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APRIL 16, 1927
The Music Trade Review
Wiley B. Allen Co., San Francisco,
Reports Year's First Quarter Was Good
Figures Show Substantial Increase Over First Three Months of Last Year—Baldwins
for University of California—San Francisco Piano Contest
C A N FRANCISCO, CAL., March 7.—Hearst
Hall, which will be dedicated to-morruw
at the University of California, is equipped witli
two Baldwin concert grand pianos, sold to the
University by the Baldwin i'iano Co. This
women's building, which replaces a burned
structure, is beautiful and large and contains
some unique features, such as marble swimming
pools, surrounded by growing oak trees, shrub-
bery and flowers, set in great concrete boxes
and giving to interiors the effect (if outdoors.
One of the features of Hearst Hall is a large
auditorium.
Another interesting Baldwin installation is
the Baldwin grand in the Grand Lake Theatre,
the new house of the exclusive 1-ake Merritt
District. Gino Severi is the conductor of this
theatre, which features the Baldwin grand on
its program.
Henri Deering, exclusive Baldwin pianist, at-
tended a reception a few days ago at the
College of the Holy Names, in Oakland, and
gave much satisfaction by playing for the as-
sembled teachers and students on the p : ano
of his choice. The affair attracted special at-
tention from the sisters in charge of music
at the various convent schools in northern and
central California, as Mr. Deering played by
special request.
Later Mr. Deering attended a reception
tendered to him at the Weisler School of Music,
in Berkeley, and played by request. The affair
attracted much attention in the college city
and a great many teachers of the Bay region
were present.
Not only is there a very good demand for
Baldwin pianos, but also the demand runs to
expensive instruments and Art grands. This
was the satisfactory message brought from
southern California by D. L. Stewart, of Lewis
& Stewart, music dealers of Beverley Hills, Cal.,
who has been calling on Morley P. Thompson,
Coast representative of the Baldwin Piano Co.,
at their store, 310 Sutter street.
First Quarter Was Very Satisfactory
The Wiley B. Allen Co.'s first quarter has
closed very satisfactorily, according to James
J. Black, treasurer of the company. Mr. Black
said that Harry Williams, manager of the
Sacramento branch, has shown a substantial
increase for the first quarter over the corre-
sponding quarter of last year and the firm's
business throughout the State has shown an
increase over the same period of last year.
Henry L. Mason, president of the Mason &
Himlin Co., paid a long visit to the Coast dur-
ing the quarter and v's'ted the firm's various
branches, coming in contact also with artists
and teachers who use the Mason & Hanilin
piano. Mr. Black expressed much satisfaction
with the results of Beethoven week and of the
sales of the Columbia's Beethoven Book.
Co., is here from the home office of the com-
pany and is visiting members of the trade.
Walker Writes to National Bureau
A clear, concise and interesting account of
San Francisco's first piano-playing contest has
been written by Shirley Walker, of Sherman,
Clay & Co., president of the Music Trades
Association of Northern California, to the
National Bureau for the Advancement of Music.
Mr. Walker tells how the board of directors of
the Association, of which he is president, were
keenly impressed with the idea that the suc-
cessful piano contest held in Detroit last year
held possibilities for the larger cities covered
by the Association and would be excellent pub-
licity for the piano. It was felt that San
Francisco was the logical place for such a
contest, and the Call, a Hearst newspaper, ap-
proached the Association regarding such a
contest sponsored by them.
Dealers approved of the idea of the contest
heartily and backed up their enthusiasm by
underwriting it to the maximum of $5,500.
Their first reaction, however, was to hold the
contest under the name of the Music Trade-
Association and enlist the support of the San
Francisco newspapers. It was realized, how-
ever, that one newspaper, sponsoring the con-
test as its "baby," could do more than having
all the papers treating it as a public event.
Furthermore, it was felt that if the contest
were run by the music trades it would be con-
sidered by the public as a scheme to sell pianos.
A committee of four was appointed, namely:
Lee S. Roberts, of Lee S. Roberts, Inc.; George
Q. Chase, of Kohler & Chase; J. J. Black, of
Wiley B. Allen Co., and Shirley Walker, of
Sherman, Clay & Co., by the president of the
Music Trades Association of Northern Cali-
fornia, to raise the money from the trade and
to act as "steering" committee in the manage-
ment of the contest. This committee met every
Monday night with representatives of the Call
and the director of the contest Mrs. Anita Day
Hubbard.
The title of the competition was changed to
"Piano-Playing Tournament," as being more
dignified than "contest."
The letter describes the many awards and
the types of pianos of which winners will be
given the choice, together with other details.
Regret ' is expressed that the school depart-
ment, as a whole, has given but little co-opera-
tion. On the other hand, the Call has given
publicity in many ways, in addition to that in
its own columns. The dealers are already
talking of next year's tournament.
The annual report of the Music Trades
Association of Northern California, which was
read by the president, Shirley Walker, at the
annual meeting, held on March 15, has just
been released in a letter to the members of
the Association. It enumerates a remarkable
number of activities carried to successful issues
Ahlf Will Join Twenty-five Years Club
l\ T. Clay, president of Sherman, (lay & by the Association during the year from March
Co., and G. W. Bates, comptroller, arc- hurrying 9, 1926, to March 15, 1927.
back from a business visit to Los Angeles in
order to be present at the luncheon to-morrow
of the directors of Sherman, Clay & Co. to Music Trade Interested in
K. C. F. Ahlf, head of the firm's piano depart-
Cuban Parcel Post Bill
ment. It will be Mr. Ahlf's twenty-fifth an-
niversary with Sherman, Clay & Co. and he, Restriction of Imports of Cigars and Tobacco
therefore, becomes a member of the Twenty-
By Post Would Cause Action By Cuban Gov-
five Years Club, all the members of which will
ernment Inimical to Our Interests
b? present at to-morrow's luncheon. Mr. Ahlf
was made a director less than two months
The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
ago and all his fellow directors will attend has been working in harmony with other asso-
the luncheon, except R. E. Robinson, who will ciations for the passage of the bill HRK997
remain in the Northwest.
which will permit the importation of cigars and
Starr Piano Co.'s Official Is Her?
. F r e d Gennett, secretary of the Starr Piano
tobacco from Cuba via parcel post. This bill is
of particular consequence to the music iudus-
11
try since Cuba threatens to abrogate its parcel
post arrangement with this country, which ex-
pires on June 30, 1927 and permits us to send
parcels up to eleven pounds in weight, if we
persist in denying them the use of the mails in
shipping their one mailable product.
Among the music industry products now be-
ing shipped to Cuba by parcel post are the fol-
lowing: player piano rolls; phonograph records,
needles and other attachments; musical instru-
ments and parts of same; sheet music, piano and
organ parts and violin strings.
The Chamber recently conducted a mail bal-
lot among such members as phonograph record,
music roll, band instrument and musical mer-
chandise manufacturers, and the result showed
about 95 per cent in favor of continuing the
present parcel post convention indefinitely in
the future.
The Post Ofhcc Department has just sent out
an official notice that Cuba has agreed to ex-
tend the convention from June 30, 1927 to
March 1, 1928. This means that Cuba is wait-
ing for the convening of the next Congress, at
which time, if the restriction is not permanently
removed, the present parcel post arrangement
will be definitely terminated.
Murray Go. Moves
The \V. R. Murray Co., Durham, N. C, music
house, has moved to its new home at the cor-
ncr of Chapel Hill and Orange streets, where
il i- handling a complete line of music goods.
Formal opening of the new home of the Witt
Music Store, Broadway, Lorain, O., has been set
for April 1, and the final touches are being made
by the decorators.
Pratt Read
Service
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Deep River, Conn.