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THE MUSIC TIRADE
TALL TOWER
The white, sky-piercing campanile of the Metro- high-class and evidently planned to appeal through
politan Life is an object of interest to all visitors the higher senses. Obviously the American Piano
to New York, thousands of whom visit the tower Co. have sensed the fact that their new player is of
and are carried upward for nearly fifty stories, the very highest type, and in exploiting it they have
there to view the wonderful panorama spread out not failed to keep in view the important fact that
before them.
the future of the player-piano lies in consistent
Under the tall tower millions of human beings development of its artistic features. The value of
pursue their daily course, and there is no other the educational and advertising work thus being
elevated viewpoint from which a perfect sight of
done is priceless. Of course, as the season pro-
a great city may be had with the same degree of gresses, the scope of the recitals will be broadened.
interest, save, perhaps, the Eiffel Tower in Paris; Even now, however, a goodly audience is drawn
but Paris is a much smaller city, for New York daily and without doubt many valuable prospects
to-day, without what is strictly its contributing are being unearthed by these means.
population, is the second largest city in the world;
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and then on the clearest day the far confines of
The National Piano Manufacturers' Association
much of the suburban New York can be located has been figuring in a prominent way in national
from the Metropolitan Tower.
affairs recently, and it will doubtless interest the
Directly underneath the tower, in the Metro- piano travelers to know that W. D. Simmons, a
politan building, bounded by Madison and Fourth prominent business man of St. Louis, Mo., is
avenues, Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth streets, anxious to have the ambassadors of the com-
is a population of a western city, and, in the great mercial world occupy a more important sphere
building alone transactions are carried on daily in than they even do to-day. This idea Mr. Sim-
almost every branch of trade known in the civilized mons developed the other day at the conservation
world.
eongress. According to its author—and we guess
Truly a Metropolitan building; and, under the he is right—a good many Americans do not know
tall tower are the offices of this newspaper insti- just what conservation is. How inform them?
tution—simply one among the countless enterprises Call in the drummer, is the ready reply. Let the
conducted under the tall tower.
Governors of each State summon in council half
In the tall tower are bells that strike the hour a dozen successful business men and put it up to
and chime the fractions thereof, and many people the latter to make the great army of commercial
who live or work in offices within a mile of Madi- travelers missionaries in the gospel of conserva-
son Square have complained of these bells!
tion. These will first have to be "advised along
But bells are numerous in New York—church proper lines," and then they are to pass the in-
bells, fire bells, fog bells, dinner bells.
formation along. They are to spread "the facts
All New Yorkers, perhaps, are not aware that about the forests and water supply," the relation
Edgar Allan Poe's lyric, "The Bells," was written between development of resources and transporta-
in one of the old-time brick mansions still stand- tion, and "what is meant by the 'pork barrel' in
ing within a mere sound of the chimes of Grace politics.' As a means of orally supplementing
Church.
popular education through the newspapers, this
Trinity's bells have a legendary of their own.
proposal has novelty, and maybe merit. It must be
Now, the quartet of the Metropolitan makes the admitted that there is no body of men in this
third and newest bell station along the lower five country to-day that combine such all-round quali-
miles of Broadway.
ties as the commercial travelers. They are
And Brooklyn, the City of Churches, reverberates America's prime story tellers, finest mixers, most
on a summer Sunday evening with the distant, active circulating library of up-to-date informa-
softening clangor from well-nigh a hundred towers tion, most persuasive politicians and business
and steeples.
crusaders. They are in brief the most unique
The bells of the tall tower will continue to ring, representatives of American progress.
notwithstanding there are objectors.
n u «{
Yes, objectors to everything!
The Autopiano Co., in their latest bulletin of
A great many people complain of the rain from advertising cuts for the use of dealers, show some
Heaven, and there are a few to be found who very attractive designs with text matter very force-
permit themselves to sharply criticize the Almighty fully and interestingly arranged. The special de-
and to denounce the whole scheme of the universe. signs attract the eye, and there can be no question
as to the value of this publicity for dealers, par-
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ticularly
in the smaller towns where special cuts
The casual observer of the Fifth avenue after-
noon throng is sure to have his attention arrested and clever designs cannot be procured. The Auto-
when passing the imposing front of Knabe Hall, piano Co. are certainly doing splendid work in is-
at Thirty-ninth street, by the sight of something suing this monthly advertising bulletin, and inas-
which at first only draws his eye because it looks much as they furnish the electrotypes free it is to
the interest of dealers to make use of this adver-
unusual in that place. And indeed this is true.
tising matter, which is furnished in many sizes.
The thing in question is a very handsome sign
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standing on the sidewalk and inviting the passer-by
A
bill
favorably
reported by the House Post
to enter at 3 :30 every afternoon and hear a recital
Office
Committee
at
the last session of Congress
of music rendered by the American-Electrelle
piano-player. The Review wandered in accord- prohibits the Post Office Department from printing
ingly the other day when passing by, and was the business card of any firm on stamped en-
shown upstairs to the third floor, where a taste- velopes. The bill, which was introduced by Rep-
fully decorated room has been set apart for these resentative Tou Velle, of Ohio, provides that after
informal affairs. A goodly company of people, evi- June 30, 1911, it shall be unlawful for the depart-
dently of high class, by their appearance, were ment to sell any stamped envelope bearing a
listening with quiet attention to the amazingly printed direction or bearing the name of any firm
artistic interpretations which the demonstrator, Mr. or individual, or any number of post office box or
Large, seemed to draw so easily from the expres- drawer, or street number or name of building to
sion keys and tempo-levers of the Electrelle at- which it shall be returned if uncalled for or un-
tachment. A beautiful Knabe upright piano was delivered. The bill contains the proviso, however,
that a return card giving the name of the city or
the immediate cause of the music, having attached
to it the latest model of Electrelle. From time to town, with the name of the firm or address left
time the demonstrator varied the proceeding by blank, may be printed on the stamped envelopes.
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playing on the pneumatic American player-piano,
which is also fitted with the very wonderful "flexi-
Louis P. Bach, treasurer of the eminent house
frle-expression-control," The program, was strictly of Kranich & Bach, New York, last week closed
a record automobile tour of a thousand miles, cov-
ering nearby territory. He found business, broadly
considered, to be satisfactory, and is in an opti-
mistic mood regarding the general outlook. This
trip included visits to Albany, Saratoga, Lake
Placid, Lake Saranac, Paul Smith's, Rouse's Point,
the shores of Lake Champlain, Manchester, Vt.,
Pittsfield, Mass., and thence home. Within the
next two weeks it is expected that the new Kranich
& Bach player-piano will be ready for the trade. It
has recently undergone some very critical tests on
the part of experts, and has demonstrated that it
is an instrument of unusual merit which is bound
to command the closest consideration of the trade.
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That we are entering on the fall trade campaign
and that all members of the trade are prepared for
the battle js evident from a trip around the ware-
rooms in all sections of the city. Managers and
salesmen are back at their posts from outings at
the seashore and mountain, and all look bronzed
and well fitted to give a good account of them-
selves during the fall and winter. Many of the
warerooms have been receiving attention these
summer months and many changes have been
made which lend a new charm in the way of ar-
rangement.
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Arnold Somlyo, the capable general eastern
representive of the Baldwin Co., with headquarters
in the Ditson Building, New York, is back again
at his desk after his annual European trip, which
as usual took in the leading cities in the old world,
including his old home in Budapest. Regarding
the artistic exploitation of the Baldwin piano dur-
ing the coming musical season he was not inclined
to say much at the present time, outside of the fact
that Xaver Scharwenka, as already announced in
The Review, will play the Baldwin on his coming
tour, and this instrument will also be used by
Mme. Sembrich and Mischa Elman on their con-
cert tours. In regard to the general musical out-
look he believed that the concentration of opera in
one house in New York would have a most bene-
ficial effect upon the general concert situation, and
insure a more liberal patronage to concert man-
agers than was vouchsafed during the past few
seasons.
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In inquiring about the situation elsewhere, of
The Review, Hugo Sohmer, president of Sohmer
& Co., 315 Fifth avenue, New York, commented
briefly as follows: "Our wholesale trade is fairly
good, but the wareroom business, while better than
it has been, is not what it should be. In this
particular it is a little disappointing, though, with
others, we may have been too sanguine in our
anticipations."
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To make room for their new stock, now ar-
riving, Win. Knabe & Co. held a fall sale of their
own and other leading makes at their ware-
rooms, Fifth avenue and 39th street, New York,
this week. In speaking of the results R. K.
Paynter said they were excellent. "In fact, gen-
eral business had greatly improved. The player
is getting to be a great proposition with us. We
cannot get enough of the American Electrelles."
A beautiful upright Knabe, in mahogany, style
J, is being displayed in the Fifth avenue window,
and its clean lines and elegant finish are favor-
ably commented upon by the passersby. It is one
of their best sellers.
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Francis Connor returned the first of the week
from a very pleasurable sojourn at Saratoga
Springs. He said that after a good rest he was
ready for a stirring business campaign. He wa9
also pleased with the QVrtlo.o.K for fall, both
wholesale and retail,