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4
JULY 21, 1928
The Music Trade Review
Ernest Urchs, of Steinway & Sons
Is Dead at the Age of Sixty-Four Years
ciation has had only one convention in the
East, that of 1927 in New York. The Newark
Chamber of Commerce has added its appeal to
those of the local tuners.
Manager of Wholesale Department and 'Artist Department Had Been With House of
Steinway for Thirty-four Years—Widely Mourned in Trade
Hardman to Exploit
Modernique Piano Line
H E death
T
-*• wholesale
Representative to Visit Dealers' Warerooms
and Lecture Upon Modern Art in Connection
With Instruments
of Ernest Urchs, manager of the
department and of the concert
and artist department of Steinway & Sons, New
York, on Thursday, July 12, came as a great
part of the services included the playing of the
1
,
f
1) „ . . l U ^ . . .
' ,,
"C/-vtlnto
Pi
tVl**ttr* *
andante
from
Beethoven's
"Sonata
Pathetic,'
by Ernest HtTtcheson, concert pianist; and the
playing of the Arenski trio in D Minor by a
string trio, composed of Nadia Reisenberg,
Toscha Seidel and Abraham Borodin.
In addition to his associates of the Steinway
house, the following members of the trade were
present: Ed Droop and Carl Droop of E. F.
Droop & Sons Co., Washington, D. C ; Walter
Mellor, of the C. C. Mellor Co., Pittsburgh,
Pa.; W. C. Hamilton, of the S. Hamilton Co.,
Pittsburgh, Pa.; Herman Schaad, of the Aeolian
Co., New York; Joseph Fink, of Baltimore;
H. H. Fleer, of Lyon, & Healy, Inc., Chicago,
and Mr. Clark, treasurer of Grinnell Bros.,
Detroit. Some of the artsists, who were pres-
ent, were the following: Harold Bauer, Mischa
Levitzki, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Siloti, Olin
Downes, Prof. John Erskine, Adelle Zerne,
Richard Epstein and others.
F
Paul Morris, Noted Critic,
Joins Edison Organization
Ernest Urchs
shock to his wide circle of friends in the music
trade and music profession, in which he has
been a prominent figure for the past thirty
years. Mr. Urchs had been confined to his
home at 320 West 87th street, New York, with
a lingering illness for several months, during
which hopes for his recovery on the part of
his immediate family and associates of Stein-
way & Sons have been oscillating from week
to week.
Ernest Urchs, who was sixty-four years old,
was born in New York City and spent most
of his life here. For the past thirty-four years
he has been associated with Steinway & Sons
and during this period traveled about the coun-
try regularly, keeping in close contact with the
company's dealers and with musical activities
in general. His work required frequent trips
to Europe over this period and he was affiliated
with practically every national and international
movement for the advancement of music. At
the time of his death, Mr. Urchs was presi-
dent of the MacDowell Memorial Association,
but during recent years declining health caused
him to relinquish many of his activities.
A man of real musical ability himself, Mr.
Urchs was particularly sympathetic to the
younger artists and many of them owe much
of their success to his timely advice. Eminent
musicians here and abroad, among them Pade-
rewski, Rachmaninoff, Hofmann, Hutcheson and
many others were his close personal friends.
Last year he gave full evidence of his pianistic
ability, by appearing in two recitals for three
pianos in Steinway Hall, New York, his com-
panion artists being Prof. John Erskine, au-
thor of "The Private Life of Helen of Troy,"
and Olin Downes, music critic of the New
York Times.
Mr. Urchs was a member of the Lotus Club,
the Chicago Athletic Club and other prominent
social organizations. He is survived by his
widow, Mrs. Emma Urchs, and one daughter,
Mrs. Edgar M. Pope.
The funeral services were held at the Urchs'
residence on Saturday morning, July 14, and
were largely attended by members of the mu-
sic trade and profession, as well as, of course
by the executives and employes of Steinway
& Sons. There was no religious service, Theo-
dore E. Steinway, president of thhe Steinway
house, making a brief tribute, in which he eu-
ologized the services of Mr. Urchs both to the
firm and to the art of music. The musical
Well-Known Musical Authority Appointed Di-
rector of Artists and Repertory for Phono-
graph Division of Thos. A. Edison, Inc.
Paul Morris, well-known New York musical
critic, has been appointed director of artists
and repertory for the phonograph division of
Thos. A. Edison, Inc., and will bring to that
organization his long experience with many dif-
ferent musical activities and a wide acquaint-
anceship among musicians of all classes. He
will devote his energies to getting the best
possible talent in all branches of music and to
turning it into records that will appeal to
everybody.
Mr. Morris was for several years musical
critic of the New York Herald and when
Munsey bought the paper remained with the
organization to write for the Sun and Evening
Telegram on musical and dramatic subjects.
Later he became music critic of the Evening
World, was for some years music editor of the
Theatre Magazine and contributed criticisms
and essays to many other prominent publica-
tions. During his years of journalistic work
he has heard and passed judgment on every im-
portant new artist and on every new composi-
tion of any real significance.
Mr. Morris is a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin where he was very active in musical
affairs, particularly as baritone-soloist and
trumpeter. During the war he served as song
leader and assisted in the organization of sev-
eral bands and bugle corps. In 1927 he toured
the country in the interests of the Chaliapan
Opera Co. and was the first publicity director
of the new Roxy Theatre in New York.
Newark, N. J., Is After
1929 Tuners' Convention
Members of Newark Division of N. A. P. T.
Carrying On a Strong Campaign to Have
National Sessions Brought East Next Year
The Newark, N. J., division of the National
Association of Piano Tuners, Inc., of which
Frank W. Cann is president, is making a strong
drive on the membership of the national body
to have the 1929 convention of the organization
held in Newark. A number of letters have been
sent to the entire membership pointing out the
advantages of Newark as a meeting place, and
the point is emphasized that thus far the asso-
An extensive plan for popularizing the Hard-
man Modernique line of pianos with modern-
istic case design was announced this week by
Hardman, Peck & Co., New York. The plan
has developed as a result of the wide interest
created in the Hardman Modernique line
through recent announcements in the trade
press and the company has determined to show
a representative line of modernistic instruments
in the showrooms of various Hardman dealers
throughout the country. Clifford Hendel, of
the Hardman retail staff in New York, left the
city this week for Binghamton, N. Y., where
he will make his headquarters at the store of
Weeks & Dickinson, as the first stop of his
trip. Mr. Hendel will stay in Binghamton for
about two weeks, giving talks on modern art
in furniture and pianos before local women's
clubs, trade bodies and similar associations.
His future itinerary will be announced later.
F. A. Delano Joins Record
Division of Brunswick Co.
Will Handle Record Sales Promotion Work for
That Company—Long Record in Trade
Frank A. Delano has joined the staff of the
record division of the Brunswick-Balke-Collen-
der Co. for the purpose of handling record sales
promotion work for that company. Mr. Delano
F. A. Delano
is particularly well qualified for his new post,
because of his long experience in handling that
sort of work. He is well equipped musically,
having at one time sung in opera and was for a
number of years in charge of the Red Seal
School conducted by the Victor Co. More re-
cently he has been doing promotional work for
wholesalers and others in the trade and his con-
tact with dealers, coupled with the wide knowl-
edge of record merchandising, should stand him
in good stead in his new position.
Columbia Co. Outing
The employes of the headquarters of the
Columbia Phonograph Co., New York, recently
held their annual outing at Indian Point, N. Y.,
making the trip on one of the Dayline boats.
The outing is an annual affair.