Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
8
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MEMBERS OF CLEVELAND MUSIC TRADE TO GET TOGETHER
Merging of All Branches of Music Industry With a View of Increasing Public Interest in Music
Among Plans for the New Year—To Have Two Distinctive Groups in the Amalgamation
CLEVELAND, O, December 18.—Merging of all
branches of the music industry of Cleveland,
with a view toward increasing public interest
in music, and, following that, increasing busi-
ness for all in the music trade, may become
a fact here soon after the first of the year.
At the December meeting of the Cleveland
Music Trade Association plans were laid for
having the talking machine dealers of the city
join with the organization, following which it
is likely that band instrument, sheet music and
other musical merchandising interests will be
asked to join.
First steps will be taken in the reorganization
of the talking machine factors, and this work
for the present will be under the direction of
William Gordon Bowie, of the B. Dreher's Sons
Co., and George R. Madson, president of the
Cheney Phonograph Sales Co., both of whom
are members of the Cleveland Music Trade As-
sociation. In connection with the reorganiza-
tion, work, it is expected that Rexford C. Hyre,
already assistant secretary of the Cleveland
Music Trade Association and secretary of the
Music Merchants' Association of Ohio, will lend
his support and experience as a guide to better
organization work.
Present plans call for the retention of two
distinctive groups in the amalgamation, so that
problems pertaining to the piano and talking
machine groups may be discussed separately as
the need may develop. The present pro-
posal is that the united bodies will be headed
by a president who is both a piano and talking
machine dealer, while each group will have a
vice-president, a piano merchant for the piano
division, and a talking machine dealer for the
talking machine group, to lead the work in
the respective fields.
What will be accomplished in the way of
music appreciation development as a result of
the merger will remain unsettled until that
merger is completed. Certainly the work will
be taken up along lines similar to those already
outlined by Otto C. Muehlhauser, the Muehl-
hauser Bros. Piano Co., in which a Music Week,
ending in a large concert, and much publicity
at all times to emphasize the value and need
for better music, are likely to be included. The
move will receive support from outside the im-
mediate Cleveland district, in the opinion of
A. B. Smith, Akron, president of the Music
Merchants' Association of Ohio.
Buy Four A. B. Chase Pianos at Once
As far as is known the sale of four grand
pianos in one deal and in one day has yet to
be surpassed in this section. This feat was
accomplished by the H. B. Bruck & Sons Co.,
according to H. B. Bruck, when four A. B.
Chase grands were taken by Weber & Fields,
the well-known old-time entertainers, who were
appearing at the State Theatre. "The comedians
were passing the Bruck establishment, saw the
Chase instrument, strolled in, made the deal and
departed. According to Mr. Bruck they said
they wanted one piano each for themselves
and the other two for friends in New York
City.
Ampico in Private Recital
Another unique method of reaching the elite
in followers of music has been accomplished by
the Knabe Warerooms and Ampico Studios in
a private recital in which these instruments
were used at the home of Charles T. Rich,
prominent Cleveland citizen. Artists who ap-
peared at this concert, which brought out a
select group of Clevelanders, included Fred Col-
ber, noted pianist; F. Carl Grossman, violinist,
and Miss Rex Haller, vocal soloist. This move
was the outcome of a series of recitals given at
the warerooms by Mr. Colber.
The same interests are planning to hold a
series of recitals before the Women's City Club,
in the latter organization's new auditorium,
which seats 800, the series to last two months
and beginning soon after the first of the year.
Artists who will appear include Daisy Jean,
Belgian 'cellist; Phillip Gordon, pianist, and
Sigmund Spaeth, Ph.D., music critic of New
York City.
Steinway Duo-Art for Keith Theatre
One of the best moves in the way of prac-
tical publicity for the music trade already has
been accomplished in an individual way by the
B. Dreher's Sons Co. in the sale of a Steinway
Duo-Art grand piano, which will be used for
demonstration purposes in the art gallery of the
new Keith Palace Theatre. The piano is part of
a $200,000 art collection on the mezzanine floor
of the new Keith theatre, itself claimed to be
the handsomest and most costly project of its
kind in the country.
DKCEMHKK 23,
1922
The instrument to be used in this connection,
according to Robert Jones, publicity director,
the B. Dreher's Sons Co. will play before each
performance only, but not while the show is
on. On occasions members of the executive
..jl
s{
The Steinway Duo-Art
staff will be present to explain the merits of
the instrument, and already a considerable
amount of new business can be traced to this
unique method of presentation of better music,
according to Mr. Jones. This particular piano
is finished in a special walnut case that is in
keeping with the appointments of the gallery
in which it is placed.
GOOD REASONS FOR OPTIMISM IN BUFFALO TRADE FIELD
Holiday Business Exceeds Expectations—Every Person Hopeful Regarding Outlook for 1923—
What Leading Retailers and Manufacturers Report—C. Kurtzmann & Co. Increase Capital
BUFFALO, N. Y., December 19.—A mood of opti-
mism prevails among musical instrument dealers
in the Queen City. This can be traced to the
stupendous holiday trade and the hopeful out-
look for 1923. That the next twelve months
will be a tremendously good year is the general
opinion among manufacturers, wholesalers and
retailers.
Manager Evans, of the J. N. Adam Co.'s
music store, believes 1923 will be a year of
real prosperity. "The volume of business trans-
acted in the next year will surprise even the
most optimistic dealers," he said.
H. A. Fleischman, manager of the musical
department of the William Hengerer Co., is
conservatively optimistic over the trade outlook
for 1923. "I look for a large number of instru-
ments to be sold in the next year," he said.
"But the higher priced models will not sell so
readily as they did during boom times."
When Eleanor Shaw appeared in concert in
Lockport, featuring the Duo-Art piano, the fol-
lowing notice appeared in one of the Lockport
papers concerning this feature: "Much interest
was attached to the numbers of the Duo-Art;
the Liebestraume, by Liszt, as played by Rudolph
Ganz, and the Valse Brillante, by Chopin, re-
producing the playing of Paderewski, were
almost uncanny, so perfect were they and so
free from anything mechanical.
"At the close of the program guests were
enabled to familiarize themselves with the
arrangement of the Duo-Art, through the cour-
tesy of F. N. Farrar, of Buffalo, who was so
kind as to explain the same to those interested
and, incidentally, he showed the original record
as played by Paderewski."
C. Kurtzmann & Co. is featuring a letter
in newspaper advertisements, received by them
from Emmet Luedeke, musical director of
Loew's State Theatre here. The letter en-
dorsing the Kurtzmann follows:
"Gentlemen:—I am proud to live in a city that
can boast of having within its limits an old-
established piano industry producing an instru-
ment of the highest grade of action, tone color
and workmanship, equal to that of any of its
competitors.
"My heartiest congratulations to the Kurtz-
majin Piano Co. upon this achievement."
The Steinway is gaining a great deal of popu-
larity through being the choice of world-famous
pianists who have appeared and those expected
to appear in Buffalo this concert season. Deal-
ers handling the Steinway have announced this
fact in featuring this piano in advertising.
Artists who have already appeared here this
month are Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander
Siloti and those scheduled to play include Olga
Samaroff, Ignace Paderewski, Mischa Levizki,
Ernst Hutcheson and Beryl Rubinstein and
others of equal note.
C. Kurtzmann & Co., piano manufacturers,
have increased their capital from $400,000 to
$600,000. There is no special significance in
the increase, according to H. J. Hackenheimer,
president of the corporation.
"The great majority of dealers will find their
floors practically clear of instruments after the
holiday season," Mr. Hackenheimer said, in an
interview with The Review correspondent.
"Others will find their stocks lacking many
popular models and will immediately begin re-
stocking. This will assure good business for
the manufacturer in the early months of the
year and I am confident the dealers will find
business up to their expectations."
The capital of the Kurtzmann Piano Co. has
also been increased from $100,000 to $150,000, it
is announced.
CREDITORS ACCEPT SETTLEMENT
CINCINNATI, O., December 18.—At a final
meeting of the referee and the creditors in the
insolvency case of the F. M. Abbott Piano Co.
a settlement of thirty cents on the dollar was
accepted. The company will continue in busi-
ness at its store at Seventh and Elm streets,
and will continue to operate its Walnut street
and Vine street stores until they can be dis-
posed of advantageously.
More Cunningham pianos are found in Philadelphia homes than
any other and you can accomplish the same results in your
city.
Ask for our plan of selling Cunningham pianos.