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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JANUARY 7, 1922
EDISON SALESMANSHIP SCHOOLS
VOCALION MUSIC BY RADIO
CO-OPERATE WITH_CENSUS BUREAU
Plans Completed for Coast-to-Coast Itinerary of
Salesmanship Schools—First Schools Will
Open During February in Boston and Phila-
delphia Simultaneously—William Maxwell in
Charge of Important and Far-reaching Sales
Work Instituted by Thos. A. Edison, Inc.
Vocalion Artists Also Participate in Radio Musi-
cal Programs of the Westinghouse Co.—Music
Heard Over 350-Mile Radius
Manufacturers in the Talking Machine Industry
Should Promptly Fill Out Forms Covering
Status of Manufacturers for the Year 1921
The Aeolian Co., through G. A. Baldini, of the
artists' department, has taken a prominent part
in insuring the success of the series of nightly
radio concerts given by the Westinghouse Elec-
tric Mfg. Co., of Newark, N. J., and which are
enjoyed by over 100,000 people provided with
radio facilities within a radius of 350 miles of
Newark.
There was first introduced the Vocalion and a
reproduction of the records of the various artists
was carried through the air perfectly, to the
delight of those who listened in. Next the Duo-
Art reproducing piano was furnished by the
Aeolian Co. to furnish the piano music, and
finally a number of exclusive Vocalion artists
were taken to Newark to sing directly into the
sending apparatus. Among the Vocalion artists
who have participated in the Westinghouse con-
certs have been Marie Sundelius, Metropolitan
Opera soprano; Grace Kerns, the noted church
soprano who sang on Thanksgiving night; the
Kouns Sisters and Sasha Culbertson. H. B. Tre-
maine, president of the Aeolian Co., had a wire-
less receiving outfit installed in his home in
Westfield. N. J., and has become an enthusiastic
follower of the concerts.
The concerts are given between the hours of
8.20 and 9.50 nightly, the programs for the
various evenings being well diversified. One
night it is operatic music, another night popular
songs, then again dance music, and finally on
Sunday evenings sacred music.
The Westinghouse Co. is providing compact
receiving sets that may be attached to water
pipes or other metal conveyors to provide the
necessary "ground."
Shortly after January 1, 1922, manufacturers
in all branches of the talking machine industry
will receive from the Census Bureau at Washing-
ton, D. C, detailed forms covering the 1921 cen-
sus of manufactures. The schedules have been
broadened out somewhat this year so as to make
a more complete analysis of the various depart-
ments of the industry.
The Director of the Census makes a special
appeal through The Review to manufacturers,
urging them to promptly fill out and return the
schedules when they are received early in Janu-
ary. If manufacturers generally will do this it
will make no mean saving of governmental ex-
penditures, and inasmuch as the manufacturing
industries pay about two-thirds of the Federal
taxes, when they can save two-thirds of a dollar
they ought to be interested in doing it.
ORANGE, N. J., January 3.—The program for
the salesmanship schools to be conducted by the
phonograph division of Thomas A. Edison, Inc.,
is progressing very rapidly and successfully.
The total enrollment of dealers and their repre-
sentatives now exceeds two thousand, and twen-
ty-two classes have been definitely established
in twenty-two leading business centers.
The first two schools will be conducted during
February in Boston and Philadelphia. The dates
on which these schools will be opened will be
simultaneous and, in fact, most of the school
program has been worked out so that two con-
ventions will go on simultaneously.
William Maxwell, first vice-president of
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., with a staff of assist-
ants, will make a coast-to-coast trip, during
which he will play, together with his staff, an
important role in each salesmanship school.
As stated above, Boston and Philadelphia will
be the first two cities; New York and Syracuse
will come next, then Toronto and Cleveland,
Detroit and Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincin-
nati, Atlanta and Richmond, New Orleans and
Dallas, St. Louis and Kansas City, Des Moines
and Minneapolis, Winnipeg and Seattle, San
Francisco and Ogden, Utah. The whole series
will involve a period of about three months.
The program in each city will embrace one
day of dealer conference, one day of mechanical
instruction and the rest of the week will be
devoted to salesmanship instruction, including
special features to be staged by William Max-
well, his associates and the special instructors
who have been trained and developed for this
salesmanship school idea.
The Edison conception of the salesmanship
school, the actual material and features to be
included in the school and the plan of literally
putting the school on the road clear across the
continent are the combined work of William
Maxwell and Thomas Leonard, sales manager of
the phonograph division.
ARTISTIC COLUMBIA DISPLAY
C. C. Baker Features Columbia Record of "My
Sunny Tennessee"
COLUMBUS, O., January 3.—C. C. Baker, of
this city, one of the leading Columbia dealers in
the country, makes a specialty of preparing artis-
Columbia Records Featured by C. C. Baker
tic window displays. In the accompanying illus-
tration Mr. Baker's display features the popular
song hit, "My Sunny Tennessee," and a Colum-
bia Grafonola is utilized as the background for
one of the most artistic displays that this dealer
has featured in some time.
COLUMBlAjCO. VISITORS
There were quite a number of visitors at the
Columbia executive offices over the Christmas
holidays, among the callers being Thomas B.
Niles, assistant manager of the Pittsburgh
branch, accompanied by Mrs. Niles; D. H. Del-
zell, manager of the Salt Lake City branch of
the Columbia Stores Co.; R. H. Woodford, man-
ager of the Columbia Co.'s Cincinnati branch;
Mr. Markson, of Markson Bros., Columbia deal-
ers at Syracuse, N. Y., and Carl Buechner, sales
representative of the Boston branch.
No man can attain success without believing
in himself, his fellows and the worthwhileness
of his job.
LEARNING LESSONS FROM CARUSO'S AND OTHER RECORDS
Henry T. Finck, the Eminent New York Critic, Says de Gogorza's Are Models—His Tribute to
Caruso as a Teacher in the Domain of Music—Praise for Elena Gerhardt
In his always delightfully written and interest-
ing musical department in the New York Evening
Post the veteran Henry T. Finck "took his pen
in hand" the oth.er day and paid tribute to the
musical value of the high-class records of to-day,
placing special emphasis on the Victor record-
ings of Caruso, de Gogorza and, incidentally, the
great singing of Elena Gerhardt. Progressive
dealers and salesmen should find this comment,
which follows, worthy of their consideration:
"When Caruso was first asked to make talking
machine records he wanted 200,000 francs ($40,-
000), for which sum he was willing to sing at
any time whenever a new record was wanted.
The Victor people tried to make him sing for
them on a royalty basis, but for a time he stub-
bornly refused. At last he yielded—fortunately,
for the very first year's royalties exceeded the
lump sum he had asked. Then they doubled and
trebled, and to-day, I have read somewhere, his
heirs get $200,000 a year from the royalty on his
records in place of the 200,000 francs for all time
he wanted.
"The Caruso records have done a great deal
not only to delight but to educate the American
public. He sang the great operatic airs, and he
sang them as few tenors have known how to
sing them—not only with a voice of ravishing
beauty, but with the superlative art of a great
•musician. Had he possessed nothing but a fine
voice his records would still have given pleasure,
but they would not have been educational. What
makes them educational is that Caruso was a
^musician as well as a singer; that is, unlike most
singers, he phrased melodies and shaded them
iwith the $a#ie #rf>tle art we admire in Kreisler
or Padercwski. Teachers of singing who do not
use the Caruso records to help them in their
difficult task are not up to date. I would not
trust them round the corner.
"Last Sunday recitals were given here by two
vocalists whose records also should be used
everywhere for educational purposes as well as
for the pleasure they give. They were by Elena
Gerhardt and Emilio de Gogorza. It has been
said that all singers, however great, are aided in
their art by making records for the talking ma-
chine. Knowing that every little flaw in 'their
singing for the machine will be perpetuated,
maybe for all time, they do their very best, real-
izing vividly that trifles make perfection and
perfection is no trifle.
"Now, Emilio de Gogorza has not only made
many records, but he was for seven years artistic
director of one of the talking machine com-
panies, during which he had to show many prom-
inent singers, including Caruso, just what to do
to get the best results. It is therefore not sur-
prising that his own records are not only a de-
light musically but are probably the most finished
—shall I say idiomatic?—of all singing records.
Both his voice and his style are 'great.'
"Concerning Elena Gerhardt, I suggested last
Monday that her wonderful singing of Schubert's
'Death and the Maiden,' with the incomparable
Coenraad V. Bos at the piano, ought to be per-
petuated in millions of talking machine records.
Much excellent work is now being done in the
schools to give pupils an elementary musical
education. What is most needed is to teach them
how to enjoy good music and hate vulgar ditties
and fashionable rubbish of the day."