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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NOVEMBER 29, 1919
9
MIMI&HIMliy^
Being the Monthly Excuse for The Review's Tame Philosopher, Yclept the
Editor of This Player Section, to Exhibit His Lack or Abundance of Talent,
As the Case May Be, at Commenting Upon Various Timely Themes and Topics
be candid about it, we find much difficulty in adopt-
ing any attitude of satisfaction cr complacency in
this matter. Say what we please, we must admit, if
Lots of the folks tell us they are going i.o exhibit we are honest, that while the player-piano of today
down to N'York in a couple of months. And the cu- is a fine piece of work, it is very incomplete. Per-
riosity of the visiopuntist is intrigued as to the won- haps when the public has become a little more par-
ders they may have in mind to reveal to a world ticular we shall see some really startling novelties at
palpitating, more or less, with anxiety. Somehow or our annual meets. Till then, perhaps, we had better
another, one finds it hard to visualize those sur- be patient. Anyhow, the annual meet and the occa-
prises. The truth is, of course, that the year 19,19 sional show are like great demonstrators of the big-
has been a "production" year. That is to say, the ness and of the high technical position (mechani-
big job has been to get goods out/, not to invent new cally speaking) of our industry.
devices or improve old ideas. The improvements
which have been made are, of course, many; "but
Our Missing Friend
they have had to do with economies of production
rather than with technical refinement of the finished
In the midst of all the talk about the betterment
product. The industry progresses, indeed, with some of music and the advancement of the same, and all
steadiness in the direction of technical improvement, that sort of thing, one rather misses our friend the
using that term in the sense of mechanical or manu- player-piano. As a champion of that much-abused
facturing efficiency; but it does not, somehow, show but stubbornly surviving instrument we feel that
very much or very rapid progress in artistic or ex- here is an -aching void. Jus* how a void can have
pressive refinement. When all the present produc- an ache in it I shall not prete id to explain. A void,
tion problems have been settled, and when supply it seems, is a vacuum. Now ihe inside of a player-
balances demand once more, it is to be hoped that piano does, or ought to, occupy itself in producing a
our trade pundits will turn their attention again to- vacuum; anyhow, a partial vacuum. Now one has
ward the artistic position of the player-piano, and heard player-pianos which produced quite a number
will ask themselves if they really are satisfied. To of aches; but these were neither in the void nor in
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the vacuum, not even in the vacuum chambers; they
were in the heads of the listeners. But this is neither
here nor there. What I ought to have said before
I tripped up, was that in the midst of all this talk—
good talk, too—about the advancement of music in
the home, the player-piano is getting left out.
Musicians, like Arthur Whiting, are always sneering
at the player-piano as a musical machine gun; but
the fact remains that there are something like 700,-
000 of this artillery in the land. To certainly half a
million homes the player-piano is the one music-
maker. Why cannot, why should not, we link up the
player-piano with the music-in-the-home movement?
It really does seem that more might be done here
than is being done. Surely no one will believe that
the art of playing the player-piano could not be en-
couraged, or even taught. Why not? Why neglect
a large, established and growing element of the musi-
cal equipment of the country merely because it does
not exactly fit in with the established views of the
reigning caste of musical Brahmans? Why ignore
an instrument used and understanded of the people?
The player-piano can be made a valuable contributor
to musical culture; but it must be treated with res-
pect, and then with understanding.
Well, Why Not?
Our ponderous (in most ways) contemporary, the
Talking Alachine World, dictionary, encyclopaedia
Britannica and Enchiridion of the sister industry,
is telling the solar system that talker dealers ought
to stock player rolls. Well, one does not pretend to
know why not; and the suggestion leads to quite
fascinating speculations. For instance, just as long
as the roll is considered to be merely a specialized
development out of the player business it will be
treated as a specialty and sold only by specialists.
Now, with all the standardization of the present age
applied to it, why cannot any music roll be sold by
any dealer in books or magazines or fiddle strings,
or by any other person who would be likely to sell
sheet music in any kind of way? Why is a music-
roll not to be considered a staple? Who, in fact, can
rightly call it anything else today? It is as much a
staple at this moment as is the printed sheet of
music or the printed book. Why should a music-roll
be sold only in a piano store? In fact, the answer
is plain. It should be sold wherever the folks will
come in and buy it. Why not? The secret of na-
tional popularity for the player-piano is to be found
among other places in the widest possible distribution
of retail service on music-rolls. This is one secret
of player merchandising to be remembered.
This Hectic Life!
We used to know a rather lovely young lady. She
had red hair, real red, red hair. And she had green
eyes, real dark green cat's eyes. And she painted
pictures, and she sang. And she also played the
(Continued on page 10)
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