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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
A NEGLECTED FIELD
(Continued from page 3)
But the reproducing piano does not stand
alone in presenting advantages to the woman's
musical club. The ordinary player-piano, al-
though from a different angle, can be seen to
present equal attractions. One might say some-
thing like this: "If I can show you, Madam
President or Miss Member, actually show you
for yourself that you or any other musically-
inclined person can produce not only good mu-
sic, but music extremely good, with your own
personality in it, music which will satisfy you,
with this player-piano, won't you then let me
go far enough to prove to you that you ought
to have, for the sake of all the members of your
club, an instrument which will enable you to
study concerted music and music written in
orchestral forms that cannot be otherwise prop-
erly played on the piano, but which you all wish
to study and to have by you in readily available
form? It is true that your club members study
and play symphonies four-handed at the piano
But that is only a very small thing and be-
sides means that only very few works of thai
sort can be presented at your meetings in a sea-
son, no matter how enthusiastic your ladies are.
Whereas, if you had this player-grand, not only
would you have the new piano you need, but
also the opportunity to study at any time un-
familiar large works, and to become acquainted
with the orchestral scores of piano concertos.
Members beginning the study of a new sym-
phony would immensely simplify their work
by first studying it by the music roll. Moreover,
piano concertos few can play; but rolls can be
had giving the orchestral part alone, the solo
part alone, or both together. Think of the ad-
vantage a library of this sort would afford!''
There, roughly, are just two ideas out of
many that could be presented to a woman's mu-
sical club. Just a few words now about other
clubs and their value as prospects.
The Literary Club
The many literary clubs that are to be found
in every town the country over represent what
was one of the earliest forms of such associa-
tions. Many of these are known as Browning
Clubs, Shakespeare Clubs, Hawthorne Clubs, or
the like. It is the custom of such clubs to have
a number of set programs during each season
and not infrequently it is necessary that music
be provided; or at least desirable that this should
be done. For example, it is quite usual to have
"readings" from some author whose work the
club is studying, and occasionally, through the
co-operation, by chance, of some talented mu-
sical member, it is possible to include some
musical setting that may have been made for
the purpose. Poe's "Raven," Tennyson's "Enoch
Arden," Byron's "Manfred" and many other
pieces have been provided with musical settings.
A glance at the music roll catalogs will show
a number of rolls made from such musical set-
tings. If an opening be wanted for the purpose
of talking about the introduction of a player-
piano into the rooms of a literary club, what
better could be found than by offering to demon-
strate a player accompaniment to a dramatic
reading at one of the club's meetings?
The point in all these ideas is that if once
the members of a woman's club can be made to
see that the horrible reproach of being "mechan-
ical" need not for a moment stand in the way,
and that the modern player-piano is decidedly
not "mechanical" unless one wishes it to be so:
when once this point has been made clear, the
many musical superiorities of the player-piano
over any other kind of musical instrument may
1 e insisted on with some chance of success.
There is another matter which springs from
what was said above. Good demonstration is
the essential in all work of this sort. When one
is dealing with cultured women it is absolutely
necessary to be able to meet them on their own
ground. A salesman whose musical talk con-
sists of hot air and who cannot artistically dem-
onstrate the player-piano, will not have a chance
in work like this. By the word "demonstrate,"
however, we do not mean tiresome exhibitions
of the operator's personal skill. That is a
demonstration of oneself, not of the player-
piano. The kind of demonstration that wins is
one that gets the prospect's feet on the pedals,
shows how things are done, and then, when a
start has been made, shows also, simply and ap-
parently without effort, how great effects may
be had by anyone who will take the trouble to
practice a little b i t
With the reproducing piano, though it might
not seem so, the question of demonstration is
quite as important. The choice of music and
the sales talk that explains the real significance
of the instrument, are what do the trick. But
to use these weapons one must understand them.
The woman's club field is large and fertile.
The writer has seen some good results accom-
plished by intelligent work in this field. H e
recommends it to the attention of the retail
trade.
THE REAL POSSIBILITIES OlF THE JAZZ TYPE OF ROLL
At Least One Member of the Trade Considers It Seriously as a Forward Step in the Development
of Special Orchestrations for Player-Pianos—Idea May Be Applied to Better Class of Music
The orchestral possibilities of the music roll
are considerably helped by the appearance of the
so-called "jazz" roll, according to a prominent
member of the trade, and a musician of no mean
attainments to boot, who, in the course of a chat
with The Review this week, said:
"I have been much interested, and am frank to
say considerably moved at some articles and
stories 1 have read recently in The Review and
other trade papers regarding the status of the
jazz rolls. The majority of writers confine them-
selves for the most part to eulogizing the music
roll as a means for producing piano music along
new lines, of presenting the magnificent works of
music art through the medium of special orches-
trations for the player-piano, and for removing
the two-hand limitation from the piano key-
board. These writers hold up their hands in
holy horror merely at the mention of jazz music,
and the best defense the poor jazz roll gets
apparently is from sales managers of music roll
companies, who declare, very properly, that jazz
rolls are produced in increasing quantities be-
cause there is a demand for them.
"I have often wondered if the musical authori-
ties who predict great possibilities for the
player-piano, and who at the same time condemn
the jazz roll, have stopped to realize that that
same jazz roll is carrying out, in a crude way,
perhaps, the very idea that they advance so
seriously. The jazz arrangement is really a spe-
cial orchestration designed especially for the
player-piano. The effect cannot be obtained by
hand, nor yet by any other instrument. The pro-
duction of a successful jazz roll requires a more
.than casual understanding of harmony. Then,
too, we have had the saxophone roll, and more
recently the 'cello effects.
This last effect
marks the greatest advance of all, perhaps, be-
cause there is really a suggestion of a 'cello
obligato for the regular piano piece.
"As these new arrangements for the music
roll and player-piano become more general and
more understood, it is logical to assume that
there will be substantial developments in the
art, and that from introducing the effects of the
saxophone and the 'cello into the roll, it is quite
possible to advance to a point where other
instruments of the orchestra may be imitated
with some measure of success through the me-
dium of the player-piano. Why cannot the
'cello effect, for instance, be reimproved to a
point where it will work in pleasingly with music
of a serious nature?
"It seems to me that the critics have risen
to condemn, without the proper appreciation of
the facts, a failing very common with critics.
The player-piano and the music roll were not
developed in a day or a year. Why should all
the possibilities of the player-piano in the mat-
ter of original orchestrations be expected to
develop themselves on the spur of the moment?
Instead of condemning the jazz roll and the
saxophone roll, it might be well for the critic
to take that type of music seriously and see by
what means the idea advanced could be de-
veloped to a point where it would have a musical
value recognized by even the most exacting.
If the player-piano and music roll really offer
new musical possibilities, then let every idea
that tends to point out a new path of thought
be encouraged rather than condemned.
"Don't take it that I am what is frequently
termed, a 'jazz hound,' for I, in company with
thousands of others, abhor the popular rag type
of- music and really enjoy good music, but I
can see in these latest attempts to enliven the
ordinary music roll a logical development that
cannot be consistently overlooked."
PATENTS PIANO ACTUATING VALVE
New Invention Combines Ease of Manufacture
With Economy and Durability
WASHINGTON, D. C, December 24.—Patent No.
1,249,777, for a pneumatic piano actuating valve,
was last week granted to Walter A. Kruck,
Camden, N. J.
This invention relates to pneumatic piano
actuating valves, and the construction and ar-
rangement thereof with reference to the other
essential elements. It belongs, more particu-
larly, to piston operated valves whereby the
bellows that set in motion the piano action units
are connected with the suction chamber, and it
is believed to be an improvement upon the in-
ventions of like nature disclosed in Letters
Patent of the United States issued May 21, 1912,
No. 1,027,257, and November 26, 1912, No.
1,045,710. The improvement consists in the spe-
cial construction and arrangement of parts
which are particularly adapted to be cheaply and
rapidly manufactured and, being of metal, do
not deteriorate with time and exposure.
JOINS LUDWIG & CO. SALES STAFF
Laura T. Landry, an experienced piano sales-
woman, and who also possesses much ability as a
pianist and singer, has been added to the staff
at the retail piano warerooms of Ludwig & Co.,
Brooklyn, N. Y., under the management of
Leslie H. West.
WR1GHT-PLAYER-ACTI0N
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WRIGHT &SONS COMPANY,