Music Trade Review

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38
THE
MUSIC TRADE
TORRIDITY AND BUSINESS.
Business Is Quiet at This Season and Everyone
Is "Marking Time"—Crop Conditions and
Fall Plans and Prospects Now Being Con-
sidered by the Trade.
Following a period of heat that has been most
remarkable for length of time existing and in-
tensity, it was a brave firm who volunteered they
were "doing a nice business." Nevertheless such
is a fact, although it is apparent sales were far
irom climbing to high altitudes to keep company
with the extraordinary temperatures that held
sway over a good part of the country for :ight
lo ten days. In the East Monday was still warm,
and possibly it was in anticipation of the cooling
showers that the optimist was to the fore descant-
ing on an active trade.
However, the wish was undoubtedly father to
the thought, and it is to be hoped this rosy pre-
diction will be realized by the majority of small
goods houses in every section regarded as a center
of distribution. As a rule the recognized authori-
ties on the commercial status are devoting their
time and energies figuring out the crop yield,
which, according to government reports, show a
falling off in percentage owing to heat, but the in-
creased acreage sort of even things up. Cotton,
however, is reported as the largest in the records
of the country. There is no question that gen-
eral business is extremely quiet everywhere, and
it is rash to expect much of an improvement for
six weeks or more.
Advices from abroad are bullish as to prices,
and only this week foreign manufacturers in
transmitting their invoices to buyers on the ground
in May have raised their original quotations on
the entire "violin family." The reason urged for
the advance is that material of the right kind
and of proper age and grain is difficult to obtain,
and that the American trade should not be sur-
prised at further increases on certain grades of
these instruments. These facts appeared in a
recent issue of The Review, but the increased cost
was not expected so soon.
REVIEW
bone. There was no report at headquarters about
Perhaps the Smith & Phillips Music Co., East
stolen property to match the find and so he com- Liverpool, who probably know School Superin-
municated with New Jersey. It was found that a
tendent Hill, may throw some further light on
freight car in the Ontario & Western yards had this "mouth organ improvement."
been broken into and a number of musical instru-
ments stolen.
HOHNER'S REVOLVING OBELISK.
'MOUTH ORGAN IMPROVEMENT."
The Invention of an Ohio Man Fantastically
Described in the Daily Papers.
Some wonderful, not to say fearful, things are
published in daily and weekly non-technical papers
concerning musical instruments. Here is one of
them from the Sun, of Pittsburg, Pa., describing
a so-called improvement in harmonicas or "mouth
organs," as it is pleased to call this ever popular
article:
"Many a mouth has been made sore when play-
ing a mouth organ by moving the instrument
crosswise of the mouth to vibrate various reeds,
such sores often having a fatal result, besides
disfiguring the lips. This is simply one of the
troublesome features of a mouth organ which is
obviated by the instrument devised by Chester C.
Hill, of East Liverpool, O., the patent on which
is owned by Messrs. Hill and Starr, of the same
place. Mr. Hill, superintendent of public schools
in East Liverpool, has been in position to observe
juveniles using mouth organs and consequently
knows of many instances where the mouth is dis-
figured.
"It occurred to him to devise some means by
which the mouth organ could be played from a
single mouth piece. The mouth organ is arranged
in a trumpet or megaphone in such a manner that
it can be shifted within the trumpet similar to
a slide valve, thereby permitting of various reeds
being vibrated and the volume of the tone in-
creased as emitted by the instrument. In other
words, the mouth organ is made to produce music
having almost the same volume as a hand-played
organ.
"The same principle of the Hill invention can
be applied to harmonicons and seraphines (sic),
and it will be much to the delight of juveniles
to obtain an instrument that is operated some-
CORNETS AND TROMBONES.
what similar to a trombone, yet producing the
music of a mouth organ. While the instrument
Two Boys Picked Up in Bowery Yield Up $400
cannot be 'tongued,' as is often done in connection
Worth.
with mouth organs, yet results can be obtained
with the new instrument that are just as wonder-
Harry Conovan, 17 years old, of 609 Highpoint
ful and equally pleasing to the ear.
avenue, West Hoboken, and George Everard, the
'The instrument can be made in various forms.
same age, of Liberty place, Union Hill, were held
without bail in the Tombs Police Court Monday by The better grade of instrument includes a device
for controlling the amount of air supplied to the
Magistrate Freschi to see if the authorities of Ho-
boken want to press a charge against the boys for mouth organ, also the tone emitted from the in-
stealing $400 worth of cornets and trombones. The strument. This is one of the class of inventions
that has not been advanced of recent years as in
boys were picked up by Detectives Lockman and
the past, consequently every new musical instru-
Cohen on the Bowery on Saturday. The boys had
ment is looked upon with considerable interest,
a parcel which they told the policeman contained
overalls. Lockman felt the package and it was especially when it contributes to a perfect inter-
pretation of music by a large orchestra or band."
hard. Inside he found three cornets and a trom-
UEGELEISEN
&JACOBSON
Jx
W
113-115 University Place
NEW YORK
Largest Jobbers in America of
R jffODERN
USICAL
ERCHANDISE
WRITE FOR NEW CATALOG
A PROBLEM
SOLVED!
Warranted that neither Bow Serew Rings nor Caps oan fall oft on Bow Screws as above illustrated.
No advance in price if Violin Bows are purchased having the Patented Screw Attached to the Frog.
WM.
R. C R A T Z I M P O R T C O . ,
35-37 West 31st Street, lew York City
In speaking of M. Hohner's revolving obelisk,
catalogued as No. 600, for the effective display
of harmonica assortments—an ingenious device—
orders in excess of 2,800 pieces are booked, but
no shipments of any size or number have been
made. The reason is simplicity itself—it is im-
possible to get goods from the Tro»singen fac-
tory. Every effort is being made to bring this
about, but the plant is so busy that it has fallen
away in arrears on shipments long since expected.
They will be rushed out, on the instalment plan,
it is presumed, as soon as they arrive.
Frank C. Howard, with J. W. Jenkins Sons
Music Co., Kansas City, Mo., was in New York
l;>st week calling on the trade.
Among other
places he visited the warerooms of M. Hohncr
on East Sixteenth street. Photos have just been
received from the other side depicting Ernest
Hohner in the full uniform of the German army,
automobiling through the Black Forest with Henry
Stadlmaier, vice-president and general manager of
C. Bruno & Son, Inc., New York.
MUSICAL
Merchandise
Cincinnati
Chicago
YORK BAND INSTRUMENTS
ARE GOOD SELLERS
The dealer who handles (rood sellers is the one
who has a Rood profit to show at the end of the
year. York Band Instruments are of the highest
possible quality—they couldn't be better and per-
formers all over the country know it. That's why
they sell so well. The line comprises
Band Instruments, Drums and Casss
Our interest does not end when we sell the
dealer—we do all we can to boost the sale of the
instruments. Plenty of advertising matter is fur-
nished free of cost. Better write us to-day for
our catalog and proposition.
J. W. YORK JL SONS, Qrand Rapids, Milk
Black Diamond
Strings
THE WORLD'S BEST
National Musical String Co.
New Brunswick, N. J .