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FEBRUARY 23,
1924
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Music Week in Minneapolis Holds the
Interests of All Glasses in that City
Music Merchants of City, Under Chairmanship of Paul A. Schmitt, of the Cable Piano Co., Play
Big Part in Making the Event a Successful One
\ / f lNNKAl'OLIS AND ST. PAUL, MINN.,
February 19.—Music Week, ushered in
Sunday, is causing city-wide interest in Minne-
apolis in all things musical and, undoubtedly,
the movement will be reflected in increased
sales among music firms here. The music in-
dustries committee, one of the groups making
arrangements for the celebration, is headed by
Paul A. Schmitt, of the Cable Piano Co. James
A. Bliss, president of the Civic Music League,
is general chairinan.
Sunday was Church Music Day, with James
Lang as chairman, the day's musical events also
including a popular concert by the Minneapolis
Symphony Orchestra; Monday was celebrated
as Theatre Day, James Davies, chairman; Tues-
day, Chorus Day, under Harry Anderson's di-
rection; Wednesday, Municipal Day, with
Alderman G. T. Lindsten, chairman; Thursday,
Club and Schools Day, Mrs. H. S. Godfey act-
ing as club chairman and T. P. Giddings as
school head; Friday, Symphony Orchestra Day,
and Saturday, Musicians' Day. On Friday the
well-known Brunswick artist, Sigrid Onegin,
will be the contralto soloist with the Symphony.
Concerts will be given during the week in fif-
teen hospitals and old peoples' homes, special
radio music provided and concerts planned in
five big department stores, including L. S. Don-
aldson Co., the Dayton Co., Whitney-McGreg-
or's, Powers Mercantile Co. and John W.
Thomas & Co.
Piano and phonograph sales, while not star-
tling, are going along quite nicely, for the most
part showing some little improvement over
January and some over last year's sales.
George A. Mairs, in charge of the piano and
Victrola departments of W. J. Dyer & Bro.,
says: "Business is not bad. We are doing a
nice business in pianos, including good sales
in grands." Mr. Mairs says both Victrolas and
Victor records are going well. The same situa-
tion of being unable to get enough Duo-Arts
to fill orders exists at Dyer's as well as at the
Metropolitan Music Co. W. J. Dyer, head of
the firm, is still in California and will remain
some time longer.
Arthur E. Monson, manager of the Stone
Piano Co., says "Selling is fairly quiet, although
I believe our sales show improvement over a
year ago. Vocation Red records are going well
and our phonographs pretty well. Our sales on
the Emerson combination radio and phono-
graph, for which we recently assumed distribu-
tion, show very good sales. The instrument re-
tails for $300 and for the time being we are
devoting our efforts mainly to retailing it and
with good results."
J. L. Pofahl, of the Peyer Music Co., says
sales are a little better than last month, with
records doing better than usual. Peyer's is suf-
fering a shortage on Victrolas, particularly the
$100 and $150 consoles, which the firm has been
without for some time.
Grant P. Wagner, president of Howard, Far-
well Co., says his plans as to a new location
for his Minneapolis store are still indefinite.
The firm will give up its quarters at 818 Nicol-
let avenue on March 1 and it is probable that
the firm will retain a small place somewhere
in the vicinity.
Foster & Waldo have attracted attention with
an adve; tisenicnt concerning their star cus-
tomer, Homer Frankenfield, of the Waverly
Hotel, owner of one of the largest record col-
lections in the country. He owns and plays
1,410 Victor records, the last 1,000 of which he
has bought at Foster & Waldo.
Pittsburgh Dealers' Ass'n
Holds February Meeting
The plans for Music Week are being formu-
lated by a general committee, the officers being
as follows: Honorary chairman, Mayor Wil-
liam A. Magee; chairman, Charles N. Boyd;
vice-chairman, Mrs. W. C. Dierks; secretary,
Oscar Demmler; executive secretary, Mrs. T. C.
Donovan; chairman of finance committee, Mrs.
Taylor Aldcrdice; chairman of publicity com-
mittee, Eugene L. Connelly; A. C. Terry, secre-
tary of the Chamber of Commerce, represents
that organization, while Miss H. Marie Dermitt,
secretary of the Civic Club of Allegheny
County, is the representative of that organiza-
tion in the Music W r eek plans.
Association Pledges Support to Pittsburgh
Music Week, in Conjunction With National
Event and Appropriates $2,000 to It
PITTSBURGH, PA., February 18.—At the Feb-
ruary meeting of the Piano Merchants' As-
sociation of Pittsburgh, held at noon to-day
in the Chamber of Commerce, Arthur O. Lech-
ncr, of Lechner & Schocnberger, president of
the Association, presided. Mr. Lechner out-
lined the plans that a number of local organiza-
tions, comprising musical organizations, the
Civil Club of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh
Chamber of Pitts Commerce, the Musicians'
Club, the Tuesday Musical Club, the Twentieth
Century Club, the Board of Education, the
Pittsburgh Musical Union, the Congress of
Womens' Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, were
preparing for a music week program to be
rendered the week of May 4, 1924. One of the
features of the week will be a massed musical
organization concert to be held the first day,
Sunday, May 4, when practically the entire mem-
bership of the Musicians' Union in Pittsburgh
will participate in the concert, donating their
services. This event promises to be one of
the most gigantic concerts of the kind ever
given in the Steel City.
Mr. Lechner stated that the Piarib Merchants'
Association could assist in the matter of finances
and suggested that this aid be extended as soon
as possible. On motion of W. C. Dierks, of
the C. C. Mellor Co., who heartily approved of
the music week plans and urged liberal financial
support, and seconded by E. B. Heyser, of the
W. F. Frederick Piano Co., who also approved
the music week idea, the Association went on
record as pledging financial support up to $2,000,
Emil Voelckel Made
Hardman Superintendent
Announcement Made of Appointment to Suc-
ceed E. F. Bacon, Who Has Joined the
Sterling Piano Corp.
Announcement has been made this week by
Hardman, Peck & Co., New York, of the ap-
pointment of Emil Voelckel as superintendent
of the Hardman factory on West Fifty-second
street to succeed E. F. Bacon, who goes to the
Sterling Piano Corp.'s plant at Derby, Conn.,
on March 1. Mr. Voelckel, it will be remem-
bered, was for nine years supervising superin-
tendent of the Aeolian Co., New York, prior to
which he had gained his early experience in
piano construction in the Hardman plant. He
has a full equipment both from the piano build-
ing and experimental side, and is considered
one of the most able men for this work in the
country. Accompanying this report is the an-
nouncement that Edward F. Wen/el, who has
been a Hardman employe for twenty-six years,
has been made superintendent of the Harring-
ton plant on West Forty-eighth street.
Construction of
Back Indicates
High Quality
of the
Lauter-Humana
Lauter Pianos last a lifetime.
In the photograph are shown
some of the reasons:
Seven sturdy posts constitute a
back construction that cannot be
improved upon.
The Lauter P a t e n t e d Back
Bolts, p l a i n l y shown in the
photograph, go clear through
the plate, wrest p l a n k (pin
block), and back, and are locked,
thereby eliminating any possi-
bility of the future separation
of these important members.
Another feature that is shown
in the back view of the Lauter-
Humana is the connection for
the electric light in the spool
box.
In a d d i t i o n to the Lauter-
Humana we manufacture:
The hauler Small Grand
The Lauter Piano
Lauter Reproducing Pianos in
grand and upright styles.
The Lauter-Humana secures the
most profitable player-piano busi-
ness in every town because it is aiu
exclusive product that competing
dealers cannot duplicate. Write
for details.
LAUTER CO.
Piano Manufacturers
591 Broad St.,Newark, N.J.