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APRIL 20, 1929
American Piano Go. Opens
New Branch in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, MO., April 16.—'Official, social and
musical St. Louis joined hands in a cordial wel
come to the American Piano Company upon
the formal opening of its new St. Louis Ara-
pico Hall, which was formally observed on
Monday, April 1. The handsomely appointed
salons, banked with a profusion of floral trib
ntes sent by friends and well-wishers, presented
a fitting setting for the ceremonies which were
attended by large crowds.
The ceremonies for the most part were con-
fined to the fourth floor, which had been tem-
porarily converted into a recital hall for the
inaugural program, although the entire store,
which had undergone extensive alterations, was
an object of attention on the opening day.
The inaugural ceremonies were formally
opened in the afternoon with an address by
City Counselor Julius T. Muench, represent-
ing Mayor Victor J. Miller, who formally wel-
comed the American Piano Company to St.
Louis on behalf of the city.
Mr. Muench's address was followed by a
piano recital by Ernest R. Kroeger, after which
there was a reception and tea, the hostesses be-
ing Mrs. John S. Payne and Mrs. Louis J.
Brooks, both prominent club-women.
In the evening a musical program was pre-
ceded by an address by Robert E. Lee, formal-
president of the St. Louis Safety Council, rep-
resenting the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Lee extended a formal welcome to the new
store on behalf of the business interests of the
city, after which Mr. Kroeger was again heard
in a recital of piano music, interspersed with
brief explanatory remarks concerning each
composition.
A buffet supper was in readiness for the
guests at the conclusion of the recital, after
which many enjoyed dancing to the accompani-
ment of the Ampico, playing the latest popu-
lar dance recordings. The hostesses in the eve-
ning were Mrs. E. R. Kroeger and Mrs. John
C. Talbot, both of whom are prominent in musi-
cal circles in the city.
General Manager Russell W. Elam a,cted as
host with C. E. Storer, A. H. J. Dickhaus and
Eugene Koetterer as assistants. Among the
out-of-town visitors was L. C. Wagner, of New
York, a sales executive of the American Piano
Co.
C. E. Storer, who was for twenty-six years
with the Baldwin Piano Co., has severed his
connection with that institution to become as-
sociated with the local American Piano store.
Union Music Go. Sales
Show a Heavy Increase
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., April 16.—Speaking of the
business transacted by the Union Music Co.
during the past three months, D. A. Hennessey,
owner of the Company, said that it was equal
to the business the Company did during the
first six months of 1928. Sales of Lester grands
have been very satisfactory. Mr. Hennessey re-
ceived visits during the past few days from
Ashley B. Cone, president of Hardman, Peck
& Co., and G. E. Corson, Pacific Coast Man-
ager for the Gulbransen Co.
Death of H. L. Kincaide
BOSTON, MASS., April 15.—State Senator Henry
L. Kincaide, who was one of the biggest piano
merchants outside of Boston proper, died last
Saturday night at a local hospital. His home
was in Quincy, where he had built up a larpe
business. The funeral was held this morning
and was attended by a number of persons iden-
tified with the piano and furniture business.
Mr. Kincaide had served in the Legislature for
several sessions.
The Music Trade Review
Brambach Piano Up in Air Again
Shipping Four Brambach Grands Via Aerial Route to Fill a Vaudeville Engagement
HP HE Brambach baby grand was the first
grand piano to be transported, aerially, in
1925, when Mark P. Campbell had shipped via
the Sikorsky Air Service, two grand pianos to
E. F. Droop & Sons Co., Washington, D. C.
Transportation of this kind was such a novelty
then, that it was recorded in the news service
of every country in the world. In fact, Mark
P. Campbell first read of his experiment, in
transportation, in the Paris edition of the New
York Tribune.
To-day it is still an undertaking, but well
within the realms of practicability, and can be
done when emergencies arise, as the attached
picture indicates.^
J. Harold Kennedy, manager of the vaude-
ville act—Jerry and Her Four Brambach Baby
Grands, found it necessary on one of his long
jumps to Tulsa, Okla., to employ the services
of the S. A. F. E. Way Air Lines.
The following newspaper item tells what the
daily papers had to say about the energies of
J. Harold Kennedy and Miss Geraldine Valliere,
the directress of this act: "Four flying pianos
are the latest innovation in the theatrical world,
it was revealed at the municipal airport Monday
when the four instruments, all baby grands,
were taken aloft in a Ford tri-motored plane
to demonstrate the feasibility of aerial trans-
portation. The pianos are the property of J.
Harold Kennedy, presenting 'Jerry and Her
Lester Ensemble Closes
Very Successful Season
PHILADELPHIA, PA., April 15.—The last concert
of the Lester Ensemble for the current season
was held on Sunday at the Benjamin Franklin
Hotel when a diversified program was presented
by the Ensemble artists including Arbida Val-
vane, Jeno DeDonath, Josef Wissow and Mary
Miller Mount. The concert brought to a close
a most successful piece of promotion in the
interest of the Lester grand piano and the series
of recitals has proven the means for presenting
that instrument to a host of local music lovers
under most favorable conditions.
Recent Aeolian Visitors
Among the recent visitors to the executive
offices of the Aeolian Co., New York, was W.
H. Daniels, of Denton, Cottier & Daniels, Buf-
falo, N. Y., who was returning from Florida
with Mrs. Daniels. A. A. Grinnell, president of
Grinnell Bros., Detroit, was also a visitor.
Hoffman Piano Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., plans
to discontinue its branch store in Perry, N. Y.,
after a closing-out sale, and will concentrate its
merchandising in its large Buffalo store.
Baby Grands' at the Orpheum Theatre this
week.
"Because special pianos, all white, are neces-
sary for the act, Kennedy must furnish the in-
struments in the various cities he plays, he ex-
plained. It was owing to his belief that they
could be transported by air with greater ease
than by rail that led to Monday's demonstra-
tion. Four Brambach pianos, furnished by the
Jenkins Music Co. for the occasion, were easily
loaded into the huge plane, one of the ships of
the Southwest Air Fast Express Co.'s fleet, it
was said."
Pratt Read
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Established in 1806
The PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Deep River, Conn.