Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
OCTOBER 26, 1918
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PLAYERS POPULAR WITH SOLDIERS
NOW BANDMASTER WRIGHT, U. S. A. DEATH OF FELIX ARNDT REGRETTED
Fighters Prove Their Love for Music by Their
Enthusiasm for the Player—An Opportunity
for Patriotic Merchants to Aid the Boys
Former Member of Universal Music Co. Leader
of Military Band Which Has Been Heard in
London and Camps Abroad
With the exception of the talking machine,
which, of course, is favored on account of its
portability, the most popular musical instrument
among the soldiers and sailors is without ques-
tion the player-piano. The barracks or hut
equipped with a player-piano is considered to
be thoroughly "in luck," and experiences show
that the instrument is going practically contin-
uously during the hours of leisure. Even be-
fore the war the choice of the fighting men on
the ships and in the forts and camps was the
player-piano, and the idea still prevails.
The player-piano makes the same appeal to
the fighting men as it does to their families at
home. In the case of the ordinary piano, the
company or squad may, or may not, have in its
personnel a pianist of fair ability. If it has the
men are indeed fortunate. If not, they are "out
of luck" and the piano simply takes up some
room. The player-piano, however, responds to
the pressure of any pair of feet, whether en-
cased in the glossy boots of the officer, the
trench brogans of the private, or the substan-
tial shoes of the naval "gob." Those who have
answered the call to contribute music rolls for
the use of the men in the service have found
their response received with the deepest appre-
ciation, for the rolls put the music within the
grasp of every man in the outfit. The letters
that have been received from men in camps to
which piano merchants and others have donated
player-pianos offer final proof of the manner
in which those instruments are regarded.
To indulge in a sordid, commercial viewpoint
for a moment, the popularity of the player-piano
in camp and on ship can be relied upon to de-
velop the most widespread support, knowledge
of, and interest in, those instruments—an inter-
est that is going to be capitalized after the war,
when the men come back and buy player-pianos
for their own homes.
For the piano merchant to place a new or
even used player-piano in a camp near his home
town can really be regarded as casting bread
upon the waters in expectation of the widely
known results.
A. W. Wright, formerly a member of the
traveling sales staff of the Universal Music Co.,
New York, was a visitor this week to the com-
pany's executive offices. Mr. Wright joined
the United States Army several months ago and
has been stationed at Camp Hancock, Ga. He
is now a leader of one of the bands from that
camp. This band under Mr. Wright's leader-
ship recently made a trip across the Atlantic to
London, where it gave a concert to the U. S.
army boys in one of the concentration camps
near that city. The band also gave a concert
to the wounded and convalescent soldiers re-
turning to this country, and Mr. Wright has
earnest hopes that his band will soon be seen
on Fifth avenue when it will welcome the boys
home from the "other side."
John Meiklejohn, manager of the Pawtucket,
R. I., store of the Meiklejohn Co., Providence,
R. I., was in New York this week and visited
several factories in the Bronx, including that
of the Wilfred Co., 156th street and Whitlock
avenue, New York.
Was Prominent and Popular in Music and Trade
Circles—Survived by Widow
It was with general regret that the music
trade, and especially those in it handling music
rolls, learned of the death last week of Felix
Arndt, the well-known composer, pianist and re-
cording artist. Mr. Arndt, who was only twen-
ty-nine years old, made records for the Uni-
versal Music Co. for five years prior to the
time he joined the Q R S forces on January 1
this year. He was known to music-lovers all
over the country, not only through his com-
positions which had wide sale in sheet music
form, but through his Victor records, he being
one of the few able to record piano solos sat-
isfactorily. He has recorded hundreds of music
rolls and his original masters have seldom had
to be corrected.
His loss to the music world will be felt keen-
ly, and his loss to those who knew him best
will be still greater. Mr. Arndt contracted cold
on October 8, which developed into pneumonia,
CLOSES A TWO=YEAR CONTRACT
causing his death on October 16. The funeral
Sale of Steinway Duo-Art Grand Consummated was held last Friday afternoon at the Harmon
Country Club, Harmon, N. Y., interment being
After Two Years' Work
in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown. The
deceased is survived by a widow, Mrs. Noa
NEW ORLEANS, LA., October 21.—That persist-
ency will often accomplish results when every- Arndt, the well-known soprano.
thing else fails was recently demonstrated by
Howard Hill, assistant manager of the music
HIS FOURTH CONTRIBUTION
department of the Holmes store, this city, who
A. M. Wright, vice-president and general man-
closed a sale for a Steinway Duo-Art grand after
working on a prospect for two years. The ager of the Mason & Hamlin Co., who was in
prospect was the wife of a wealthy merchant, New York on Saturday last, became so solicitous
who had been interested in getting a grand piano that New England should go "over the top" that
for some time, but who seemingly could not be he telegraphed his fourth personal Liberty Loan
brought to the closing point. Mr. Hill finally contribution to Boston. New England mean-
consummated the sale last week, by proving that while piled up a magnificent total for the Lib-
the coming tax on musical instruments would erty Loan despite the epidemic of influenza.
unquestionably increase the retail price.
NOTE SHEET CONTROLLING BRAKE
STANDARD CO. WELL SUPPLIED
WASHINGTON, D. C, October 21.—Patent No.
1,280,598 was last week granted to William A.
Watson, Maiden, Mass., for a note sheet con-
trolling brake, and relates especially to the
The Standard Music Roll Co., Orange, N. J., mechanism for controlling the passage of a per-
has been making every effort to secure sufficient forated note sheet over the tracker bar of a
supplies to keep its dealers well stocked with player-piano.
The principal object of the invention is to
Standard player rolls, and G. Howlett Davis,
president of the concern, who just returned from provide an improved brake for the let-off or
a trip to Boston, where he called on the vari- record spool, which will automatically lessen its
ous supply houses who furnish raw material to action gradually, or commensurate with the re-
the Standard concern, states that arrangements duction of the diameter of the roll, in order to
completed on this trip will assure an adequate permit long note sheets to be played to the end
without hesitation.
supply of material for several months to come.
G. H. Davis Makes Special Trip to Boston to
Arrange for Raw Material Supplies
The [
traube
Pianos and Player-Pianos
mean more to a dealer than merely a "fair"
profit. They mean pianos and player-pianos
manufactured on the basis of high ideals;
higher than enter into the production of the
ordinary goods. To handle them ensures
satisfaction for the dealer; and for the
dealer's customer, too!
The sale of one STRAUBE piano means
the sale of many.
Straube Upright, Style K
"Sing Their Own Praite"
Straube Player, Style 15
"Sing Their Own Praise"
STRAUBE PIANO CO.
HAMMOND
INDIANA