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OCTOBER 25,
THE MUSIC T R A D E
1919
REVIEW
11
The Present Period of Seeming Inactivity in the Player Industry Must Be
Overcome by Intense Research and Development Along Mechanical and Pneu-
matic Lines, if the Future Prosperity of the Player-Piano Is to Be Assured
No one will for a moment pretend that we have
The march of progress, we an; told, is eternal.
But that does not alter the fact that it is also often reached such perfction that we are compelled to pull
imperceptible. The motion of a glacier, measured in up in order to take breath. Certainly no technical
geological periods, is terrifying; measured in min- man would assent to so monstrous a proposition as
utes it is not perceived motion at all. The progress this. The best we can say is that while we can right-
of invention in all its branches is continuous; but it ly rejoice in some remarkable progress, we have a
is frequently almost if not quite imperceptible. Some- long road yet to travel before we even approach per-
times, indeed, the progress is intermittent, periods fection.
of feverish activity being succeeded by periods of
No sincere seeker after the truth about our indus-
apparent complete rest. The history of technical de- try will wish to claim a perfection which we have
velopment in the musico-pneumatic industry presents not reached. But it is evident that the many prob-
a case in point.
lems of production and of demand have had a dead-
During the ten years which immediately succeeded ening effect upon the efforts of many who would
the first announcement of the Angelus and the Pian- normally be most progressive.
Here it seems we meet with a real danger to the
ola, the technical activity was in every way tremen-
dous. Such developments as the Melville Clark 88- future of the industry. It is as certain as possible
note cabinet player and the Aeolian Pianola pi*»«!> that the true law of progress knows neither inter-
aroused a wonderful spirit of emulation. A surpris- ruption nor slackening. Are we not too complacent-
ing number of men began to show that they had ly assuming that a period of "rest" is inevitable, and
cherished for years practical mechanical ideas in the that there would really be something wrong in main-
line of automatic musical mechanism; ideas which taining a constant and unvarying activity in the way
only awaited an opportunity. No great development, of technical improvement?
whether in politics, economics, religion or invention,
Directions of Progress
comes before its time. When its time has come, the
There are a thousand directions along which, at
march of progress is often marvelously rapid for a this very moment, we ought to be working for the
time.
sake of our future progress and security. The
player-piano, contrary to the notion so generally held,
The "Law" of Reaction
Yet this rapidity is-always sooner or later brought has not reached its apex from a practical standpoint.
to a stop. To the period of great activity and rapid Perhaps the most important road for future prog-
improvement succeeds always a period of slight ac- ress and improvement lies towards scientific meas-
tivity and slow improvement. The actual duration urement of dimensions and pressures. At the pres-
of this latter period is not always calculable, but it ent moment the fundamental data upon which the
may be said to depend upon the extent to which the designer and inventor proceed usually are the undi-
gested result of many experiments and many fail-
first period has approached practical perfection. If
the activity of the formation period has been so ures. There is practically nothing in the way of
definite effort as yet being devoted to the amassing
fruitful as to exhaust the immediate possibilities of
the new art, one may predict that the duration of the of strictly scientific data for the guidance of future
next period will he long. The converse of the prop- designers; simply because no one has yet thought it
worth while to turn his energies towards the collec-
osition may also be assumed.
That this practical belief in a supposed law of tion of facts and figures based on physical science.
The contempt of the practical mechanician for the
periodic activity is based on no true principle, and
that it in fact may be and often is set at naught, natural sciences is only equalled, usually, by his con-
does not destroy the fact of its prevalence. Our tempt for the men who occupy themselves with such
own industry appears to be going through a period "unpractical" pursuits. The mechanician is perhap"
of comparative rest. Few new or important inven- not to be blamed if the educational system of the
tions are being announced. Nothing, or virtually country has the effect upon him of creating contempt
nothing, is being done, so far as appears, to bring for the knowledge without which his own life could
about specific improvements in either the musical or not be guaranteed or the continuance of society be
the mechanical branches of the art. What is the assured for the next ten minutes. Still when men
of that type happen to be alarmingly frequent in an
explanation of this apparent stagnation?
INTRODUCED I N
Made by the pioneers and
leaders in the playerpiano
industry
Have wonderful patented
devices and exclusive
features.
e WILCOX ® WHITE Co.
Business Established Ig77
MERIDEN CONN.
Agencies all over ihe Ubrld
industry like ours, and when the spirit which ani-
mates them is the governing and almost the distin-
guishing feature thereof, the result cannot but be
disquieting to all who wish to witness a steady de-
velopment and constant pressing towards higher
achievements.
The Research of the Future
At a time like the present, when the economic
conditions of the industry plainly discourage the
prosecution of general research in the experimental
rooms of the factories, it is more than ever neces-
sary to keep alive what exists of the scientific spirit.
It is even more plainly necessary to urge the culti-
vation of scientific knowledge by all who have the
best interests of the industries at heart. It is per-
haps early yet to urge the establishment of a general
bureau of technical research under the auspices of
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, but
whenever that project becomes a matter of prac-
tical interest it is plain that the pneumatic depart-
ment will be quite as important as the acoustic. In-
deed one looks forward to a future co-operation of
the two departments. For if anything is true it is
that the player mechanism has been developed by
men often imperfectly acquainted with the tonal side
of the piano and even with the general facts of mu-
sical expression. It is time we began to leave behind
us such mistakes and began to realize that the player-
piano of tomorrow needs be built from designs which
betray some knowledge of the piano end of piano
playing.
In a word, the state of coma is not the state for
us, and the sooner we recognize that fact the better
for us. Now, when the temptation is to rest on our
oars, we must resolutely realize that the price of
progress is constant effort and labor.
BALTIMORE REPUBLIC DEALER
A. Burdwise & Co., Leading Musical Merchandise
Merchants, Secure Republic Contract
The Republic Player Roll Corp., New York, have
announced that A. Burdwise & Co., with headquar
ters at Baltimore, Md., have been appointed their
sale representatives in that territory and joining that
city. This marks another step that the Republic
Player Roll Corp. have taken to enlarge their sales
facilities throughout the United States. Appoint-
ments of the Plaza Music Corp. as New York repre-
sentatives and of Yahr & Lange as representatives
for Michigan and Wisconsin were made recently
by the Republic Corp.
A. Burdwise & Co. hold an envious position in the
music trade circles in Baltimore. They are large
dealers in small musical merchandise, and have a
large following among dealers in that territory, and
will be the means of introducing the popular Re-
public player roll to a considerable extent in their
section of the country.
The Normal Training School, at Censor, Wis.,
has recently been equipped with a Brambach
baby grand piano.
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