Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
FEBRUARY 11, 1922
MUSIC TRADE CONDITIONS IN ITALY—(Continued from page 9)
Italian market, gradually expanding their busi-
ness. They have produced a new timpani of a
graduating chorister; that is, a timpani which
has a revolving head of such a character that
the performer can gain the radius of one whole
octave with very little handling. The famous
Italian orchestral conductor, Maestro Toscanini,
on his recent American tour carried two of them.
That master conductor is known to all musi-
cians as the most exacting in the matter of pos-
sessing; the latest thing in musical instruments
which can, in the remotest manner, enhance the
rendition of a composition.
The plant is the most modern in Italy, situ-
ated on the outskirts of Milan, is of Uvo stories,
concrete and brick, and employs over seventy
men at the benches. They make anything from
a jew's-harp to the largest brass tuba. Their
market extends to all the European countries,
but as to the States our protective tariff almost
excludes their importation. They have an ex-
ceptionally true clarinet, the most difficult in-
strument to make true. During my interview
with the head of the firm I was informed that
if conditions there permit they will begin the
exportation of their goods in order to show
their merits. The plant at present is working-
full time, which augurs well for their product.
Market for the Electric-powered Organ
Regarding organs and harmoniums, so far as
my observances have permitted, I must admit
that we are still much in advance of our friends
here in so far as the mechanical organ is con-
cerned. The field here for the pneumatic organ
—or the reproducer, as we know it in America—
is practically unknown. In the majority of the
great cathedrals and churches the organ still in
use is the old-fashioned hand-pumped or water-
powered (with a few motors here and there).
I believe that the field for our product of that
class is almost unlimited and very profitable, but
not, at least, until the prices of our goods are
much lower than what they are at present or
until the monetary units of the two countries re-
gain their parity.
Cremona, the Violin Center
This is the city of the ancient violin makers,
the Stradivarius leading the long list of them.
But some twenty-five years ago an energetic
man named Anelli, a good tuner and a fair tech-
nician, took up the task of making a pianoforte
His efforts, after much study, proved that Cre-
mona could also make a piano, but the limited
finances at his disposal, with the keen competi-
tion of the favored Germans and their special
tariff clause with Italy, followed by the late war,
was more than the old gentleman could stand
alone, so he had to quit. Upon my return th.s
time to Italy 1 find that his small factory ac-
quired an entirely different aspect; a littie in-
quiry showed that his Cremonese pertinacity
succeeded in inducing several capitalists to be-
lieve that he really could make a piano if he
only had the money to put some of his original
ideas into pract.ee. Tne result was that he soon
had, a stock company organized two years ago
and is now Oiie of the most busy instrument
makers in the Kingdom. His piano is known
under the trade-mark of "Anelli ' and has re-
ceived favorable acceptance at the hands of the
prejudiced dealers, who always believed that a
p.ano had to be of foreign make to be good.
That belief is still generally accepted, but 1 be-
lieve that it Will be soon supplanted by a ni3re
patriotic one. I have found, though, that, as a
general rule, real technical knowledge of the art
of piano making is not only scarce with us at
home but also here.
The Vogue of the Brass Band
The thing most striking to a musical stranger
is the fact that almost every small city or town
has a brass band; not the usual band we see in
the United States of the high school boys, but
of professional musicians. In the small town of
Gioa del Collo, in the province of Bari, a town
of some 12,000 people, the brass band there con-
sists of fifty-five musicians. Their leading cor-
netist would make Sousa offer him a thousand a
month as salary and its conductor is a very
capable one, though somewhat eccentric. This
organization was first brought into existence by
the voluntary offerings of a group of the wealthy
gentlemen of the town who, desirous of propa-
gating the musical branch of art, subventioned
out of their private purses the funds w.th which
to pay and retain a picked organization; not that
the components of it were professionals, but to
make it from the ground up, paying salaries for
learning to become musicians, then continu.ng
such salaries. In this case the band is always at
the disposal of the society, which, of course,
shows no egotism, for the fellow c tize .s also
enjoy its concerts at least bi-weekly. Vvhe.i an
opportunity presents itself for the band to go
elsewhere on an engagement permission is al-
ways granted, the receipts of which go to par-
tially assist the disbursements. This CJII l.tion
of affairs is not confined to this one town, but to
You Judges of Tone
Hear the Ludwig!
You dealers who recognize tonal superiority should by all
means hear the Ludwig. Especially if there is no Ludwig
dealer in your territory write us and we will arrange for you
to see and hear it. In the Ludwig are combined beauty of
tone and case architecture—at a moderate price. W e will
gladly prove it.
Ludwig & Co.
Willow Avenue and 136th Street
New York
The Ludwig Reproducing Piano
Grands
Uprights
Players
literally hundreds of towns throughout the coun-
try. The results are very satisfying; it explains
to the uninitiated the reason why these people
are such musical critics and lovers of really
good music.
Amusing Musical Rivalry
The musical rivalry is so keen that it often
appears foolish to an outsider. A small town,
Squ nzino, near Lecce, and within its town lim-
its, conceived the idea that it should be a sep-
arate municipality and the legal separation was
accomplished, both towns living happily there-
after. Squinzino had a brass band of wide re-
pute, and the new town, which assumed the
name of St. Peter, felt that there, too, a band
was in order. The result was the development
of a rivalry stimulated by the public press which
resulted in a contest to decide which of the two
bands was the best. On the day of the contest
both bands played so exceedingly well that no
decision could be reached as to which was the
better, and thus a feud developed that served to
divide families, separate sweethearts and main-
tained a spirit of bitterness between the two
towns that will not down. Only when the two
bands received engagements in other parts of
the country to play against other bands was the
rivalry forgotten, and then they combined the
production of the best music for the honor of
the.'r district.
SUCCESSFUL SALE AT AKRON
A. B. Smith Piano Co. Does Some Big Adver-
tising and Moves Much Stock
AKRON, O., February 6.—Probably the most suc-
cessful piano sale ever conducted in Akron is
Hearing a close at the store of the A. B. Smith
Piano Co., one of the largest piano distributing
houses in the State. Ernest Smith, manager,
informed a representative of The Review this
week that the company has received many con-
gratulatory letters from large piano concerns
and advertising agencies for the newspaper ad-
vertising campaign which was largely responsible
for the sale being such a success.
The opening advertisement heralding the sale
event was a page spread equally divided between
text matter and art. Boxed in one corner of the
ad was the history of the A. B. Smith Piano Co.,
telling of the opening twenty-seven years ago
of a small piano store at 81 S. Howard street,
when Akron's population was less than 30,000.
The ad also depicted the present big piano house,
showing the founder, A. B. Smith; the new A. B.
Smith building, the first talking machine rooms,
the Knabe grand piano room and the Ampico
reproducing piano parlors.
Mr. Smith reports that considerable merchan-
dise has been moved as the result of the sale
and that the much-needed room is now being
filled with new stocks of pianos and talking ma-
chines.
L. A. Johnson, formerly of the A. B. Smith
Piano Co., has rejoined the sales force of this
organization, it was announced this week.
A. E. Jones, new manager of the piano depart-
ment of the George S. Dales Co., announces that
January business with this store was the best
in many months, and from all indications the-
present month will be even better. He says this
firm will add a new piano line soon after
March 1.
S. W. MILLERjCO. TO RESUME
SHEBOYGAN, WIS., February 6.—The S. W. Mil-
ler Piano Co. is planning to build a new one-
story plant to be ready by May 17, according
to an announcement made last week. This struc-
ture will be the first of a series of units which
will house the enterprise. The company with-
drew from active operations about a year ago.
The officers of the concern are: S. W. Miller,
president; F. Ackerman, vice-president; W. H.
Ackerman, treasurer, and J. Sherwin, secretary.