Music Trade Review

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10
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
BRITISH PIANO TRADE NOTES
New Year Starts Out Well for Concerns Engaged in the Selling of Pianos, Players and Organs—
American Instruments Much Appreciated—Why Cheaper Piano Actions Are Best Fitted for
Export—Reasons for Leadership of American Players—The Situation in the Organ Trade
—Pianos with Special Cases in Demand—Canadian Instruments in England—Death of
Edwin Eshelby—Other News from the Other Side of the "Big Pond."
(Special to The Review.)
London, Eng., Jan. 31, 1912.
Business in the pianoforte, player and organ
world as far as it concerns American firms trad-
ing on this side of the Atlantic, has opened well
in 1912, and there is every prospect of the boom
continuing. The universal excellence of the prod-
ucts sold in Great Britain by American houses be-
comes more and more generally recognized as time
goes on; this excellence being pre-eminently mani-
fested in the domain of piano-players and player-
pianos, a fact on which we have in previous let-
ters had occasion to remark.
Remarks on Imported Actions.
The disabilities under which expensive imported
piano actions that come across the Atlantic to this
side labor have been mentioned already and need
not further be insisted upon at any length. While
on the subject, it may be worth noting, however,
that while the highest class actions suffer great-
est damage from shipment to this side, the cheap
action frequently suffers none at all. The rea-
son is fairly obvious. In the former case the
mechanism is adjusted almost to a hair, and there
is no room allowed for defects thence arising.
In the other case the action is not regulated to
such a fine degree of perfection and consequently
there is more "leeway" if hings go awry. This,
of course, is no argument in favor of cheapness
over excellence. We state the fact merely as the
utterance of a leading piano maker.
Why American Players Lead.
The musical world, which regards nothing in
the market so good as the American piano, is
waiting impatiently for some remedy for those dis-
abilities—one which will give them on the East-
ern Continent a piano free from the liability to
"wooliness" of touch which the trip across the
A satisfied customer
is a real profit maker
—the best salesman a
piano dealer can possibly
have
Every Packard owner is a Packard
booster. He is more than satis-
fied—for he has received more
than "full value" for his money
That's the reason Packard pianos
are easy to sell—and that's the
reason you will find profit and
pleasure in selling them. Also it's
the reason why we are finding it
easy *to get the better dealer*
everywhere to handle them. Write
The Packard Company, Fort
Wayne, Indiana—to-day. If we
are not already represented in
your territory, we may be glad
to make agency arrangements
with you—and it may mean for
you the one big opportunity.
"herring pond" inevitably tends to produce. But
it is slow in coming. If, however, that is the case
with regard to piano actions prope,r, there is no
comparison at all to be instituted between the
American player and the English. Here it is a
case of America first and the rest nowhere. The
English still don't seem to realize how essen-
tial to modern musical interpretation is the player.
Consequently the bulk of the business here goes
to the American firms who do, and they win hands
down on their intrinsic merit. Not only so, but
all the improvements here again seem to come
from the other side. Your people are not content
to let well enough alone; they always want to ad-
vance on their own best. The British apparently
have never set themselves a standard in this di-
rection to live up to, since with them the player
is still more or less of a toy, intended to amuse
people who cannot play at all or who neither know
nor care anything about expression in music. It
is true and it is a pity, and meanwhile America
wastes no time in taking advantage of the fact.
If any further evidence were required as to the"
pre-eminence of the American player here, it
would be forthcoming from the testimonials which
the great musicians of the time hand out in favor
of the American player, and in which British
mechanisms rarely if ever share.
The Reed Organ Situation.
In chamber or reed organs the American makes
have it all their own way. There is no competi-
tion at all worth the name on the part of any other
nationality in this department. It is a long time
now, of course, since the American organ, equipped
with suction bellows, was first introduced on the
British market. It was early manifest that it
had come to stay, and stay it has done, to the
practical exclusion of all other brands of this in-
strument. Of course, later times have brought im-
provements in it, but the main principle remains
unaltered. If the American organ has a competi-
tor at all, it is not an instrument of British
make but of French manufacture. We refer to the
Mustel, which has many very delicate effects, it
must be owned, to recommend it, though none that
the American article is unable to achieve. About
the best of these are the Celeste, which has given
its name to the representative Mustel type.
Mustel Organ in Vaudeville.
Another bull point for the Mustel organ here is
the fact that it is being used in connection with a
very important vaudeville turn in the best British
and provincial variety theaters. One of the best
"turns" on the "halls" here just now provides an
elderly man playing a Mustel organ prominently
displayed, while a girl plays the violin. The name
Mustel is well shown on the organ for the audi-
ence to see and also figures on all the bill matter.
Another role in which the capabilities of the
Mustel as well as the leading player-pianos are
well displayed has come to be in connection with
the better-class picture palaces that have been
opened and at which great play has been made of
its full orchestral effects. Motion picture theaters
in England now form as important a part in the
amusements of the public almost as they do in
America, although we were a long time getting
going with them. London now has over 300 picture
theaters, cinemas and electric theaters, as we in
turn call them.
Special Pianos for Special Rooms.
Reference was made in a previous letter to the
fact that the modern piano tends more and more
to become part and parcel of the artistic furniture
of the chamber in which it is placed. Perhaps
Americans were the first to perceive the possibili-
ties in this direction. At all events they have de-
veloped the idea much more thoroughly than their
European competitors, and the special source of
revenue of some of the biggest American dealers
here is this artistic adaptability of their goods. In
all the great houses the prevalent styles—which
at the moment may roughly be said to represent
the Louis XV, Louis XVI and early English
periods—are in evidence, and the fact has been
greatly in their favor as compared with an Eng-
lish instrument of no special character in design.
Canadian Representation in London.
For comparative purposes readers of The Music
Trade Review may be interested to know that there
is a very fair business done in London in pianos,
organs and instruments with player attachments of
Canadian manufacture. One of the principal houses
is that of Karn & Co., whose London branch for
sales, situated at 3 Newman street, Oxford Street,
is under the charge of Manager A. E. Heath, who
has a long experience of the trade. Their models
of the American suction bellows organ show the
newest designs and kinks in mechanism and in-
struments of this kind that we noticed in their ex-
tensive showrooms, ranged in price from $375 to
$630. Karn & Co. are well known also on the
Continent of Europe, having agencies in the capi-
tals both of France and Germany. This firm does
a brisk piano business also and stocks a few hand-
some "players" besides. With regard to the latter
we are informed that the old-style "cabinet" player
has in many instances been superseded by the newer
player with the roll and mechanism contained
within the instrument itself. Business, says Man-
ager Heath, is very good at the time of writing,
and he considers that we have by no means seen
the zenith of the popularity of the American par-
lor organ, which has points innumerable to recom-
mend it as against the French harmonium, now
become nearly obsolete.
George Eshelby's Death.
Your correspondent regrets to announce the dis-
appearance of a good friend of The Music Trade
Review in London, Edwin Eshelby, who for 25
years had been connected with the firm of Stein-
way & Sons in a managerial capacity. Manager
Eshelby succumbed to an attack of pneumonia on
January 4 last. He is succeeded in the position by
his son, George Eshelby.
A SUPERIOR ACTION
IS THE HEART OF A
SUPERIOR PIANO.
A SUPERIOR HAMMER
IS THE HEART OF A
SUPERIOR ACTION.
When you find this ham-
mer in a piano, you know
it is a superior piano.
It is the hall-mark of piano
superiority, and the life of
the music.
Made of superior German
felt.
ASK FOR THEM
401-424 E. 163d St., New York
Chicago Office: Republic Bldg.