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THE:
MUSIC TRADE:
REVIEW
61
INCREASING POPULARITY OF THE HARP
HOW MUSIC HELPED TRADE.
Manifested in the Great Demand Experienced by C. H. Ditson & Co., for the Standard Styles
and Those for Children—Foreigners Great Admirers of the American Harp.
Struggling Cobbler Builds Up Business Through
Medium of Violin Solos for Customers.
Chas. H. Ditson & Co., 8 East 34th street, New
York, is displaying in its handsome musical
merchandise warerooms a most interesting and at-
tractive stock of harps. These harps come in all
sorts of sizes and various qualities and are capable
of taking care of the wants of all classes of users,
from the beginner to the accomplished artist. Con-
spicuous among this collection is an extensive line
of so-called Baby harps designed for the use of
children of very tender age, who are often at-
tracted by the appearance of the 'harp.
Judging from the excellent harp business Chas.
1J. Ditson & Co. is doing this season, there is
undoubtedly a rapidly-growing demand for harps
throughout this country. The harp has become
quite a favorite as an instrument for beginners
and many people are having their children learn
to play the small harp the same as they do with
small violins. These harps, which are constructed
especially for the use of children, are carefully
made and particularly adapted for small hands. In
order to -promote the use of the harp among chil-
dren, special books and music have been written
for them.
The House of Ditson is the sole Eastern repre-
sentative for the celebrated Lyon & Healy harps,
and has a complete stock of these instruments on
hand at all times. It also maintains a modern,
well-equipped harp repair department, to which
many of the celebrated harpists in this country
send their instruments to be adjusted.
"The day of the imported harp is past," stated
H. L. Hunt, manager of the musical merchandise
department of Chas. H. Ditson & Co., in a chat
with The Review. "There is no doubt but that
the harps which are manufactured in this country
are far superior from every standpoint, and fur-
thermore stand this climate much better than those
constructed in foreign climes. The Lyon & Healy
harp, which we represent exclusively in the East,
is a prime favorite with harpists, and is used
and recommended by all the large organizations
in this country, in adidtion to several in Europe.
The prominence of the harp in orchestral perform-
ances is becoming more marked each year and
modern writers of orchestra music feature the harp
and give it special effects in orchestra scores,
which prove most beautiful when played by accom-
plished harpists.
"It is a peculiar fact that the only persons who
will not admit the superiority of the American
harp over foreign production are certain classes of
Americans, not foreigners. There are, I am sorry
to say, a few wealthy Americans who will not use
anything made in this country, and they are prac-
tically the only ones who will not buy an Ameri-
can harp. It is, however, pleasing to observe that
this type of American is gradually disappearing
and in time will be a class of the past. We have
had people come into our establishment in recent
years who stated that they would not buy an
American-manufactured harp, even though they
admitted it was superior to the imported product.
They advanced the reason that the American harp
does not appeal to them as an artistic instrument
in the same degree as does the foreign harp. In
direct contrast to this attitude of these few Amer-
icans is the position taken by the Italian, German
and French harpists who, as soon as they arrive
here, look forward to the time when they will be
the possessors of an American-made harp.
"A large proportion of the harps sold by the
House of Ditson go to users in very small towns,
as it seems that residents of these smaller towns
appreciate the harp more than those in the largest
cities. This is probably due to the fact that people
in small towns are more in the habit of creating
their own instruments and are keen students of all
types of musical instruments. We have sold many
high-priced harps this season, some of them being
as expensive as $2,000, and only this month we
sent one to Philadelphia which cost $1,800."
Schmerle Burstein, a cobbler in Pitt street, New
York, is one of those who has great faith in the
practical value of music, for through the medium
of his playing of the violin he has increased his
business many fold and driven a half dozen com-
petitors out of the neighborhood.
He began to win his customers by throwing in
a mandolin solo with every tapped pair of Pitt-
street shoes. Then he found that they liked his
violin playing, and his old fiddle was taken from
the closet. The trade increased by leaps and
bounds, till, finally, Burstein engaged one of his
thwarted competitors as assistant, and let him do
the cobbling, while he, the proprietor, filled the
little shop with melody.
During the last few days he has added a truly
wonderful hand-walking act to the diversions of
the basement, and he is brushing up his forgotten
knowledge of the simpler tricks of magic. Old
folk and young have evinced a strong preference
for shoe repairing with music, and those im-
patient souls who used to balk at the idea of wait-
ing in the shop pending repairs are now beguiled
utterly.
So far as is known Pitt street is the only street
in all the five boroughs which has a cobbler!s shop
with a cabaret.
H. L. CLARKE WITH C. G. CONN, INC.
AN INTERESTING PATENT.
Famous Cornetist, Long with Sousa's Band, to
Test All Instruments Leaving Conn Plant.
Means for Playing Mouth Wind Instruments
Without Taking Breath Patented by Bernard
Samuels, of Germany.
(Special to The Review.)
Elkhart, Ind., Dec. 2\ HU2.
An interesting announcement regarding the man-
(Special to The Review.)
ufacture and improvement of the band instruments
manufactured by C. G. Conn, Inc., to the effect
Washington, D. C, Dec. 24, 1912.
that Herbert L. Clarke, the famous cornet soloist,
Patent No. 1,046,054 was granted last wek to
Bernard Samuels, Schwerin, Germany, for an and for many years with Sousa's band, will in the
future have complete charge of the sale and test-
apparatus for playing wind musical instruments.
This invention has for its object to provide ing of all cornets and trumpets in the Conn fac-
tory and that every instrument leaving the plant
means whereby a mouth wind musical instrument
will bear a certificate of inspection by Mr. Clarke.
can be played without the interruptions hitherto
In order to give his full attention to the new
caused by the player having to take breath so that
work, Mr. Clarke has moved his family from Read-
the sound can be sustained for any desired length
of time or be repeated indefinitely as with a string ing, Mass., to this city, where he will reside per-
manently. He is under a long-time contract with
musical instrument.
Mr. Conn.
The invention has also for its object to provide
means for relieving the lungs and the body in a
hitherto unattained manner.
SOUVENIR FROM HOUSE OF YORK.
H. SCHINDLER & CO.
Attractive Card Bearing Thermometer Sent Out
to the Friends of the Band Instrument Manu-
facturers.
14 Karat Gold Violin G Strings
Aluminum Violin D Strings
J. W. York & Sons, the prominent band instru-
ment manufacturers of Grand Rapids, Mich., have
varied the practice of sending out calendars at
this time of year by forwarding to their friends
a handsome card, finished in gold and bearing a
small thermometer, probably of keeping the prod-
ucts of the House of York on the minds of the
recipients, no matter what the temperature. The
portrait of a pretty little girl, in colors, appears
in the center of the card.
All made either Old or New Process
IMPROVEMENT IN BANJO.
Silver Plated Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass Strings
Pure Silver Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass Strings
Gut Cello and Bass Strings
/7mm
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Micrometric
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D
VIOLIN
G
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String Gauges
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STRING MAKERS SUPPLIES
121 LAMARTINE STREET
JAMAICA PLAIN
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, Dec. 21, I'M-'.
James N. Gladding, Mount Kisco, N. Y., is the
inventor of a banjo, patent No. 1,,77O for
which was granted him recently.
This invention relates to improvements in
stringed musical instruments and more particularly
to a banjo, the invention having for its primary
object the provision of means for easily and
quickly securing the vellum head of the instrument
to the body thereof.
Another object of the invention resides in the
provision of a banjo consisting of a rim, upper
and lower body rings arranged upon said rim, and
means for clamping said rings upon the rim and
tightening the vellum head upon the body.