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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
57
HEAVY DEMAND^ FOR DRUMS
ODD INSTRUMENTS OF ABYSSINIA.
AD IN THE REVIEW BRINGS RESULTS.
Reported by Chas. H. Ditson & Co.—Influenced
in Many Ways—Used by Dance Orchestras.
European Goods Tabooed Because of Opposi-
tion of the Native Church.
Dealers Quick to Respond to Recent Announce-
ment of Buegeleisen & Jacobson.
Numerous efforts have been made to introduce
i "The musical instruments of the hour just' now
European and other foreign-made musical instru-
and the ones for which we are having the largest
demand are the instruments which belong to the ments into official places Jn Abyssinia, but they
drum family,'' said II. L. Hunt, manager of the have all failed owing to the opposition of the
musical merchandise department of Charles H. church. This did not prevent, however, some
Ditson & Co., 8 East Thirty-fourth street, New Abyssinians and Europeans living in Abyssinia
from possessing pianos, players, violins, flutes, har-
York. "The growing trade in these instruments
may he attributed in a considerable measure to moniums, phonographs and even orchestras. Most
the steady progress being achieved by the Boy Scout of these instruments come from Austria.
The native musical instruments are strangely
movement throughout the country. The boys in-
terested in this movement are naturally keenly made. The army—if such a loosely gathered to-
alive to the desirability of owning a drum, with gether aggregation may be termed such—uses
its customary equipment. They have a fondness drums, trumpets and flutes. Among the dignitaries,
for everything military, and this fondness is re- the Ras (the head of the army), the Wagschum,
flected in the sales of drums and similar musical the Nebrid, the Likamoquas, the Fitaurari and the
Dedjamatsch (leader of an army corps), are the
merchandise.
" The call for drums is also influenced by the only on3s who are permitted to have a band.com-
fact that a number of churches this season have posed of the above-named instruments. Officers
installed divisions or corps of the boys and young of lower rank may only permit themselves to be
men in their congregations in furtherance of the accompanied by trumpets and flutes, but for this
endeavor to foster a liking for military training. privilege they must apply for special permission
from the Negus, The drums are somewhat similar
These corps, of course, require equipment, and
the musical merchandise dealers benefit from these to the European kettle-drums. They are made of
wood, and on the open end are covered with a
advanced ideas.
"An unusual feature of our drum business the tensioned hide. The drummer, who rides upon a
past few months is a call for drum outfits, bass mule, as a rule uses two drums of different pitch.
drums, pedals, etc., for dance orchestras. It seems The trumpet is made of bamboo about two yards
to be the fad among the dance orchestra players long, at whose end a neck of a gourd is fastened.
for a man to play the piano and a drum with his Its long-drawn-out tone is not pleasing and offends
foot. This combination produces the music with the ear of the European. The flute, which is also
constructed of bamboo, like the trumpet, has but
the rhythm and melody that the dancers desire."
one tone. In order to bring forth a sort of melody,
trumpets and flutes of various pitches are used.
YEARN FOR MOLSTITORGANS.
Besides the above-mentioned instruments, the
Dealers Can't Meet Demands of Men on Fight-
Abyssinians possess the harp (begonna), the shep-
ing Line.
herd's flute (waschint), the guitar (krar) and a
A dispatch from London, Kng., says: There is sort of violin (wosenko). The harp is strung with
an unprecedented demand for mouth organs to ten strings, while the guitar is equipped with five
send to the soldiers and sailors at the front. One to six strings. The strings of the violin as well as
the equipment of the bow consist of horsehair.
firm alone either has supplied or has an order for
18,000, of which 10,000 are for one customer. An- The last-mentioned instrument is principally used
by the wandering minstrels (Asmari), who are like
other large firm admits that it is unable to obtain
enough to supply the demand. Practically the only the former German Minnesingers, who traveled
sources of supply now are Switzerland and the from one place to another, singing songs in court-
yards about the deeds of the old war heroes.
United States.
WEYMANN&SON
Incorporated
Manufacturers of
The Famous
Weymann Mandolutes and
"Keystone State" Instruments
1010 Che.hmt St.. Philadelphia. Pa.
Black Diamond
Strings
New Brunswlok, N. J .
EXCELSIOR
DRUMS Z STANDARD
Some dealers may say that they cost more than
others.
Excelsior drums cost more because they are
worth more. Cost more to make.
We could make them cost less by
using cheaper
material, use less care In making 1 them, and dis-
pense with the new patented Improvements.
If we did, however, Excelsior Drums would not
be the Standard as they are to-day. Write for
catalogue.
EXCELSIOR DRUM WORKS
A. O. SOISTHAN, Vice-Pres. and Oen. Manager,
Tenth and Market Streets,
OAKSEH, V. J.
TAILPIECE FOR BANJOS.
(Special to The Review.)
WASHINGTON, D. C, January 12.—Benjamin V.
Kcrschner, St. Louis, Mo., was last week granted
patent No. 1,122,945 for a Tailpiece for Banjos,
the object of which is to provide a tailpiece for a
banjo, in which the strings can be readily attached
and secured thereto without tying, and at the same
time, providing means for adjusting the tail-
piece, so that the forward end can be tilted. This
tilting of the tailpiece brings it down closer to the
head and prevents the bridge from slipping, and
at the same time increases the volume of the tone.
Any member of the music trade can forward
to this office a Want Advertisement and it will
be inserted free of charge.
The oldest aivd
largest musical
merchandise house
America —
PATENTS A J)RUM BEATER.
WASHINGTON,
(Special to The Review.)
D. C. January 12.—Patent No.
1,122,551 was last week granted to Edward B.
Straight, Chicago, 111., for a Drum Beater, and re-
lates to apparatus whereby a bass drum and cymbal
may be played by the performer's foot, and the
object of the invention is to provide a simple ap-
paratus of this kind which can be readily attached
to the drum and which is efficient and reliable in
operation.
Manufacturers, Importers
Publishers. Largest and
most complete stock of
Musical Merchan-
dise i n t h e
trade.
THE WORLD'S BEST
lational Musical String Co.
"The results from our recent 'Our Ship Came
In' advertisement in The Music Trade Review
have certainly been gratifying," said Samuel Buc-
geleisen, of Buegeleisen & Jacobson, 113 Univer-
sity Place, New York. "The announcement in
this advertisement that we had received sufficient
merchandise from abroad to warrant substantial
reductions in prices has attracted the attention of
dealers from coast to coast, and, as usual, the
responses from The Review readers wore not
only numerous but of a material character.
'"We have just sent out to all our trade a new
catalog entitled, 'Our Shin Came In.' which lists
almost all our imported merchandise on which
we have greatly reduced our prices. As a matter
of fact, some of our present prices are no higher
than those which were listed before the war, as
we believe in giving our customers every possible
co-operation in the matter of prices and services.
Business seems to be steadily improving, and I am
looking for a prosperous season this spring."
Modem
Serrice
ATTRACTIVE
SPECIALTIES
AUGUST MULLER
and J . HEBERLEIN, VIO-
LINS, VIOLAS AND CELLOS
MITTENWALD VIOLIN STRINGS
SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOG
B
UEGELEISEN
& JACOBSON
113-115 Univer.ity Place
NEW YORK
C.Bruno & Souk.
351-53 4^ Ave. Newark
MUSICAL
Merchandise
Cincinnati
Chicago
Largest Jobbers in America of
ODERN
USICAL
ERCHANDISE
M
WRITE FOR NEW CATALOG