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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 13,
1924
THE TALKING MACHINE TRADE
Atlantic City Victor Showrooms Hold
First Concert in Its New Recital Room
Capacity Audience Listens to Program Including Peerless Quartet, Victor Concert Orchestra,
Alexander Schmidt, Solo Violinist—Children's Educational Series Begins
ORE than five hundred lovers of music
crowded the beautiful auditorium of the
Victor Talking Machine Co.'s display rooms at
Atlantic City, N. J., on the evening of Wednes-
day, September 3, for the first of a series of
concerts, open to the public, which have been
arranged by the Victor Co. for the pleasure of
the cosmopolitan thousands gathered daily at
this famous resort. The concert was unique
in many respects. The artists included the
Peerless Quartet — Albert Campbell, Henry
Burr, John Meyer and Frank Croxton, with
Frank Banta at the piano; the Victor Concert
Orchestra, under the baton of Rosario Bourdon,
and Alexander Schmidt, solo violinist. The en-
tire program was received with remarkable
enthusiasm, due both to the excellence of the
performance and the ideal setting provided by
the Victor Co.—an auditorium decorated by
artists, insulated from the noises of the Board-
walk by its position on the second floor, and
commanding a sweeping view of the moonlit
Atlantic.
The .Peerless Quartet members are familiar
figures on the popular concert stage and were
received with the acclaim that always accom-
panies their appearance. The Victor Concert
Orchestra, though known through Victor rec-
ords in millions of homes, is practically never
heard as an organization in public and excited
much interest on that account. The fact that
the orchestra, under the leadership of Mr.
Bourdon, has been trained for years in the
absolute perfection of performance required for
recording purposes assured a standard of per-
formance not to be excelled by any body of
musicians, and this fact, coupled with the charm-
ing and well-arranged program, brought forth
expressions of the keenest satisfaction on the
part of the discriminating audience.
The interest of the Atlantic City crowds in
the Victor exhibit and concert series is attested
by the fact that, while only 550 cards of admis-
sion to the concert were issued, 515 persons
attended the concert, practically the capacity
of the auditorium. Late-comers swelled this
number until very regretfully Thomas Hussel-
ton, manager of the Victor Co.'s display, was
compelled to close the doors of the concert
room.*
Mr. Husselton, during the brief intermission
in the concert, welcomed the audience to the
Victor display and explained its purpose. The
Victor Co. has occupied the quarters at 1731
Boardwalk, adjacent to the Traymore, and in-
cluding an exquisitely appointed display room,
the complete library of Victor records, the
entire line of Victrola instruments from the
small portable type to art models executed in
the Victor art shop at Camden; demonstrating
booths, a pleasant room for the children's hour,
a spacious deck commanding a view of the
boardwalk and the sea, and other interesting
and unique features. Here an expert staff wel-
comes many visitors from every part of the
world, every day. Records—"The whole library
if you wish," Mr. Husselton said—and Victrolas
of all types are explained and demonstrated. There
is absolutely no solicitation of business, visitors
being referred to dealers in their home town.
The Victor Co. maintains the display rooms and
the concert series in order that music lovers
visiting Atlantic City may have every opportu-
nity of becoming more familiar with the musical
service performed by the Victrola and Victor
M
records. They are invited to spend as much
time as they wish in the luxuriously appointed
display rooms, where requests for any record
can be met in a second, and where music can
be heard in its perfection under the most favor-
able conditions.
A feature of the Victor Co.'s service at
Atlantic City is the class conducted for chil-
dren by Miss Mabel Rich, of the Educational
Department of the Victor Talking Machine
Co. Classes are held several times a week, one
for the little tots and one for older children.
While their parents are enjoying music in the
main auditorium or watching the ever-changing
spectacle of the Boardwalk and the sea from
the spacious and comfortable open-air deck on
the second floor, the children are being enter-
tained profitably in the classes. More than a
hundred children, coming from every corner of
the United States, have been registered for the
classes, and many more have attended who have
not been registered.
Several of the great hotels of the famous re-
sort have seized the opportunity of giving their
guests extra service by providing them with
invitations and programs for the concerts at the
Victor display rooms. More than thirty con-
ventions are to be held at Atlantic City during
September, bringing delegates from all corners
of the world. Hundreds of these will visit the
Victor exhibit and have the quality of the serv-
ice rendered by the dealer and the Victor Co.
strikingly brought home to them.
One of the striking developments of the rec-
ord concerts conducted at the display rooms is
the fact that the crowds, though certainly in
the holiday spirit and not inclined to take any-
thing very seriously, have demanded programs
of the highest grade. The record concerts had
been planned to include some of the light pop-
ular and modern music in order to appeal to
all musical tastes, but, to the surprise of those
in charge, on several occasions the audience
expressed its desire that the programs be made
up of music of the more serious type. This
development has special significance at this time
when the discussion of jazz is occupying so much
of the attention of the musical world.
Some idea of the effect of the comment that
accompanies the record concerts may be gained
from an experience of Miss Rich with one of
her audience. It happened that "William Tell"
overture was on the program, and Miss Rich
told the story of the opera, some facts about
the composer, and the meaning of music. After-
ward a gentleman approached her to thank her
for the pleasure he had been given, and to tell
her that, though he regards the Rossini over-
ture as one of his favorites, he never before
knew that it had any connection with the opera,
or that it was descriptive of any incident. He
added that he counted his experience at the
Victor display rooms as the most pleasant of
his Atlantic City vacation.
This experience is typical of many, according
to the comments heard in and about the Victor
establishment on the night of the concert, and
is bound to reflect in added appreciation of the
work of dealers in Victor products throughout
the country, since all visitors are referred to
local dealers. The large and cosmopolitan
crowds, the non-solicitation of business, the
unique character of the Victor establishment
and the pleasure that is to be had there, the
ever-increasing numbers who visit the show-
rooms, all are certain to have a marked effect
upon the public and therefore upon the dealer
and the Victor Co. The display will remain
open throughout the year and thus will reach
every class of customer with the Victor mes-
sage.
Art Kahn and Orchestra
Signed by Columbia Go.
One of the Most Popular Musical Combinations
in Middle West to Make Records Exclusively
for the Columbia Co.
The Columbia Phonograph Co., Inc., an-
nounced recently that Art Kahn and His
Orchestra, of Chicago, had signed a contract to
make records for the Columbia library ex-
clusively. Mr. Kahn is well known throughout
the Middle West as one of the most successful
Art Kahn
orchestra directors in that part of the country,
and he has a host of followers among dance
devotees, who will be delighted to know of his
Columbia contract.
Some nine or ten years ago when the world
war started Art Kahn had already attained great
success among dance orchestra leaders, and dur-
ing the war he put in his time entertaining the
boys, both in American and French canton-
ments. Upon his return he joined the Lubliner
and Trinz Orchestra in Chicago, controlling
twenty-two moving picture theatres.in that city
and vicinity. Mr. Kahn was appointed a direc-
tor in one of the theatres and his success was
so impressive that he made rapid progress until
to-day he personally conducts the orchestra in
the largest Lubliner and Trinz theatre and
supervises the music in each of the other
twenty-one theatres. In addition to these ac-
tivities Mr. Kahn has composed several selec-
tions which have been quite successful, and he
is personally recognized as one of the most
capable pianists in the popular music field.
Effective Edison Publicity
A recent investigation by the advertising de-
partment of Thos. A. Edison, Inc., disclosed the
fact that quite a number of rural residents were
under the impression that Thomas A. Edison
himself was not manufacturing the New Edison,
although he had invented it. As a result a two-
color circular was recently issued by the Edison
company for distribution by Edison dealers. It
is headed, "Thomas A. Edison Invented—Per-
fected—and Actually Makes the New Edison
Phonograph."