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36
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JULY 24, 1920
IN THE MUSICAL MERCHANDISE DOMAIN—(Continued from page 35)
AMERICAN JAZZ FOR CHUSAN FEW
STRING FASTENER AND ADJUSTER
RESPONSIBLE FOR MUCH JAZZ
Disciples of Buddha Welcome Melody-laden
Junk and Put Island on the Map
New Patent Refers Especially to Violin E
Strings—Allows Fine Adjustment
Worcester, Mass., Man Wins Success in the
Making of Jazz Instruments
Somewhere in the southern stretches of Hang
Chow Bay, off the East Coast of China, the fishes
swim shoreward of a Summer's evening to hear
melodious strains coming from a lone organ
which was shipped to the island of Chusan in
May. After a long journey from the United
States the instrument was loaded onto a Chinese
junk and set off on the last lap of its journey
to the Far East. The junk arrived safely—(we
mean the boat, not the instrument)—and thus
it comes about that the island of Chusan breaks
into print in the U. S. export statistics, even if
the compilers insist that the place is Chosen.
Although the information is utterly superfluous
we add that this same island is midway between
Chow Hing and Ning-po, is east of several un-
pronounceable provinces and west of so many
square miles of ocean that even a Government
statistician has not the time to figure out the
answer.
Since the month of May the musical appetite
of the Chosen few, or the Chusan few, if we
must be accurate, has increased amazingly and
experts are agog over .the fact. The natives
brought in one player-piano valued at $190, in
addition to the aforesaid organ valued at $500.
A piano of unknown form, worth, or rather
valued, at $310, also found it way into Chusan.
Chinese jazz enthusiasts prevailed upon Buddha
to let $358 worth of talking machines be im-
ported, together with $87 worth of records.
Special wireless reports tell us that since the
introduction of these instruments the natives
await eagerly the periodical arrival of the junk
—again, do not misunderstand—for who knows
what its burden may be?
WASHINGTON, D. C, July 19.—Patent No.
1 ; 331,863 was recently granted to Herman
Cohn, New York, for a string fastener and ad-
juster for musical instrument strings.
The present invention relates to improvements
in string fasteners and adjusters for musical
instrument strings, particularly a device espe-
cially desirable for violin wire E strings. Wire
strings as ordinarily used upon violins are very
difficult to adjust to the exact tone because the
wooden pegs employed for adjusting the string
would not permit of such fine adjustment as is
required to properly tune a wire string. It is
an object of the invention, therefore, to provide
means by which the string may be attached to
the tail piece of the violin with facility and by
means of which it may be adjusted to the very
finest degree, and slippage will be prevented. A
further object is to enable the loop of the string
to be readily secured to the device and easily
removed, that is, its removal will not be made
difficult by the tight binding of the loop caused
by the stretching of the string. Other objects
are to provide such means which will not be-
come loose and will not readily get out of or-
der, and which will be simple in construction
and inexpensive to manufacture.
WORCESTER, MASS., July 19.—Because a Wor-
cester man invented some noise producing in-
struments he gave a terrible impetus to that now
known as jazz. Furthermore, Bernard Walberg
admits that he is not over proud of having been
guilty of inventing and later manufacturing what
seem to be a considerable part of jazz or-
chestras.
In order to make a business a financial suc-
cess he says the popular demand must be catered
to and just now jazz is going very strong in this
country and in England and France, where the
American doughboys introduced it as a side
line while they were showing Heine how to re-
treat to the Fatherland.
No orders for jazz instruments have been re-
ceived from Germany as yet, owing to the fact
no doubt that the Germans are not in a jazzing
mood, but Mr. W r alberg believes the orders are
sure to come. Worcester's musical industry did
not start as manufacturers of jazz instruments
but as manufacturers of percussion musical in-
struments made in a small room in the old
Crompton block, now the Plaza Theatre. This
building has housed practically all the musical
instrument manufacturers in this city. First of
these was Isaac Fiske, in his day, a celebrated
maker of band instruments. A great many of
the band instruments used by the bands in the
Civil War came from the factory of Mr. Fiske
in Worcester.
C. G. Conn of Elkhart, Ind., who bought the
Fiske business, at that time was building the
foundation to what is now the largest band in-
strument factory in the world.
He continued the Fiske factory as an Eastern
branch until 1898, at which'time it was moved
to New York. Mr. Walberg, who was at that
time on the road as trombone soloist with the
Chicago Marine Band, under the leadership of
Thomas Preston Brooke, saw what he thought
was a good business opportunity and tried to
induce the manager of the Worcester branch to
stay in Worcester, a-nd with him to continue the
business. But in his proposition he was unsuc-
cessful.
After five years, when the firm of Walberg &
Auge was organized, A. L. Auge died in 1910 and
his interests in the business was bought from
his widow the same year, the firm name being
continued.
DISPLAY OF HORN INSTRUMENTS
A. R. Cummings, small goods manager for
Grinnell Bros.' Toledo store, reports good busi-
ness and is optimistic concerning Fall trade.
Grinnell Bros, featured a striking window dis-
play last week which included a line of horn
instruments. The demand for small goods is
on the increase in Ohio and many piano dealers
have recently added musical merchandise de-
partments.
BUFFALO DRUM DISPLAY WINDOW
Denton, Cottier & Daniels, Buffalo, N. Y., fea-
tured a line of drums in an interesting window
display last week. This company reports a good
demand for small goods and expects business
to be even better in a month or two. John F.
Huber, general manager, is on his vacation.
BEST STRINGS
JOHNFRIEDRICH&BRO.
~ 279 FlfT HAVE.
OSBORN SECURES NEW PROPERTY
Samuel Osborn Mfg. Co., Chicago small goods
manufacturers, last week secured the piece of
property adjoining their present factory on Sac-
ramento boulevard. It will be used for the
present as a lumber yard. The company have
also recently added an assembling room on the
top floor of their factory.
OPENS NEW STORE
A music store has been established at Fort
Laramie, Ohio, by William Danziger, who for-
merly conducted music stores at Minster and
Osgood in Ohio. The Fort Laramie store will
include an extensive line of, small goods.
SMALL GOODS IN DEMAND
Frank Howard, small goods manager for J.
W. Jenkins' Sons Music Co., Kansas City, Mo.,
is in Chicago, where he placed a number of
orders last week. He reports brisk business in
the Missouri city and is optimistic concerning
future business.
MARTEL'S MUSIC SHOP OPENED
J..*H. Marter has opened a music store known
as Martel's Music Shop in Leominster, Mass.
It carries a full line of musical merchandise and
its motto is "A Wonderful Place for Musical
People."
SECURES NEW POSITION
T. A. Curry, for several years with the small
goods department of the Stewart Store, Louis-
ville, Ky., has resigned to accept a position with
the Aromint Co., traveling Southern territory.
OLIVER DITSON CO.
BOSTON. MA8S.
T H E OLDEST AND
LAROEST MUSICAL
MERCHANDISE HOUSE
IN AMERICA
Motor' Distributors
Manufacturers
I m p o r u n and iebban •*
MUSICAL
MERCHANDISE
B. & J. GETS 'CELLO COLLECTION
Buegeleisen & Jacobson, New York City mu-
sical merchandise jobbers, have just secured an-
other exceptionally fine collection of 'cellos.
The 'cellos are rare old instruments of the Strad
type and were secured from a collector in Ger-
many. That the acquisition fills a much needed
want in the trade is evidenced by the fact that
they are going fast, nearly every dealer who
visits tht' Union Square warerooms taking one
or two.
Carl Nelson, president of the Vega Co., Bos-
ton, Mass., called on the trade in Portland, Ore.,
last week.
Black Diamond
Strings
THE WORLD'S BEST
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ESTABLISHED 1834
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