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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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FEW weeks ago a manufacturer remarked that his factory,
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on that day, had orders sufficient to carry the plant on at
full speed until the middle of the following month, without any
additional business coming in. And new orders were coming
in steadily in growing quantities. Similar remarks would doubt-
less be made by almost any other manufacturer who might be
approached. The fact is that business is very active indeed and
promises to be more so each week till after Christmas. The
railway situation at this writing appears to be perhaps less
strained than it seemed to be a few weeks ago, and there are
indications that the shortage of freight cars may not develop as
rapidly as was first supposed. Yet it is certain that it will de-
velop rapidly enough and that a priority scheme will have to
be brought into operation in order that the railways may be
able to perform their functions at all. Therefore, retailers should
once more put flatly before themselves the thought that early
placed orders are the only solution of their difficulties. Orders
placed now may be assured delivery. Orders placed at the last
moment will certainly be delayed till the critical time during
which they are needed has passed by. In this connection it may
not be amiss to remind the retailers and the manufacturers, too,
that when a nation has gone to war the business of winning the
war becomes, in course of time, more and more the principal
business of that nation. It is hopeless, useless, and unpatriotic
to grumble at the possible inconveniences we may suffer through
the imposition of a duty which we could not without dishonor
evade, and which we cannot, without dishonor, fail to assist by
all means within our power.
seem plain that some novelty is becoming needed badly in the
field of popular music reproduction. The jazz and saxophone
arrangements, when they were first brought out, made an im-
mense hit by reason of their very audacity. But it is too much
to expect that any novelty of so extreme a character as this will
be lasting. The cry will soon be for still another novelty. Per-
haps the suggestion now made will have power to stimulate
some thinkers to action.
T the present moment, outside the great industrial centers
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and apart from the purely agricultural interests, one finds
a sort of slow-dying belief that the war may mean some sort of
scarcity, not so much through slackening of business as through
excessive high prices. For this as w r ell as for all the other
reasons which have been urged, it would seem the part of wis-
dom to advertise the piano, and especially the player-piano as
never before. But it would not be the part of wisdom to base
the advertising on anything so short-sighted and destructive as a
campaign for bargain prices. If ever the people of the country
were able to pay fair prices for goods they are so able now. We
should like to see more constructive advertising directed towards
exciting desire, rather than the kind which assumes the desire
and then argues that it can only be satisfied by resort to sensa-
tional price-cutting. The trade in general might well take a leaf
out of the book of the Piano Merchants' Association of Ohio, which
is doing so fine a work in encouraging wise, and discouraging
or preventing unwise, advertising of this sort. Especially in
respect of the player-piano, we could do with an ad-censor in
every State of the Union.
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published elsewhere in this section, attention has
I N been an article
HIS player section of The Review will be found, we venture
drawn to the possibilities inherent in connecting the
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to believe, not less valuable and important than any of its
composers of popular music more directly with their composi-
predecessors, both as to its ideas and as to the presentation of
tions through the medium of the hand-played roll, so-called.
There is no doubt that a welcome fillip would thus be given to
the sales of all popular music which does not depend entirely
upon special arranging for its attractions. In short, the ballad,
the popular humorous song and the rag song would immensely
gain from having association with their composers as their
interpreters on record rolls. Everybody knows that there are
several composers of popular music whose names are very much
like household words, and who therefore could take the place,
on records of their compositions, now taken by great pianists on
the records of classic music written by great masters who have
passed away. It is really rather surprising that nobody has yet
brought forward a suggestion to this effect before; but it is
never too late to perform services like these. Certainly it would
PIANO WITH 53 NOTES TO OCTAVE
English Writer Sets Forth Some of the Musical
Possibilities Offered by the Player-Piano—
Sees an Opportunity for Composers
Discussing the "Foundations of Twentieth
Century Music" Edwin Evans, of London,
touches on the subject of the player-piano as a
new medium for the composer. There are indi-
cations, he asserts, that the composer of the
future will rely for expression more on the notes
themselves than on the manner in which they
are played. "Obviously, dynamics will play an
important part, and for that reason mechanical
instruments, which at present provide short cuts
for the amateur, will ultimately play a vital part
in musical evolution," he claims.
Composers will doubtless write directly for an
improved player-piano, thus freeing themselves
at one stroke from all mechanical restrictions
appertaining to the use of ten fingers. In these
improved instruments, no doubt, the keyboard
will disappear, as being superfluous and cum-
bersome, and its disappearance may pave the
them. We have tried, ever since this section was started, to
make it a place where the new, fresh, and significant ideas which
arise among the best minds in the trade may be given hearing
and discussion in the most favorable circumstances. We have
striven to keep from these pages anything resembling person-
ality, anything resembling polemic, anything resembling that
stupid facetiousness which does not illuminate or even amuse.
We don't, certainly, try to be dull. We certainly do not take
ourselves too seriously; but when we are talking about im-
portant matters we try to talk about them with at least sufficient
gravity to make them intelligible. We try to improve and we
aim to please. It does not seem as if there can be much improve-
ment on that scheme, does it?
way to more minute subdivisions of the octave.
For by means of rolls it is no more difficult to
produce fifty-three notes to the octave than the
present artificial twelve.
For some this may seem rather an alarming
vision, but probably the ancient virtuosi of the
pipe and tabor would have been equally startled
by a description of the grand piano or a modern
organ.
In the past history of music the scale has
been subdivided many times and history seems
certain to repeat itself. The external mech-
anism of music is not likely to achieve any sort
of finality in an age when men attach to them-
selves machines and fly through the air at 120
miles an hour.
Still there is this to be said for the other side:
Debussy, Erik Satie and many of the modern
school are composing music which is a protest
against the old mechanical piano technique and
that relies for its expression much more on the
manner in which the notes are played than on
the notes themselves. The conservative music
lover might do worse than encourage these com-
posers, for they are creating new ideals.
SOME FORCEFUL PIANOLA PUBLICITY
The Aeolian Co. Uses Full Page in Saturday
Evening Post to Emphasize the Many Ex-
cellent Features to be Found in the Pianola
"A Story of an Evening with the Pianola"
is the title of an unusually interesting full-page
advertisement used by the Aeolian Co. in last
week's Saturday Evening Post. The Aeolian
Co. only recently started a campaign in this
popular national magazine, and this publicity
has attracted the attention of the leading mem-
bers of the advertising world.
Last week's Pianola page was worded in col-
loquial language, and gave a splendid idea of
the unlimited musical possibilities of the Pianola.
The sub-heads were entitled "The Pianola has
granted me an artist's accomplishments"; "Per-
sonal pleasure—and enjoyment for others";
"The lightest as well as the greatest of music";
"The Pianola a distinctive musical instrument."
The story is told by a Mr. John Smith, and par-
ticular attention is called to the Metrostyle, an
exclusive Pianola feature,