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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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Player Recitals Do Not Produce Spontaneous Sales, But Their Influence Will
Slowly But Surely Build Up a Profitable Trade for the Dealer Who Plans
and Carries Them Out Logically—Some Important Facts to Be Remembered
The trade has just been discovering the inter- with the piano up on a stage and a formal
esting, but by no means novel, fact that the player-pianist doing the very same thing that
American people are not as musical as they is done at a regular piano recital, is too for-
should be and that they are not buying pianos mal outside of the large cities, except occa-
and players as they ought to. A committee is sionally and as a dress affair with invitations
working to secure subscriptions to a plan for carefully sent out to selected people. Else-
syndicating newspaper space for the general where, or as a matter of routine, it fails to at-
exploitation of music and musical ideas among tract because it pre-supposes too high a stand-
the people. Generally speaking, the idea may ard of public musical appreciation.
Again the recital given somewhere in the
be called sound, for it is based upon the sim-
ple fact that until people are made to see the store with a salesman indifferently going
definite desirability of a possible purchase, the through a lot of indifferent music, or making a
chances of their taking it up, merely on its hash of music he does not at all comprehend, is
simply something no better than can be heard
merits, are slim. But this is by the way.
at the movie show; but without the pictures
The Attitude of the Public
The really important fact in the whole thing for an attraction. Why then trouble to go and
is the light it throws upon the public mind and hear it? Moreover, if the music sounds no bet-
also upon the attitude of the trade towards the ter than that, who wants a horrid mechanical
player as well as towards the straight piano. player-piano? So reason the public; not with-
We have always assumed that people, because out logic.
What Makes the Successful Recital?
they go to musical comedy shows in the big
Yet those who have kept up the recital would
cities and support town bands in the little ones,
are really interested in music. Being interested long ago have abandoned it if it were not really
in music, however, is one thing, and being some- worth while. It is worth while; but like every
times moved to whistle the latest song is quite other good thing, not so obvious as it looks.
another. We have been working along wrong The recital is the best business stimulator in
lines. We have been assuming that the people the player game; but it needs knowledge, plan-
are interested in music, whereas the truth is that ning and intelligence to make it go. When
they have merely a latent capacity for enjoying rightly organized it can be kept up indefinitely
music; a capacity which immensely needs stim- with constantly increasing returns. It can and
ulating and cultivating before it is rightly to be should be the cheapest and most efficient form
called anything like a real interest. An inter- of advertising. Here, then, are a few random
est in music pre-supposes some musical thought ideas intended to suggest how it may be made
as part of the mental processes of an individual; a success; and once more perhaps come into
and we well know that any real understanding due recognition.
First. The player-pianist must be good, the
of music as an actual means of intellectual and
Other manufacturers like the Wilcox & emotional expression is the property' of the best that is available. This does not mean a
pseudo-artist drawing public attention to his
White Co. were also active and the names of very few.
such men as Harcourt, Keeley and Van Yorx
The formal player recital, then, was based personality. It means emphasizing the instru-
became well known throughout the country. on a false assumption. As soon as the novelty ment and not the performer, yet not forgetting
When the retail representation of the Angelus had worn off the public refused to come, save that the performer is present. Quietness and
in New York came to the Wanamaker piano de- in one or two special instances. One of these dignity of behavior always accompany mastery.
partment, recitals were the order of the day attracts partly because its beautiful music The details of foot and hand technique must not
from the first and were given in circumstances hall has been a place of rest and meeting for be obtruded, but hidden. We don't want to see
rivaling those of their competitors on Fifth the crowds passing through the great commer- at the recital, just how it is done, but that it
avenue.
cial emporium in which it is situated, but mainly can be done easily, and by any intelligent per-
From those days to this, Aeolian Hall and because the great cosmopolitan population son. That is the note to be struck.
Second. The concert hall may be eliminated
Angelus Hall have vied with each other in the around it always contains many people of musi-
and
in its place the homes of the music loving,
dignified exploitation of the player-piano cal thought and feeling to whom a free recital
the clubs, the hotels, may be called on to sup-
through the medium of recitals. Meanwhile, appeals.
the business of each has grown constantly and
The other also has held its strongest appeal ply the deficiency. In short, organize recitals
(Continued on page 6)
steadily so that to-day one can hardly suppose largely with the musically educated. Both, how-
them ever likely to abandon this form of ex- ever, have done this one thing; they have kept
ploitation.
alive the healthy tradition of the recital as a
Yet everywhere else the situation seems to means of exploitation and have brought the
be altogether different. No other retail houses, message of the player-piano to thousands who
large or small, have kept up the same method, never before had thought of this instrument
so that by degrees the recital has languished save as a mechanical maker of more or less
and drooped throughout the retail trade, until monotonous music. That these two have done
to-day—save for the few bright exceptions— enough to prove the value and propriety of the
none is so poor as to do it.reverence.
recital method, none can deny; yet their ex-
"Music as Actually Played"
ample has not been followed.
Why Do Big Houses Cling to Recitals?
HESE record rolls repre-
Foreign Element Musical
Now, if the abandonment of the recital as a
Again the reason is that outside of a few
sent a true, scientific re-
weapon of general use were due to the discov-
ery that it is not a good weapon, one could great centers, of population the American pub-
production of piano playing
understand; but in thi-s case why have some of lic are not interested in music. The foreign
as performed by e m i n e n t
the most successful and altogether greatest sections of that public are indeed musical; but
artists. Made with a respect to
houses kept it up? It won't do to say that they are too poor, too shy and too clannish,
the ideals of past and present
conditions in one place are so different from usually, to take advantage of what is offered
composers. Artempo rolls sell
those in another that comparisons cannot be them, nor could they buy player-pianos any-
made. The bogy of local conditions is in most how. The mass of the public is indifferent.
on a merit basis only.
respects a bogy and naught else; fit only to Take away the novelty and what is left to at-
Your proof is in our sample
frighten naughty children.
tract them? Nothing!
box at $2.00. Ask for it today.
Perhaps a short analysis made for the pur- Rut there is still another reason. The re-
BENNETT & WHITE, Inc.
pose of discovering the reasons for the decline cital has always been either too solemn or not
67-71 Gobcl St., NEWARK, N. J.
of the recital and the failure to find any sub- solemn enough, too formal or too informal.
stitute of equal value, may be of importance. The recitals given in a formal concert hal!
Editorial attention has again been directed in
this newspaper to the player recital and the
opinion has been once more expressed that the
value of this method in stimulating sales has
been vastly underestimated. It is, of course,
well known that opinion with regard to the
use of this weapon has entirely changed during
the last few years. It is hardly necessary to
remind readers that for several years after the
first successful exploitation of the player-piano,
the recital was regarded, not merely as a legiti-
mate, but as a completely necessary element,
in a sales campaign. In those days, the player
was new, was regarded as something very
much apart from the ordinary piano, and
commanded the general respect of the trade.
Its salesmen were specialists trained by
the manufacturers and it was regarded as
quite necessary to have a skilled demonstrator
for the purpose of showing off the instruments
to prospects and of giving recitals at regular
intervals, to which all and sundry were invited.
The beginning of the recital system may be
dated back as far as the earliest days of the
Aeolian Co., when its first automatic organs
were brought out, and daily demonstrations
were advertised in the newspapers of New
York and London. With the coming of the
piano player the recital became more a special-
ty, more formal and more carefully organized,
and those of us whose memories reach back a
few years must recollect how the opening of
Aeolian Hall on Fifth avenue was signalized
by elaborate and splendid musical programs
given by skilled musicians on organ and Pianola
with the help of well-known soloists.
Artempo
Record Rolls
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