
of a million dollars to operate this business. Tho
agencies for the Chickering & Sons, Emerson
and Sterling pianos, formerly handled at the time
the Carl Hoffman Music Co. had the above com
panies as stockholders, still remain with tho
Carl Hoffman Music Co. An effort upon the part
of some parties to make it appear that there wa.i
some friction in this direction is without foun-
dation. Carl Hoffman is president of the com-
pany; L. Rosenfield, vice-president and treasurer,
and Elmon Armstrong, secretary. They intend
to carry on a "live" campaign for business the
coming fall.
CONTRACT FOR ESTEY PIPE ORGANS.
Mr. Gratian, special representative of the
Estey Organ Co., while in Omaha, Neb., recently
closed a contract for a $4,000 pipe organ for the
Jewish congregation of Temple Israel, a $50,00J
synagogue, and another contract for a $3,000
pipe organ for the Lowe Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
A. R. SAGER OPENS IN BUFFALO.
The list of piano dealers in Buffalo, N. Y.,
has been augmented by Albert R. Sager, who
has opened warerooms at 178 Dodge street,
where he handles Stultz & Bauer and other
makes of pianos. Mr. Sager was formerly con-
nected with the Grohs Piano Co.
Ray
moved
street,
ments
Ritter, a dealer of Allentown, Pa., has re-
to new warerooms at 142 North Seventh
in that city. He is also making arrange-
for opening branch stores at Reading and
Kutztown, Pa.