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THE
2UMPE PIANOMADE IN 1763
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
AMERICAN PIANOSJN AUSTRALIA.
Is Now in the Possession of Chas. W. Gray,
Angus Mahoney, Prominent Merchant of Mel-
of Portsmouth, N. H.—Was Brought to the
bourne Gives Some Interesting Information
United States by John Jacob Astor—Perhaps
Regarding Conditions in That Country.
One of the Oldest Instruments in the Country.
What may be America's oldest piano, now
owned by Charles W. Gray, of Portsmouth, N. H.,
has undergone many and varied vicissitudes dur-
ing its nearly a century and a half of existence.
It was built in London by Johann Zumpe in 1763,
and twenty-one years later was brought to the
United States for John Jacob Astor. It was with
•difficulty that the strings were kept from rusting
during the long passage across the ocean, and
after its arrival in New York the much drier
atmosphere caused the woodwork to crack.
For nearly forty years the piano remained in
the Astor family, when it went into the posses-
sion of the father of the late G. Alexander
Emery, of Boston. On the death of Mr. Emery,
ST., the piano passed to his son, and on his re-
moval from Boston to Portsmouth he took the
highly treasured instrument with him, and up to
the time of his death, some few years ago, could
not be persuaded to part with the valuable old
relic.
It is interesting to note in this connection
that Spillane's "History of the American Piano-
forte" has the following to say of Zumpe's
achievements: "Up to 1760 all instruments were
made in the form of grands, until Zumpe, a
German workman, originated the familiar 'square'
in London in that year. Petis, who seemed to
have a particular love for disputing dates,
claimed that one Frederici made 'squares' several
years earlier. This is of little consequence, how-
ever. Zumpe was a workman employed in the
shop of Tschudi, the famous London harpsichord
maker, and afterward throughout his career ex-
hibited great creative and inventive talent.
Zumpe started in business in London on his own
account, when he became famous throughout
England and the Continent. His 'damper' and
action improvements led up to many valuable
results in time. He amassed a fortune during
his life and died rich and famous. Previous to
Zumpe's first achievements pianoforte making
had been comparatively a faifWre in England."
Angus Mahoney, a furniture and piano mer-
chant of Melbourne, Australia, who crossed the
States recently en route for his old home at
Dumfries, Scotland, stated that although the
leading houses in Melbourne and other large
Australian cities handle American pianos and
have a very high opinion of them, inferior in-
struments control the market. He also men-
tioned the fact that our instruments, being not
only of the highest grade, but of the highest
price, appealed only to the wealthy class of
people. He stated furthermore that the wood
used for the cases of the American pianos was
not popular among the Australians, they prefer-
ring Italian walnut, which is used in the con-
struction of the German instruments. This wood
is practically unobtainable here, and the best
equivalent, thinks Mr. Mahoney, would be to
send pianos constructed of a wood that would
carry a brighter and more attractive finish. Mr.
Mahoney commented, however, upon the fact that
American organs and player-pianos absolutely
control the market.
TRADE IN THECRESCENT CITY.
Piano Contests Are in Order—What the Various
Houses Are Offering—Philip Werlein, Ltd.,
to Hold Manufacturers' Exhibit in September.
fire was in progress, visiting the dealers o£ the
city with whom their respective firms do busi-
ness. The lost orders, however, have been re-
newed, and the two men are now hustling to re-
gain the lost time.
GOOD SALES IN PITTSBURG, PA.
(Special to The Review.)
Pittsburg, Pa., Aug. 22, 1908.
The various piano houses in Pittsburg report
a strong and steady growing demand for player-
pianos in that city, which greatly helps in swell-
ing the sales average.
The W. F. Frederick Co. recently sold a Hard-
man Autotone, a Kingsbury Inner-Player, a
Kurtzmann player-piano and a couple of Krell
Auto-Grands, all in one week, while the Hen-
dricks Piano Co. helped out a week's total by
selling three player-pianos, a Decker & Son, a
Marshall & Wendell and a Foster & Co. Busi-
ness in the regular lines is also looking up, and
with collections close to normal the dealers are
in a very pleasant mood.
EXHIBITORS AT NEBRASKA STATE FAIR.
A. Hospe & Co., of Omaha, and the Ross P.
Curtice Co., Lincoln, are among the piano
houses who have arranged for exhibits at the
Nebraska State Fair, to be held in Lincoln from
August 27 to September 4.
CURTICE-BAUM CO.'S PRIZE CONTEST.
On August 15 the Curtice-Baum Co., Omaha,
Neb., inaugurated one of the largest prize con-
New Orleans, La., Aug. 24, 1908.
tests ever held in the West. Large advertise-
Prize contests rule in the piano field in this ments were placed in 125 papers in Nebraska
city, and almost every firm are trying to in- Iowa, Wyoming and South Dakota, and more
crease their business by some interesting than 100,000 circulars have been prepared for
scheme.
distribution. The prizes are especially desir-
Philip Werlein, Ltd., have inaugurated a vot- able, aggregating $16,500 in value, and including
ing contest for prizes said to aggregate $37,000 eight, pianos, as follows: Style A Louis XV
in value, and including fifty-eight upright quarter grand of Chickering & Sons; style V
pianos, a pipe organ, one Chickering grand and Master grand piano of the Packard Co.; style 2
one Weber grand, over four hundred smaller in- Chase piano of the Starr Piano Co.; style Louis
struments and $1,000 in cash. Votes are given XV, P. C. Weaver pianos; Kohler & Campbell
to each customer, according to the amount of upright; style 79 Sterling; upright of Henry &
the purchase and the contest will run until S. G. Lindeman; style M Harvard; style R
Christmas eve.
Kurtzmann, and a style 507 Ivers & Pond.
The L. Grunewald Co. have renewed their
The contest closes Sept. 19, and is so con-
HARVARD PIANOS FOR KIDD COLLEGE.
offer of cash prizes to those who give the name ducted that the pianos will be given away at
The Kidd-Key College, of Sherman, Tex., of prospects who purchase instruments before intervals during the period of the contest. Much
which bought eight or ten Harvard pianos about January 1. No limit is placed upon the number interest is manifested in the affair, which is on
a year ago, recently placed an' order with the of names that may be sent in by any one per- an entirely new plan devised and copyrighted
representative of the Harvard pianos in Sher- son, and each sale means an additional cash by W. M. Robinson, manager of the Curtice-
Baum Co.
man for another carload of these instruments. prize without any further effort on the part of
This is certainly a tribute to the Harvard pianos the contestant.
The line handled by the^Grunewalds includes
LECTURE BY W. GOODRICH JONES.
that is worthy of consideration.
the Steinway, Knabe, A. B. Chase, Sohmer,
Mehlin, Fischer and Shoninger pianos. Any-
W. Goodrich Jones, president of the Temple
SOME PIANO MEN GOT "ROPED IN."
one living in Louisiana or Mississippi, except Book Concern, music dealers of Temple, Tex.,
and known among his friends in the Lone Star
Edward B. Boise, receiver of the Export and employes of the house, may compete.
The special night at White City set aside State as "Hackberry" Jones, owing to his work
Shipping Co., whose president, F. G. Bailey, took
a shipload of goods to Honduras without settling for the Junius Hart Piano House, as previously in the forestry service, addressed the Men's Club
for the goods, has filed a list of 213 creditors, in- mentioned in The Review, was a great success. at the Chautauqua Assembly recently upon the
cluding several piano and small goods houses.
The Philip Werlein Co. have arranged to hold wonderful resources of Texas. Mr. Jones also
The claims against Bailey aggregate $58,000.
a manufacturers' exhibit of pianos at their T!anal characterized President Roosevelt in a most in-
street warerooms during the Home Manufac- teresting manner, he having represented his
turers' Exhibit in September. Art pianos in State at the Convention of Governors held in
CONDITIONS LOOK GOOD IN TEXAS.
various styles and woods made especially for the Washington some time ago.
The piano dealers of Texas look for a record- exhibit by the manufacturers will be shown, and
breaking fall, especially in the farming sections, arrangements have been made to handle visitors
KENDIS OPENS REPAIRING SHOP.
if the Farmers' Union does not hold out too during that period. Special decorations have
M. B. Kendis, formerly with Hayden Bros.,
strongly for 15-cent cotton. The cotton yield also been arranged for.
is expected to be double that of previous years,
Recitals will be given every afternoon from Omaha, Neb., has opened a shop at Twenty-
and if it is released at an early date money will 2 to 4 o'clock, and also two nights each week, fourth and Caldwell streets, that city, where he
is engaged in repairing and rebuilding pianos,
be plentiful and business will pick up. A large and will be free to the public.
automatic pianos, and small instruments. Mr.
part of the depression in that State is laid at the
door of the Farmers' Union, who held up the PIANO MEN SUFFER BY BIG HOTEL FIRE. Kendis also conducts a snare and bass drum fac-
tory on the premises.
cotton crop for the 15-cent offer and thereby kept
A. G. Crane, the southwestern traveler for the
ready money down to a low level.
Cable-Nelson Co., Chicago, lost all of his travel-
JONES PIANO CO. BOOK BIG ORDER.
ing effects, including grips, letters, and original
ORDERS CARLOAD FROM CABLE CO.
The Jones Piano Co., 513-515 West Locust
orders at a disastrous fire which occurred re-
C. H. Mahan, a piano dealer of Baird, Tex., cently in the hotel in which he was staying at street, Des Moines, la., have received an order
recently placed an order with the Cable Com- Oklahoma City, Okla. Mr. Fitzsimons, of the for thirty-three Schiller pianos from the Drake
pany for a carload of pianos and another of Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.'s Chicago house, who was University of that c'ty. This makes a total of
organs in preparation for what he believes will also staying at the hotel at the time, met with sixty-one pianos that this university has pur-
a similar loss. Both men were out while the chased from the Jones Co. inside of one year.
be a lively fall trade.
(Special to The Review.)