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THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Continued Improvement in Both Retail and Wholesale Lines Reported—October Making a Very
Good Average Fall Month as Far as Pianos Are Concerned—Player-Pianos Continue to Be
in Great Demand—What a Run Around the Trade Revealed to The Review Scribe.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 24, 1911.
The piano business has been picking up right
along through the month. The past week was very
good, that is, in comparison with the business that
has gone before, and with any kind of seasonable
weather the returns would have been in every way
satisfying. As it was, the dealers believe they have
gone ahead of last year, and at least on the month
they are considerably ahead. October seems to
have started the much expected and much desired
fall business, and it looks as if from this on there
is going to be a very good trade, and that th
holiday business will come up to expectations in
every way.
Player Trade Very Active.
Not only has the retail business been satisfying,
but the wholesale business has gone considerably
beyond expectations. This has been the best fall
the Philadelphia manufacturers claim they have
ever had, and they attribute their success to the
very fine player-pianos that are being turned out
here and that compare favorably with players from
any other section of the country. The Cunning-
ham's player-piano has had an unusual success
recently. The Ludwig Co. are also making a
special effort on their Ludwig player-piano, and
this firm have a considerable advantage over their
competitors in the way they have been pushing
their player music business, to the extent that their
house is looked upon as the leading house in Phila-
delphia for player music.
Ludwig Improvements Complete.
The Ludwig improvements have been completed
and the place looks very fine. In its new clothes
it is as bright and attractive as any other house in
Piano Row—in fact, in Philadelphia. There is no
discounting the live, up-to-date methods of the
Ludwig manager, Mr. Ryan.
Conservative, Yet Progressive.
The Bellaks is one of the old, conservative
houses in Philadelphia, and they have an estab-
lished trade that is enviable, especially since one
after the other of the old line firms has been drop-
ping out of existence here. There is probably no
other city in which this has been done to the extent
as in Philadelphia. When the Blasius firm retires
i: will go on the list with the old firm of William
G. Fischer, Dearborn, James G. Ramsdell, George
Fleming, etc. It is hardly fair to place Mr. Rams-
dell in this list, for the name still exists on Walnut
street, but the name has moved from the beaten
piano path and the work is practically in the hands
of the younger generations of that family. But
Bellaks go on, in the same conservative, substan-
tial and profitable way. The Bellaks handle ex-
clusively here the Apollo player-piano, and on this
instrument they have had an unusual success. It
is rare that they are able to keep any of the Apollo
players on hand—and especially of the Solo-Apollo.
They are awaiting with much interest the arrival
of the new Melville Clarke electric player-piano.
Heppe Brieflets.
The Heppes report that they have had a consid-
erable increase the past week over the preceding
week. Among the visitors at the Heppe house this
week were C. L. Ament, of the Krell Piano Co.,
and L. S. Macomber, representing Strich & Zeidler.
The Heppes the past week have been getting in
some new Jules and Marcellus pianos, which have
been pronounced the "handsomest ever." They
have also received some new Heppes, and are anx-
iously awaiting some new Heppe grands, of which
line they are now entirely sold up. They have been
having an unusually good fall trade on the Heppe
grands.
F. J. Heppe spent several days in New York last
week.
Join Cunningham Sales Force.
Fred Hoese and Herman L. Cotter, two of the
selling force at the Blasius house, have severed
their connection there and have accepted positions
with the house of Cunningham, thereby returning
to the corner where they were so long associated
with Blasius when the firm was located there.
P. J. Cunningham reports that the piano business
has been very good. They have gotten their new
store at Jefferson and Clinton streets, Syracuse,
fully started and the business has been quite satis-
factory. Thomas Henry Clark is in charge.
Steck Player-Piano Popular.
Strawbridge & Clothier have been doing a very
fine business. They have been having much better
results than they had anticipated and are highly
elated at their success, doing a very good business
with the Steck player-piano. Their Aeriola player
also has been an especially good seller. They go
out as fast as they come in, and it is not unusual to
ship them direct from the freight yards.
THE SECRErSjOUT AT LAST.
Harvard Professor's Explanation of Effect of
Music on Fishes Explains Why Piano Men
Create Such Havoc Among the Finny Tribes.
A discovery that may revolutionize the present-
day methods of deep-sea fishing and in xonse-
quence means a saving of millions of dollars an-
nually to fishermen is that of George Howard
Parker, professor of zoology at Harvard Univer-
sity. He has found that certain fishes attract each
other by noise, especially so during the mating sea-
son, and that hence they may be lured into the
meshes of the seaman's net by the beating of a
drum or a tomtom, or even a piano or player-
piano.
Professor Parker, who was recently delegated
by the Bureau of Fisheries to prepare a report on
this subject, has made the study of hearing in
fishes a life work. "Fishing in the future," says
Professor Parker, "may very possibly be done with
some kind of a musical noise producer instead of a
net or a hook and line. The idea is not fully
worked out as yet, and it would be premature for
me to go into the matter at the present time.
"It is not, however, too much to say that certain
fish have now been proved to possess organs for
communication by sound with their fellows, and
indeed to call each other, so that it might be per-
fectly possible to attract fish in this manner by ar-
tificial means."
Perhaps the worthy professor's statement ex-
plains why the average piano man comes home
from a fishing trip with such wonderful tales of
record catches, and bears or claims such an en-
viable reputation as a disciple of Izaak Walton.
GET AGENCY FOR AMERICAN LINE.
The J. B. Chamberlain Piano Co., Ocala, Fla.,
who handle the Kimball and Krell pianos in that
territory, have secured the agency for the line of
the American Piano Co., in Southern Florida and
have just received their first shipment of twenty-
five instruments.
SELL PIANOS TO UNIVERSITY.
The Hales & Lane Co., who handle the Hallet
& Davis pianos in Tiffin, O., have recently sold two
pianos of that make to the Heidelberg University
in Tiffin, for use in the music department.
NEW LOCATION IN WASHINGTON.
The
Supremacy
of the
Hardman
T ^ H E R E are hundreds of
parts that enter into
the making of the Hard-
man Piano.
Yet, there are but two
parts that enter into the
selling of it — Confidence
and Reputation.
These are the net results
of seventy years of skill
and conscience in p i a n o
building — the reward of
merit.
The H a r d m a n is the
proven piano, the instru-
ment that is " m a k i n g
good" under the stress of
trial and the test of usage
in the homes of 70,000
satisfied customers.
Caruso, T e t r a z z i n i ,
Destinn, and many other
of the n o t a b l e musical
artists of the day use the
Hardman Piano in their
own homes.
If you want to know
how to derive the greatest
pleasure and profit from
the sale of pianos—
Write us for the Hard-
man Agency.
Hardman, Peck & Co.
Founded 1842
The Washington, D. C, branch of the W. F.
Frederick Piano Co., moved last week from 1328
F street, N. W., to handsome new quarters at 1212
G street. D. G. Pfeiffer, for a score of years a
prominent figure in the Washington piano trade, is
manager of the store and under his direction the
business has increased rapidly.
Hardman House
433 Fifth Avenue,
New York
W. R. Casey, formerly connected with Kohler &
Chase, recently became sales manager of the Seattle
branch of the Bush & Lane Piano Co.
Corner of Adams and State Stt.
Chicago Office and Wareroom
where a complete stock of the
output can he aeen:
Republic Building
Chicago, Ills.