THE
NOVEMBER 24, 1923
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
GEORGE A. MAIRS NEW MANAGER OF W. J. DYER & BRO.
Heads Piano and Talking Machine Departments of That House-Metropolitan Music Co. Com
plains of Stock Shorta.ges-Local Dealers Generally Report Demand in Good Shape
Mn\Nr,AI'OlIS a nd ST. PAn_, MINN. , November
20.-George A. Mairs is the new manager of
the piano and ret ail Victor departments of W.
]. Dyer & Bro., acco rdin g to an announcement
from Mr. D yer. The former piano department
manager, Fred :Mi ll e r, has left for Los Angeles
to make his home and, since Dyer's sold their
Victor jobbing bu s iness to George C. Beckwith
& Co., Mr. Mair s , formerly manager of Dy er's
wholesale Victor business, h as been made head
of the comb ined two departments.
"Bus in ess is very grat ifying," sa id Mr. Dy er.
"We are doing a very fine business in St. Paul,
Minneapolis (Metropolitan Music Co.) and in
Duluth. The prospects look encouraging for
I h e holidays."
Edward R. Dyer, head of the Metropolitan
Music Co., says that his company's principal
difficulty is getting enough .Duo-Arts. "Our
orders, placed with the Aeolian Co. last April,
hav e been delayed beginning with May and we
are not able to supply our customers' demands ."
M r. Dyer says that his firm is selling the very
expens ive Steinway gra nd s and the cheap, sec
ond-hand pianos for the most part. The in ter
mediate -priced instruments are not moving rap
idly.
The Metropolitan's featuring of popular sheet
music, which the company explo·its in a bi g
way in its winclow~, attracts much att e ntion and
business.
The company's featuring of "I've
Been a Fool" and the Feist piano album, in a
popular form at a popular price, resulted in a
demand for these numbers.
Robert O. Foster, of Foster & Waldo, says,
"Business is big. The phonograph trade shows
an improvem e nt and record sales are better.
Everything points to a fine holiday business."
Raudenbush & Son~ ~re experiencing a slight
lull, according to Webb R. Rau'denbush, at the
company's factory. Business, h e says, has been
very encou raging since August I, but Novem
ber, an "in- between" month, is proving a bit
quieter.
The Benson Music Hou se is doing a nice
business in pianos and phonographs, but the
November business in pianos is not as good
as October, according to George E . Benson,
manager. Mr. Benson always finds that at his
store October and February a re the best
months for piano sales and that the holiday
season brings a demand mainly for the smaller
goods. Records, both Victor and Co lumbi a, a re
go in g big as u:; u al at the Benson store.
Edward Johnson, of the Schaff Piano String
Co., was a visitor at the Ra.udenbush factory
and A. Dalry,mple, of the Estey Piano Co ., was
another Twin Ci ty visitor.
CECIL FANNINQ AND THE BALDWIN
NEWS OF THE BUFFALO DISTRICT
Popular American Baritone Has Used That In
strument in Many Notable Appearances
Address of Healing Power of Music Broa-d
casted From Station WGR
Among the prominent artists who are en
thusiastic over the tonal qualities of the Baldwin
piano as an accompanying instrument may be
B\ ; FFALO, N. Y. , November 19.-In a program
rece ntly broadcasted from station WGR, of
Buffalo, under the auspices of the Hoffman
Piano Co., Rev. L. O. Williams, pastor of the
C hu rch of the Messiah, gave an add ress on the
"Healing InAuence of Music." Quite a number
of letters were received by th e Hoffman Piano
Co. from radio fans, who h ea rd Rev. \\,' illi arns,
congratulating them on t h e progralll.
The
speaker pointed out that emotions arc most
directly and effectively kindled by th e se nse of
sound, a nd h ea ling, of the mental type, is lar ge ly
the result of emotio nal forces. In these words
we have the rea s on for t h e inAu ence of music
not on ly over the well-being of the mind, but
over the h eal th of the body as well.
Stranburg's Music Shop, in Jamestown, N. Y.,
is ce lebrat in g it, thirtieth anniver~ar) thi s
week.
The Young Men's Christian Association, of
Bath, N. Y., ha s formed a boys' band, with a
membership of eighteen. Richard Glenn Jones
will be instructor and dir ec tor of the organ
ization.
John Hammond and Rob e rt Berentsen, or
gan ists at the Eastman Theatre, H.ochester,
with the Eastman organ class, were recent
gues t s at the Marr & Colton organ factory, at
Warsaw; N. Y. Following an inspection trip
throu gh the ra cto ry they heard a lecture on
organ construction. The party included a l1um
ber of st udent s at the Eastman School of Mu
sic.
They were guests of th e compa ny at
lunch eon before leaving Warsaw.
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Cecil Fanning and His Baldwin
included Cecil Fanning, the American baritone,
who is one of the few American singers to
achieve genu in e s uc cess in Europe, as well as
in his own country.
Mr. Fanning was born in Columbus, 0., and
first stud ied with H. B. Trupin, his present
accompanist, finishing his musi cal ed ucation
with other mas t ers of reputation. He has made
numerous appearances in Europe and had a
particularly successful e n gagement in England
in 1921.
MARYSVILLE MUSIC CO. REMODELED
MIIRYSVILlE, CAL., )oJ ovember I 7.-Complete r eno
vation of th e Marysville Music Co.'s store at
122 Fourth st reet has just been comp let ed. New
s helves wi th better facilities for the displaying
of musical in struments and more room in which
to demonstrate them are now afforded.
M. & P. PIANO CO. CHARTERED
.\ charter for the ~1. & P. Piano· Co., Inc.,
has just b een filed by the following, all resi
cients of Brooklyn, N. Y.: Attilio Micciulli,
Joseph Micciulli and Joseph Providenti. The
company is capitalized at $5,000.
SILVA'S CO. IN NEW WAREROOMS
GLEN FALLS, N. Y., November 21.-Silva's Home
Supply Co., Inc., carrying Story & Clark pianos
and a lin e of phonographs, ha s just removed to
a new l
room. The n ew ad dress of the Silva store is
72 Saratoga avenue.
ORIENTAL MUSIC SHOP CHARTERED
Papers of incorppration hav e ju st been fil ed
for the Oriental Music Shop, New York, by
A. G. Aronson, H. Herson and]. Levkov. The
concern will have a capital stock or' $5,000.
9
Player-P·iano
NOTES
FROM THE .LAUTER-HUMANA
FACTORY, NEWARK, N. J.
SUCCESSFULLY FEATURES
THE LAUTER-HUMANA
Carl D. Ferris Has Built Up Fine Trade
Window Displays and Advertising for "the
World's Finest Player-Piano" Produce Excel
lent Business for Live Geneva, N. Y., Dealer
Th at the pub li c appreciates a player-piano
that can produce natural, artistic music is dem
onstrated by the success that has b ee n ac hi eved
by Carl D. Ferris, of Geneva, N. Y. Mr. Ferris
operates th~ Ferr is :Music Shop in Geneva and
i5 a prOlllin ent civic amI businc:;s figure. His
line is an exten:;ive one, but he consistently
feature s the I_a ut e r-Humana player-piano as his
leader.
i\.[r. Ferri:;' comments are interesting: "The
Lauter-Humana is e~sentially a quality product
and I have had g reat. succe's s featuring it as
such. It appea ls to that wide group of people
who appreciate good music, but who cannot
LA UTER-HUMANA
WINDOW
DISPLAY
IN
FERRIS
MUSIC SHOP
pla y. \Vhen they are invited to sit down at the
La ute r-H u ma na a nd play some favo rit e selec
tion th c: y are always completely s urpri sed . Any
idea that they may have had about pla ye r-piano
music bein g 'mechanical' is dispelled when they
play the Lauter-Hulllana."
Se veral hundred dealers throughout the co un
try are featuring the Lauter-Humanil player
piano. When an instrument possesses so many
di~tinctive features it natu ra ll y attracts the
most desirable trade in a town.
.\mon g the im portant new agencie:; created
by 'W holesale Mana ge r A. F. Schrnalzigan dur
ing hi s recent Western trip is Christianson
Bros., of Racine, ·Wis. ,,\ substantial initia l
order was placed' and the conce rn is enthusiastic
over the prospects of handling' "the world's
finest player-piano." The sta te of Wisconsin is
thoroughly acquainted with the Lauter-Humana,
due to the efforts of Irving Zuelke, prominent
d.ealer .of App le ton, who .has anum ber of other
stores throughout the State. :Mr. Zuelke has
been a Lauter dealer for a dozen years and has
extensi vely adverti s ed the Lauter-Humana .
Wholc ,a lc Man
returned to the Newark office, as have A. W.
Musser, New England traveling , r.epresen tative,
and F. T. Bloom, Southern traveling representa
tive. The latte r two wm' remairi ''' lio'me until
after Christmas. Mr. Schmalziga~'s activities
will be cc:nfined to one or two ' short viSIts to
. nearby dealer s.