Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
FEBRUARY 19, 1927
Cleveland Music Trades Association
Holds Its Eighteenth Annual Banquet
Henry Dreher, President of the Dreher Piano Co., Presented With Token of Apprecia-
tion by Organization—Dan Nolan Discusses Trade's Competition
/CLEVELAND, O., February 15.—The eight-
centh annual banquet of the Cleveland
Music Trades Association was held February
9. The Rainbow room of the Hotel Winton
was appropriately decorated and music was
furni-lud by members of the Parisian hollies.
11
The Music Trade Review
stores of the Wurlitzer Co., whose subject was
"The Outlook for 1927." Mr. Nolan told sev-
oral of his inimitable stories, that brought forth
mars of laughter, and then said that he be-
1-cved that it would be no greater trick to
-ell pianos in 1927 than in other years, but
to do what he can to create interest in the
piano, such as through piano-playing contests.
More interest is now being shown in piano
playing than ever, he asserted. He said that
Otto Miessner was creating the desire in the
parents to have children play the piano through
his method, and the child who is thus taught
to play the piano will have the desire to con-
tinue doing so all during its life if encouraged
properly. Great things were being accom-
plished in Youngstown in group instruction
and that it was essential to keep the child
interested after a piano-playing contest was
over and get them enthused for others to fol-
low. It would be a fine thing for the trade,
he said, if the Association had an institute to
teach children the piano, for 75 per cent of
the children in group classes carry on their
>tudies after completion of their course and
need encouragement.
Pratt-Read Player Action
Go. Issues "Blue Book'*
New Volume Mailed to Dealers and Tuners
Illustrates and Describes Various Reproduc-
ing and Player Actions Made by Company
Banquet of the Cleveland
A. !.. Maresh, president of the Association,
presided. An invitation had been extended tu
Vice-President Dawes to be present, but he
was unable to attend and sent a letter of re-
gret which was read by Mr. Maresh. Rexford
C. Hyre, secretary of the Music Merchants'
Association of Ohio, was also unable to attend
and sent regrets.
The only business transacted during the
evening was the introduction of a resolution
condemning the publication of "smut" songs
in sheet music, music roll or record form,
which was presented at the January meeting
of the Association. The resolution was adopted
unanimously.
At the conclusion of the dinner President
Maresh made a short speech on "Co-operation,"
and, after thanking the members for the honor
of re-electing him president, told of increasing
the Association membership during the year
and predicted further gains during 1927. He
outlined the trade developments since its or-
ganization eighteen years ago and stated that
conditions in business were such that to be
successful required closer co-operation among
members of the same industry than ever before.
Tribute to Henry Dreher
The big event of the evening then took place.
M. O. Mattlin, of the Knabe Warerooms, arose
from his chair and stepped up to Henry Dreher,
president of the Dreher Piano Co., who was
seated at the speakers' table, and presented
him with a fountain pen desk set as a token
of the high regard in which it held him. Mr.
Mattlin, in presenting the gift, said it was the
most pleasant speech he had ever been called
upon to make in the Association, because it
concerned the most beloved of all piano men,
the dean of the piano business in Cleveland.
He went on to say that Mr. Dreher had been
given the highest honors the national, State
and local association could bestow on him and
he and all other members of the Association
hoped that Mr. Dreher would have use for
the gift for many years to come.
Mr. Dreher thanked the Association and ex-
pressed his appreciation of the gift and the
thought that accompanied it. He said that he
had a warm spot in his heart for every music
man in Cleveland if he was on the level, and
that, while all those in the business were his
competitors, they were, nevertheless, his friends.
Dan Nolan Comments on Outlook
Mr. Maresh then introduced the next speaker,
Dan Nolan, general manager of the Cleveland
Muse Trades Association
that the piano men would have to work harder.
Y'ears ago the biggest competitors were other
piano dealers, but not now. The competitor
of to-day is he who sells automobiles, washing
machines, real estate, clothing, household ap-
pliances, etc., on easy terms. He has budgeted
the people up to the hilt. Nineteen hundred
and twenty-seven would be what each man
made it, and he suggested that they all get
rut and expose themselves to business more
so than ever before, for he had been given to
understand that they were going to meet with
keen competition from at least one source,
namely, the electrical refrigeration people.
Concluding, he pointed out that the American
people had so much money to spend and no
more, and it was up to the piano men to get
out after business.
The next speaker of the program was Rob-
ert Jones, advertising manager of the Dreher
Piano Co., whose subject was "Solving the
Trade-in Problem." Mr. Jones' talk is printed
in full in another section of The Review.
State Association President Speaks
Mr. Maresh then called upon President O.
C. Boyd, of the Music Merchants' Association
of Ohio. Mr. BoyrJ said he would like to see
the Cleveland piano-playing contest get going
and regretted that Mr. Hyre was not present
to speak on the subject. The contest would
be a great thing for Cleveland and all com-
munities in Ohio. Referring to the convention
of the State Association, that is to be held in
Cleveland in September, he said he felt it
would be the greatest in the history of the
organization. He said that he felt that some-
thing good was in store for the piano trade,
as the national and State associations were
working to boost piano sales, and that he
looked for a eood year in 1927.
Chas. H. Yahrline: Urges G^oup Instruction
Charles H. Yahrling, of Youngstown, who
is vice-president of the National Association,
was the next speaker. He said he believed
that the association idea was growing from
what he had seen at the Chicago meeting. Men
were there from as far as California and
Arkansas, who had paid their own expenses
in order to help the cause. The average piano
man was trying to get by with the least re-
sistance and was something like the farmer
who took crops from his land, but never put
anything back in it, and as a result was not
getting the returns that he should. In the
case of the piano man it is necessary, for him
The Pratt-Read Player Action Co., Deep
Kiver, Conn., has just mailed to the piano
dealers and piano tuners of the United States,
Canada and Australia copies .of the company's
new l?lue Hook, in which are described and
illustrated the several types of player and re-
producing actions manufactured by the com-
pany, including the new foot expression action
designed for small players, of four-foot height
or under.
In the introduction to the little volume it
is stated that the Pratt-Read player actions,
which have been manufactured since 1910, are
now being used regularly by over sixty manu-
facturers in the United States and foreign
countries, and that the company does not mar-
ket any complete instruments, but confines its
activities to the production of actions alone.
In addition to player and reproducing actions
for both grands and uprights, the company also
manufactures various supplies for organs and
pianos, including keys, ivory, pneumatic stacks,
electric power bellows and bottom units and
other items.
Increases Capital Stock
The Beckley Music Store, Charleston, W. Va.,
has filed an amendment to its charter, increasing
its capital stock from 150 shares to 1,000 shares
of par value $100.
CHAFF
T A N D S FOR
E R V I C E
ATISFACTION
Established
1868
Pianos, Players, Reproducing Pianos
SCHAFF BROS. CO.
Huntington, Ind.
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