Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
NOVEMBER 11, 1922
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
AWARDED PRIZE^FOR THESIS
HOW TO JUDGE PIANO QUALITY
COOPERATING WITH MUSIC CLUBS
Edward G. Brown, Jr., Son of Bayonne, N. J.,
Piano Dealer and Student at School of Piano
Salesmanship, Awarded Prize by Association
for Best Article on the Ideal Salesman
Story & Clark Piano Co. Issues Interesting
Little Volume on That Subject for the Use
of Prospective Piano Purchasers
National Bureau for Advancement of Music
Steadily Increasing the Scope of Its Activities
Following the recent piano salesmanship
school held in New York under the auspices of
the New York Piano Merchants' Association a
prize was offered by that organization for the
best thesis prepared by a student of the school
on the subject of "What Is an Ideal Salesman?"
and based on the lessons learned during the
course. The prize, a silver fountain pen, suit-
ably engraved, was won by Edward G. Brown,
Jr., son of E. G. Brown, the well-known and
successful piano dealer of Bayonne, N. J., and
was duly presented to Mr. Brown, Jr., at the
meeting of the Association held last week.
The prize-winning thesis was as follows:
"Broadly speaking, an ideal salesman is a
master in the art of constructive salesmanship,
and in order to be so he must have all his
powers, faculties, capacities and qualities highly
developed.
"It is necessary that a salesman be capable of
finding prospects, developing them, selling them
and then giving such service that absolute sat-
isfaction results.
"Primarily the ideal piano salesman must ap-
preciate the fact that he is selling music and by
so doing is rendering a distinct service to man-
kind. He should know music and be able to
discuss it intelligently in all its phases.
"A piano salesman must have personality. He
must be able to sell himself and in order to do
this must be able to place himself so firmly in
his customer's good graces that the customer
will repose absolute confidence in him. He must
understand human nature to the extent that he
can meet his prospect on his own plane, be it
high, low or otherwise.
"It is essential that a salesman thoroughly
understand the pianos he is selling as well as
have a knowledge of all pianos in general.
He should know why the instrument he is sell-
ing is constructed the way it is, how it is con-
structed and what the construction consists of.
A salesman's ability to answer questions re-
garding the technical side of pianos helps
further to create an atmosphere of confidence in
the customer's mind.
"The salesman should be able to use his in-
genuify to ascertain all about his customer be-
fore he sells him. This will enable him to sell
the piano best suited for the customer in ques-
tion. It will eliminate overselling and poor
terms and make a better sale for his firm.
"The greater the salesman's ability to render
satisfaction to his customer the greater will be
his opportunities of getting more business, as
satisfied customers are the backbone of a firm's
business."
NEW HOME FOR CLARK=JONES=SHEELY
Recently Formed Combine Remodeling Spacious
New Quarters—Concern Operates Five Music
Stores in Tennessee
KNOXVILLK, TENN., November 6.—The headquar-
ters of the Clark-Jones-Sheely Co. at 422 Gay
street, this city, are undergoing extensive re-
modeling. Work is progressing rapidly and it
is expected that the new quarters will soon be
ready for occupancy. This building will serve as
the main headquarters for the five stores which
the company controls in as many cities in this
State. The first floor will be devoted to the
display of talking machines, the second to a
large music hall and the repair department and
the third to piano display and demonstration
rooms.
The Clark-Jones-Sheely Co. was recently
formed by the consolidation of three large local
music houses, with a capitalization of $100,000.
The National Piano Co., of Missoula, Mont.,
recently moved into more spacious quarters.
Ralph L. Pettit is manager.
The Story & Clark Piano Co., Chicago, has
just issued for public use an interesting and
attractive volume entitled "A Brief Description
of Piano Construction," designed, it is said, to
enable the prospective buyer to tell the differ-
ence in pianos and to separate the high-grade
from the inferior instruments.
The various chapters of the booklet deal with
the construction and finish of the case, the
preparation of the lumber and what must be
expected. The sounding board and the back,
the action, the player action, hammers, tuning
pins, etc., are all given attention, and the fact
is particularly emphasized that good pianos
should be selected for children.
The text is general in character and written
in simple terms, with the last chapter devoted
to a short history of the Story & Clark Piano
Co. and its accomplishments. The little vol-
ume is substantially bound in board and the
cover is attractively finished in gold on blue.
DR. SPAETHA^A LECTURER
Well-known Musical Authority Now Under
Management of Metropolitan Musical Bureau
Sigmund Spaeth, Ph.D., head of the Ampico
department of the American Piano Co., and one
of the principal figures of Ampico educational
work, when he speaks on.musical subjects with
pianistic backgrounds, is now under the man-
agement of the Metropolitan Musical Bureau of
New York as a recitalist and lecturer. Dr.
Spaeth has already eight engagements this sea-
son to talk before distinguished audiences in
this independent capacity. His topics include
"Old Tunes for New" (the relation of our pop-
ular music to the classics), "Music a la Carte"
(some practical thoughts on digestible pro-
grams), "The Significance of Brahms," "Music
and Ethics," "Music as a Civic Asset," "Behind
the Scenes at the Opera" (the romance and the
reality of the mysterious region beyond the
curtain, with an analysis of the music and the
drama) and "Programs vs. the Absolute"
(music must have a story or a picture to deliver
its message). He will illustrate all these lec-
tures by use of the Ampico in the Chickering
or Knabe.
Before his connection with the American
Piano Co. Dr. Spaeth was already widely known
in the East as a writer on musical subjects for
the Boston Transcript, the New York Times
and the New York Evening Mail. Dr. Spaeth
has of late secured an even larger following in
cities distant from his home by reason of his
interesting and instructive lectures, delivered in
forceful, yet always entertaining fashion, with
skillful illustrations of his points played at the
pianoforte by himself.
FIRE DESTROYSj>REMIER QUARTERS
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., November 4.—The recent
fire which destroyed the quarters of the Amer-
ican Photo Player Co. in tin's city practically
destroyed the Premier Music Roll Co., consum-
ing more than 15,000 rolls, it is estimated. The
books of the company, player-pianos used for
demonstration purposes and office fixtures were
also destroyed. The company is now located in
temporary quarters at 191 Golden Gate avenue.
New quarters will soon be occupied at 177
Golden Gate avenue.
McCOLGIN FEATURING BALDWIN
McColgin Bros, piano store, which recently
opened in Martinsville, Ind., is featuring a com-
plete line of Baldwin pianos. The formal open-
ing of the store was made a gala occasion.
O. T. Herath and E. E. Lieurance, representa-
tives of the Cincinnati Baldwin headquarters,
were present to give the new firm a send-off.
The National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music has made rapid progress during the past
month in the special co-operation it is giving
the National Federation of Music Clubs, and
every day is bringing Mr. Tremaine, director
of the Bureau, added proofs of the value and
effectiveness of this work. As a consequence
of the Bureau's letter to the independent music
clubs all over the country, urging affiliation with
the Federation and enclosing the leaflet in
which the Bureau expresses its belief in the
potentialities of that organization, most of the
State presidents of the Federation, as well as
the extension chairman and many of the other
national officers, have written Mr. Tremaine
voicing the great hopes they place in this use
of the Bureau's influence for the up-building of
their organizations. Some report distinct re-
sults already noticeable. All are using the
Bureau's literature to further their own efforts
for the Federation, and in this way are carry-
ing out the Bureau's ideas.
The many-sided co-operation the Bureau is
giving the music clubs involves much time and
thought. The mere matter of keeping the rec-
ords of the federated and independent clubs,
keeping track of new clubs, sending out the
literature requested, etc., is no small task. Yet
Mr. Tremaine feels that the effort is well worth
while. Every club newly established or strength-
ened in its membership and influence in the
community means an important gain to the
development of music in that community, and,
of course, it is from the increased interest in
music in the individual communities that the
local dealer profits—and also the manufacturer.
It is this local work which is making the coun-
try musical.
SOME VISITOR^OF THE WEEK
Prominent Music Merchants Call at Aeolian
Hall and Report Excellent Trade Conditions
Among the visitors to Aeolian Hall this week
were Rudolph Siegling, of the Siegling Music
House, Charleston, S. C, one of the oldest, if
not the oldest, retail music concerns in the
United States; Louis Heindl, of Walter B.
Moses & Co.; Rudolph Steinert, of the M. Stein-
ert & Sons Co., New Haven, and Florence
Heppe, C. J. Heppc & Son, Philadelphia. All
the visitors brought with them most satisfactory
reports regarding business conditions in their
respective cities and declared that their chief
anxiety at the present time was to get sufficient
stocks from the factories to meet demands.
JOHN CASEY_DIES SUDDENLY
Well-known Piano Dealer of Fall River, Mass.,
Succumbs After a Short Illness
FALL RIVER, MASS., November 4.—John Casey,
the well-known piano dealer in this city, head
of the Casey Piano Co., died at St. Anne's Hos-
pital on Tuesday after a short illness. He was
taken suddenly ill in his store five days before
his death and was rushed to the hospital, but
failed to rally.
Mr. Casey entered the trade as an employe
of Chickering & Sons, Boston, and came to this
city about thirty years ago, where he established
a piano and furniture repairing business. He
later opened a retail store and the venture
proved a distinct success. He is survived by a
son, Jeremiah M. J. Casey, associated with him
in business, and three daughters.
NEW DEALER IN MT. VERNON, WASH.
F. A. Ellsworth, for a number of years in
business in Mt. Vernon, Wash., and at one time
in the music business, has opened a piano house
on Second street, that city, handling the Kim-
ball and Gulbransen lines.