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The Music Trade Review
try, there is still a large and growing market
for the piano merchant to go after, particularly
as one-third of the instruments sold at the pres-
ent time are really replacements. He went on
to state that the country's 45,000,000 bank de-
posits are sufficient to pay for all the pianos
which will be produced by the country's fac-
tories during the next one hundred years even
if the manufacturers of the industry doubled
their output, and that the interest on those same
accounts would be sufficient to pay in cash for
all pianos produced annually in the United
States three times over.
C. J. Roberts, president of the National As-
sociation of Music Merchants, and the final
speaker of the luncheon, paid an eloquent
tribute to the late C. A. Grinnell, head of Grin-
nell Bros., and advised Mrs. Grinnell, who was
present, that engrossed copies of the National
Association of Music Merchants' resolutions on
the death of its esteemed ex-president would be
presented formally. Mrs. Grinnell responded.
The resolution was as follows:
Resolution on the death of Clayton A. Grin-
nell, passed by the National Association of
Music Merchants in Chicago, June 8, 1927, and
presented by Mr. C. J. Roberts, president, at
the convention of the Michigan Music Mer-
chants Association in Detroit on August 15:
Whereas, on the thirtieth day of April, A. D.
1927, Clayton A. Grinnell, of Detroit, Michigan,
was summed by the Divine Master to his eter-
nal reward; and
Whereas, Clayton A. Grinnell was a thorough,
unselfish and devoted worker in music trade
association activities, local, State and National;
and
Whereas. Mr. Grinnell, although president of
Grinnell Bros., one of the largest retail music
merchants in the Middle West, gave of his
time and energy to serve as president of the
National Association of Music Merchants and
as president of the Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce; and
Whereas, His example and unassuming lead-
ership in the trade has been and always will
be an inspiration to his legion of friends who
mourn his death, and yet shall always live as
a perpetual monument in the music trade of
the nation, now therefore be it
Resolved, That the National Association of
Music Merchants hereby vainly attempt to ex-
press, in mere words, the great loss which it
knows the music trade in America has suffered
through the death of one of its most loyal sup-
porters, Clayton A. Grinnell; and be it further
Resolved, That his business ethics, his spirit
of charity, his ideas of business friendships and
co-operation through trade organizations, be
commended to the younger and newer men and
women in our trade, as a constant future re-
minder of the fair play and fraternalism that
must be the corner-stone of all business suc-
cess; and be it further
Resolved, That two copies of these resolu-
tions be properly engrossed and presented, one
to the bereaved family of the deceased, and the
other to the loyal and devoted business asso-
ciates of Clayton A. Grinnell.
Following the luncheon, and in fact while it
was being held, the 430 public school champions
of the second Greater Detroit Piano Playing
Contest assembled in the grand ballroom of the
hotel with their parents and friends, to receive
their rings, which were in silver for the school
champions and gold set with a diamond for the
district champions. They were presented by
Roy S. Maypole, director of the contest, after
an appropriate address on the importance of
the piano as the basic musical instrument.
Monday Night
On Monday night the grand finals of the
Greater Detroit Piano Playing Contest in the
Crystal ballroom of the Book-Cadillac instead
of the Belle Isle Symphony^ Bowl, as planned
at first, were held. Here again was shown
strongly the wide interest aroused by the con-
test, for not only were a majority of the
school champions present with their parents
and friends but many outsiders were attracted
by the event with the result that the several
hundred people in attendance filled the room
and overflowed into the Italian room adjoining.
Roy A. Maypole, director general of the con-
test, presided at the finals and the judges had a
difficult time selecting the winners in each of
the three classes from the array of talent that
was presented for the final tests. The final de-
cision of the judges was in favor of Leah Zagel,
of the Northwestern High School for the high
school class; Jean Eckett, of the Hutchins
School, for the' intermediate and Vivienne
D. Arkos, of the Ruthruff school for the ele-
mentary. Each of the winners will receive a
grand piano as a prize, the ordinary name plate
of the instrument being covered with an en-
graved plate stating that the instrument is a
prize award from the Detroit Music Trades
Association. Each of the youngsters partici-
pating in the finals was awarded a diamond
ring.
Tuesday Luncheon
The principal speaker at the Association
luncheon on Tuesday was Hon. Charles L. Bart-
AUGUST 20, 1927
lett, of the Recorder's Court, Detroit, who had
for his subject "The Piano as a Crime Deter-
rent." The Recorder stated that an apprecia-
tion for and the ability to play music repre-
sented a powerful influence for good in the
home and served to develop the finer impulses
in youth. He also expressed strong opinions
on the wisdom of punishing criminals promptly
and with certainty.
Another speaker was Charles Deutschmann,
president of the National Piano Tuners Associa-
tion, who urged the necessity of a co-operative
trade campaign to educate the public to the im-
portance of keeping the pianos in first class
playing condition and the wisdom of scrapping
those instruments which had outlived their use-
fulness. It was a great mistake for the manu-
facturers and dealers to advertise that pianos
would last for a lifetime, he said, for it was not
so, and simply served to make the public place
a fictitious value on old instruments which pre-
vented their replacement with new pianos or
created extravagant demands for trade-in al-
lowances. If all pianos now in homes and made
before 1920 were replaced with new instru-
ments, said Mr. Deutschmann, the piano fac-
tories would have more business than they
could handle for years to come.
C J. Roberts, president of the National
Association of Music Merchants, took the op-
portunity at the meeting to present to the
Michigan Music Merchants' Association its
charter a» an affiliated association with the
National body, the charter being accepted by
President Bayley of the State organization. Mr.
Bayley then outlined at length the planning and
carrying out of the piano contest this year and
how the city authorities and the merchants in
other lines had been persuaded to put on the
monster music carnival which for two nights
held sway in Washington boulevard from Grand
Circus Park to Michigan avenue—four full
blocks—with a boardwalk fifteen hundred feet
long constructed down the center together
with platforms for bands and dancers and a
tank for diving exhibitions.
A. K. Gutsohn, of the Standard Pneumatic
Action Co., before and after the luncheon, gave
a player-piano recital and displayed the musi-
cal possibilities of that instrument.
Prior to the close of the meeting the annual
election took place with the following results:
President, Frank J. Bayley, Detroit; vice-presi-
dent, H. J. Pulfrey, Ann Arbor; secretary, C.
H. Hoffman, Grand Rapids and treasurei
Arthur H. Howes, Detroit.
(Continued on page 9)
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