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THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
N. Y. PIANO MEN ENTHUSIASTIC AT YEAR-END LUNCHEON.
Nearly Seventy Gather at Kaiserhof—Silent Toast Drank to the Memory of the Late R. C. Kam-
merer and Charles Kohler—Richard W. Lawrence and Edward Lyman Bill Address Guests
Optimistically—New Year Greetings Exchanged by All—Those Who Made Up the Party.
The year end luncheon party, which has now be-
come an annual affair for many New York piano
men, was held on Saturday last at 1 o'clock in the
rathskeller of the Kaiserhof Restaurant at Thirty-
ninth street and Broadway. What started a few
years ago as a small luncheon party of a few
friends in the trade has grown into a large gather-
ing, as shown by the attendance on Saturday, which
was nearly seventy. The committee in charge was:
B. H. Janssen, chairman; A. Dalrymple, treasurer,
and Albert Behning, secretary.
As the invitations called for promptness the
dent of the National Piano Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation, who spoke to the piano men in a cheery,
optimistic manner. Another impromptu address
was made by Edward Lyman Bill, editor of The
Music Trade Review, at the close of the luncheon.
A telegram was received by Albert Behning, as sec-
retary of the committee, from Frank C. Decker,
president of Decker & Son, Inc., in which he ex-
pressed his regrets at not being able to be present
and wished each and every one a happy and pros-
perous New Year. At the end of the luncheon the
piano men all joined hands and sang "Auld Lang
Inc.; A. Dalrymple and L. A. Duckworth, from
the Estey Piano Co.; V. J. Faeth, Hardman, Peck
& Co.; H. O. Fox, Seaverns Piano Action Co.;
Alexander Lichtenstein and Otto M. Heinztmann,
from the Mansfield Piano Co.; Herbert W. Hill,
assistant secretary of the National Piano Manu-
facturers' Association; E. Paul Hamilton, man-
ager of the piano department of Frederick Loeser
& Co., Brooklyn; L. M. Ide, president of the New
York Piano Manufacturers' Association; A. H.
Kayton, Milton Piano Co.; W. J. Keeley, Auto-
Pneumatic Action Co.; Joseph Oktavec, Max De-
Rochemont and W. F. Keogh, from the Laffargue
Co.; J. A. LaCato, Standard Pneumatic Action Co.;
Richard W. Lawrence, Autopiano Co.; Fred W.
Lohr and J. H. Parnham, Hardman, Peck & Co.;
L. D. Perry, Ludwig & Co.; John W. Stevens,
Mathushek Piano Manufacturing Co.; Albert T.
Snap-shot Taken by Review Photographer of Y ear-End Luncheon of New York Piano Men.
Strauch, Strauch Bros.; E. R. Perkins, D. F. Cord-
Syne." New Year's greetings were then exchanged
luncheon was started at 1 o'clock, when Mr. Janssen
ingley, Paul Stroup, W. V. Swords, W. A. Vossler,
arose and called for a silent toast to the late R. C. and the guests left at about 3.30, all feeling that the
C. Arthur Longwell, E. Voelkel, H. M. Hull and
affair had been a great success.
Kammerer, who was one of the originators of the
C H. Addams, all from the Aeolian Co.; Albert
Among those present were : G. W. Bantle, Hard-
luncheon party, and to the late Charles Kohler, both
Staib, Staib-Abendschein Co.; William Tonk and
man, Peck & Co.; R. S. Howard and E. M.
of whom were present last year. The toast was
drunk with bowed heads. During the luncheon Backus, R. S. Howard Co.; H. R. Bauer, Lauter Edwin G. Tonk, from William Tonk & Bro.; E. E.
Vidaud, Lindeman & Sons Piano Co.; J. C. Win-
Co.; Albert Behning, F. C. Pflueger and Albert
music was furnished by a pianist and each guest
terroth, Winterroth & Sons; C. Alfred Wagner,
Behning, Jr., from the Pflueger Piano Co.; Gustave
was given a slip upon which were printed the
Musical Instrument Sales Co.; Charles B. Noon,
Behning and Otto A. Gressing, from the Behning
choruses of many popular songs which were sung
manager of the piano department of Hahne & Co.,
Piano Co.; E. B. Bogart, Bogart Piano Co.; S. J.
at intervals by "Tommy" Baker, the well-known
Newark; Edward Lyman Bill, editor of The Music
Budracco, Hardman, Peck & Co.; Mark P. Camp-
cabaret singer. This served to enliven the gather-
Trade Review; C. Kilmer, C. A. Eyles, A. E. Ed-
bell, Brambach Piano Co.; J. A. Coffin and Fred-
ing, as the piano men entered into the singing with
wards, Frank Fechteler, William H. Fischer, Al-
erick Mathesius, Jr., from E. Gabler & Bro., Inc.;
enthusiasm.
E. T. Caldwell, of B. H. Janssen; George W. Git- bert Schuler, J. Early Wood, L. H. C. Plummer and
When the luncheon was about half over Mr.
Janssen called upon Richard W. Lawrence, presi- tins and J. O. Campbell, from Kohler & Campbell, Carleton Chace, of The Review.
he telephoned me of his troubles and asked if 1
would let him have a bench. I said yes, so he
Detroit Piano Man Tells of His Experience in sent over an emissary to get it. I let him have it
Furnishing Stools and Benches to Compet- at cost price and wished him luck.
itors at Cost—Proved a Great Convenience
"Not long afterward he wanted another one,
—Built Up a Large but Unprofitable Trade. and got it on the same terms; later, a third one.
Then another merchant heard about it, and came
(Special to The Review.)
and got one. Soon a third merchant was onto
DETROIT, MICH., December 29.—"Generally, I
am a firm believer in being accommodating, to the snap. Oh, it is wonderful how fast news
business rivals as well as to friends or prospective travels. Inside of a year I was doing a tre-
patrons, but I must confess it has its drawbacks," mendous business in piano benches, at cost.
said one of the leading piano merchants of this Without a doubt I was the best customer the
city, whose name is withheld because it is not bench travelers had in Detroit.
"I carried all the investment, had all the trouble
meet that a merchant should be quoted in such a
of handling the goods, furnished storage space
story as this.
"Once upon a time a brother merchant ran short for the stock, paid the postage and furnished the
of piano benches. He made a sale and had no stationary necessary to transacting the business.
[ seat to send out with the piano. How he got the My store became so popular with the other stores
idea that I was an easy mark, I don't know, but that the storage space item of cost became elimi-
BEING ACCOMMODATING DIDN'T PAY.
nated after a while and I found myself short of
benches for my own use. I debated for some time
how to get out of the predicament. I disliked to
refuse to be accommodating. But the burden be-
came too great to bear. So I began to charge
them retail prices. My wholesale business ceased
abruptly.
"I still like to be accommodating—but I am very
careful about it."
PIANO CLUBS EXCHANGE GREETINGS.
The Piano Club of New York received a tele-
gram on Saturday from the Piano Club of Chicago
in which the latter extends to the Piano Club of
New York and its members the season's heartiest
greetings.
A telegram was sent immediately to the Chicago
club wishing it and its members also a very Happy
and Prosperous New Year.