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MAY
9, 1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Milwaukee Dealers Report Business
Fair With Pianos in Greatest Demand
Thiery Piano & Phonograph Co. Store Is Closed—J. W. White Resigns as Gimbel Talking Ma-
chine Manager—Rinzel-Tesch, Inc., Enlarges Store—Milwaukee School Music Festival
V/IILWAUKEE, WIS., May 5.—Conditions
remain about the same in the local trade,
although a slight strengthening of the demand
is noted in some quarters. The majority of
houses report business fair with the greatest
demand for pianos. Stores featuring band in-
strument departments report that they are
showing satisfactory activity, and there was a
little improvement in the phonograph business
in a few stores. Several dealers believe that
their figures for April will be even with or
show an improvement over last year, although
this is not generally true.
The Flanner-Hafsoos Music House, Inc., is
showing considerable interest in the new Kurtz
mann models, and F. F. Flanner has ordered
one of the new grands for his home in Wau-
watosa, a suburb of this city.
Charles L. Nodine also mentioned the popu-
larity of the Snodgrass QRS rolls. These four
rolls are taking very well, and the Milwaukee
Piano Manufacturing Co. is finding them very
valuable for demonstration purposes. Mr. No-
dine expressed the wish that the company
would put out more like them.
C. F. Netzow, president of the Milwaukee
Piano Manufacturing Co., left the latter part of
April for a vacation which he is spending at
Excelsior Springs, Mo.
J. J. Healy, manager of the music department
at the Boston Store, spent the last week-end of
April in Chicago on a business trip during
which he visited several members of the music
trade in that city.
Stock of the Thiery Piano & Phonograph Co.,
which featured the Schiller line and Columbia
phonographs, has been disposed of, and the
store was closed May 1. The company has been
dissolved by the president, E. A. Jones, and col-
lections have been turned over to a newly
organized firm under the name of the Thiery
Music Co., which has offices at 872 Third street.
Mr. Jones announced that he would spend a
short vacation in Florida before completing his
plans for the future, although he said he would
probably continue in the piano business, but in
the wholesale end.
The piano business has been fairly good at
Gimbel Bros., according to Adam Schroeter,
manager of the department. There was an im-
provement during the last week of April over
the middle of the month, due to the fact that
several changes made on that floor were com-
pleted and the confusion of moving some de-
partments was eliminated. Players have been
showing the most activity at this store.
G. A. Pierson, formerly assistant in the pho-
nograph department at Gimbel Bros., is taking
charge of the department temporarily until the
new manager is selected. J. W. White resigned
as manager in April to accept a position m
Chicago.
George W. Lawrence, assistant to the Chi-
cago manager of the Baldwin Co., was a recent
visitor at the Kaun store here.
A Florentine period style Sohmer grand has
been placed in the home of Dr. F. H. Hager-
man on Sherman avenue, according to the an-
nouncement of the J. B. Bradford Piano Co.
Attractive announcements in the form of
cards were sent out to the mailing list of the
Rinzel-Tesch, Inc., music store at 459 Eleventh
. avenue, announcing the enlargement of their
phonograph department and the addition of the
complete Brunswick line, including phono-
graphs, Radiola combinations and records.
This store has been featuring its phonograph
department for a number of years with the
Victor line, and also carries rolls and other
small musical merchandise.
Oliver Wallace, of the Kesselman-O'Driscoll
Co., gave several selections to assist with the
musical program at the opening of the new
quarters of the Children's Home Society at
2825 Cedar street. The afternoon program was
in charge of the Wrangell School of Music,
which secured the assistance of Mr. Wallace.
Plans for the annual music festival of the
Milwaukee public schools, which will be held
the last two days of National Music Week, have
been completed and final arrangements are be-
ing made for accommodating the large groups
at the Auditorium. A special stage, 100 feet
wide and 108 feet deep, has been built to care
for the hundreds of children who will partici-
pate. In one group, which includes a chorus of
seventh and eighth grade children, there will be
1,815 participating; while an all-city grade
school orchestra of more than 100 pieces will
make its first public appearance.
Although some music stores will undoubtedly
tie up with music week through window dis-
plays, or at least the display of placards, there
will be no concerted effort to observe the week
such as was planned last year, when all musical
organizations of the city joined in the celebra-
tion. Up to the week preceding the event only
mild interest was indicated on the part of the
majority. The fact that rainy weather hindered
the complete success of last year's celebration
is in part responsible for this attitude.
Piano Styles Shown at
Architectural Exhibit
Paul G. Mehlin & Sons, Welte-Mignon Corp.,
Estey Piano Co. and Premier Grand Piano
Corp. Represented.
As part of the Architectural and Allied Arts
Exposition in Grand Central Palace, New York,
this week, a number of piano manufacturers
and merchants have taken exhibit booths. The
exhibit of Paul G. Mehlin & Sons in a ground
floor booth included the new seventeenth cen-
tury Mehlin grand in Handel design, made in
solid walnut, with antique ivory keys and black
metal trimmings. It caused much favorable
comment at the booth, as well as the special
Louis XV model, made in Circassian walnut.
Other instruments in the Mehlin exhibit were
a Mehlin foot-power player, and a reproducer
with the Welte-Mignon (Licensee). On the
third floor a Mehlin reproducing grand with
the Welte-Mignon (Licensee) was also shown
in a booth of another exhibitor. Charles
Mehlin, Alfred Spoerl, Clifford Hahn and
others, alternated in charge of the booth.
The Welte-Mignon Studios, Inc., had an at-
tractive display on the mezzanine, including a
Welte-Mignon reproducing pipe organ. In a
booth to the right of the organ, two Welte-
Mignon period models were shown, the Louis
XV and the Georgian styles. Ernest Vogel
and others demonstrated the line during the en-
tire week.
In the adjacent booth, an exhibit of Estey
pianos was made by the piano department of
Frederick Loeser & Co., Brooklyn. Four lead-
ing Estey period styles were shown, including
Flemish, Florentine, William and Mary, and
Louis XVI models. Nelson D. Jones, manager
of the outside sales force at Loeser's, assisted
by H. H. Lindenberger, Albert I. Mann and
others, was on hand to show the line.
The booth of the Premier Grand Piano Corp.
was in the left wing of the main floor and fea-
tured the Premiera and the Premier small
grand, style R. D. H. Wade and Carl Koch,
of the Premier factory, and W. B. Kernell, rep-
resenting the piano salons of John Wanamaker,
New York representative for the Premier,
were in charge of the exhibit.
13
Francis Bacon Piano Makes
Trip to China Sans Harm
Despite Rough Handling by Stevedores and
Coolies and Long Ocean Voyage Instrument
Reaches Destination in Perfect Shape
A Francis Bacon grand piano was shipped
during the latter months of 1924 to the Metho-
dist Episcopal Mission at Pekin. After shipping
and carting, loading and unloading the instru-
ment finally found its way on board a vessel
and sailed for the celestial kingdom.
Arriving in China it was soon found that the
kingdom was far from celestial. The flood
season was at its height and there was talk
of the military seizing the railroads and con-
fiscating whatever freight that happened to fall
into their hands.
Despite this foreboding outlook the piano was
started on the difficult journey to its final des-
tination. While the handling which the instru-
ment received while en route from America
may have been rough it was nothing in compari-
son to the abuse administered by the Chinese
coolies.
Upon the arrival of the Bacon piano, examin-
ation showed that with the exception of a few
scratches on the case the instrument was in per-
fect condition. Its tone had suffered not a
whit, a distinct tribute to the quality of Francis
Bacon construction.
New Music Store Opens
A new music store has been opened in the
Baker Building on Limestone street, Gaffney,
S. C, by Gaffney, Willis & Smith, handling a
general stock of music goods.
Pratt Read
Products
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at Deep River, Conn.
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