Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
AUGUST 28, 1926
The Music Trade Review
Whittle Lectures With the Duo-Art
Are Widely Attended in San Francisco
Former Professor of University of Minnesota Talks on New Method of Analyzing Style of Emi-
nent Pianists, Illustrating With Examples on the Steinway Duo-Art
C A N FRANCISCO, CAL., August 20.—San ning, in the Winter, to .visit Egypt and Pales-
Francisco musicians, especially pianists and tine. Mr. Cruells says he works, not from ne-
teachers, are showing great interest in the ad- cessity but because he enjoys it. He owns the
dresses that Professor Guy Whittle, formerly building which he considers the best in town for
of the University of Minnesota, is giving in the a piano store as it is entirely of concrete and
Duo-Art Room of Sherman, Clay & Co. with has every accommodation, including 3,000 feet
the assistance and co-operation of that firm. of floor space. His stock includes a large and
Mr. Whittle is using slides and other material varied line of pianos, sheet music, phonographs
supplied by the Aeolian Co. and many of the and some small goods, not to mention instal-
teachers and pianists think that he is opening ments coming in. These assets are, he says,
new vistas of study through the medium of the all his own. Mr. Cruells has been in the music
reproducing piano. Mr. Whittle, who is a business in the Mission for the past twenty
scientific man of nationally recognized stand- years, but he only moved recently to his new
ing, has studied the reproducing piano from the store, which is one of the lightest and most
laboratory standpoint. His hearers have found, commodious in the district.
however, that that is a most interesting stand-
Knows Men and All About Lumber, Too
point and one that ought to be of great assist-
During the sixty-three years that Walter S.
ance both to the teacher and to the virtuoso.
Pierce has been in the piano business in San
Artists Do Interpret Differently
Francisco he has amassed a wonderful fund
The lectures that Prof. Whittle, is giving in of information regarding the history of the
the Duo-Art room of Sherman, Clay & Co. piano in the city and the men who made the
are for musicians. Many of those who have history. Also, he has lumber statistics, past
heard the Professor say that he has opened and present, neatly cataloged in his mind. He
their eyes—and ears—to new possibilities of
has been using Coast lumber for piano con-
study in the reproducing piano. The title of
struction and reconstruction for sixty-three
the lecture given at noon to-day, for instance, years and he is still going strong in rebuilding
sounds like very deep stuff: "Measuring Mu- pianos and selling piano supplies. He moved
sical Interpretation, a New Method of Analyz- from downtown to his present factory in 1884,
ing the Style of Eminent Pianists," but those when it was surrounded by market gardens, but
who heard the lecture and the illustrations on the busy city long ago surrounded it. Con-
the Steinway Duo-Art, and saw the slides, at nected with the factory is an artistic redwood
once began to see a fascinating study in the hall where teachers often hold recitals. This
method which the professor said he believed is at Fourteenth and Church streets. Mr.
was original with himself.
Pierce sometimes says: "Bring me four casters
In a few lines it is impossible to give a just and a paper bag and I'll build you a piano." He
idea of to-day's lecture, but a few sketchy sug- built all but one of the nine pianos used by the
gestions may help to explain why the Duo-Art Oceanic S. S. Co. and a lot of his other sea-
room was filled to overflowing with musicians. going pianos have sailed the seven seas. When
He began by saying how many people know asked to-day why he had never written his
little or nothing of the capabilities of the re- memoirs, Mr. Pierce said briskly that such a
producing piano. He was not there, however, book might interest a few people, but it would
to eulogize it, but to present to his hearers the not sell. People want the present, not the past.
possibilities of comparison between different
pianists. He read some press reviews of dif-
Robt. N. Watkin Condemns
ferent pianists in which the reviewers wrote of
the singing tones, the brilliant runs, the poetical
Forced Selling of Pianos
interpretation of the various artists, and then
he summed up the whole as: "Just so many Ex-President of National Association of Music
holes, punched in a strip of brown paper."
Merchants Declares They Reflect to Discredit
Declaring that there are great differences of
of Entire Industry
interpretation shown by great pianists, he read
a number of descriptions of various hearers Editor, Music Trade Review,
who had sought to analyze these differences,
Dear Sir: You are always liberal in devoting
but they were all more or less vague. To illus- space to constructive ideas and suggestions. 1
trate the difference in style he had a few chords have noted with pleasure the progressive plans
from Chopin's Nocturne, Opus 15, played on of the leaders in our trade such as Mark Camp-
the Duo-Art, as recorded by Bauer, Novaes, bell, Frank Wade, Max de Rochemont, W. E.
Arthur Rubinstein and Schilling. Then he pro- Guylee and A. G. Gulbransen and others who
ceeded to show how the paper roll can be used have very constructive plans on foot for the
to obtain an insight into what constitutes the betterment of the entire trade, wholesale and
different renditions. How this was accomplished retail, especially as it applies to the piano mer-
is another story, but it certainly interested the chandising end. I believe all forward-looking
hearers and made the musicians present realize merchants will be heartily in favor of these
how very much can be learned from the repro- plans, which, if not perfect, are certainly the
ducing piano, even by accomplished pianists. finest that have ever been presented.
Praises Results From Business Standpoint
Now, while this is put into effect, and it cer-
Just back from Seattle and the Northwest, tainly seems practical and workable, there is
Beeman P. Sibley, president of the Western another element which might be given consider-
Piano Co., said he had not only found business ation, which is not quite so constructive.
good but was also much pleased with the re-
There are several large concerns who operate
sults of the recent Western Music Trades con- nationally through branch stores and retail
vention in Seattle, from a business standpoint. stores who for a long time have followed a
After staying for a week or so at his office here, system of forcing sales of pianos, and especially
Mr. Sibley will leave for Los Angeles. He ex- on player-pianos. For example, if they sell or
pects to spend most of the month of September send out forty pianos per month, their average
in the South.
is to bring back, or repossess, about 50 per cent
Working Because He Enjoys It
or twenty per month. Now this has not been
Emil Cruells, proprietor of the Mission Pho- going on for just a short time, but for twenty,
nograph & Piano Co., is taking life very con- twenty-five or thirty years.
tentedly in his new $50,000 store at 2226 Mis-
Look at the situation. What has it done and
sion street. He and Mrs. Cruells recently re- what has been its effect on the families and on
turned from a trip to Alaska and they are plan- the growing children in those homes who have
in good faith purchased instruments and then
had them dragged out of their homes a little
later?
I am not suggesting that these companies
have not made money. I am not suggesting
that they should not be good collectors. I am
not criticizing their methods for themselves.
What I am suggesting that a little thought be
given to is as to what effect this has had on
hundreds and thousands of customers through-
out the United States during the past quarter
of a century and what effect it has had on the
piano business.
In our experience, not once but many times,
have we had a customer say: "Yes, I bought
such and such a player-piano from such and
such a firm. I would like to have another piano
now, but I got stung so badly in dealing with
those piano people that I am afraid to trust
any other piano house."
In other words, you find a great number of
people, while a small percentage in the total
population, still a very appreciable percentage
of actual buyers who are antagonistic to the
piano business, they say because of what they
consider the "rascally" methods which were
practiced on them.
Please do not consider this as a criticism of
any industry or individual firm, but possibly
your valued paper can throw a little light on a
situation which if it continues will continue to
tear down the good work which leading men
in our trade are doing.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) ROBERT N. WATKIN,
Secretary, Will A. Watkin Co.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
Pratt Read
Servi
We maintain special
Repair Departments
for the convenience
of d e a l e r s a n d
tuners.
Send your work to
us for prompt at-
tention and careful
workmanship.
Write for our price lists on
key—action—player
repairs and materials
PRATT, READ & CO.
Established i n 1 8 0 6
The PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Deep River, Conn.