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The Music Trade Review
Winners of San Francisco's Piano
Playing Tournament Are Selected
Awards Are Made in Seven Classes of Youthful Contestants, Who Display Masterly
Musicianship—500 Participated—Other Trade News of Pacific Coast
C A N FRANCISCO, CAL., May 9.—Every
piano salesman in the city should have
been present at the final elimination in the
piano-playing contest of Music Week, held in
the Municipal Auditorium last evening. It
would have put new courage and heart into
the salesmen and would have given them a
more abiding faith in the power of the piano.
Tt would have impressed the fact that if there
are children and young men and women of to-
day who prefer to twirl a button for their
music, rather than learn to make it themselves,
there are many others who have a gift of music
developed to a high degree.
Last night's contestants were the pick of over
500 piano-playing competitors. They had been
sifted down to thirty-five young pianists, name-
ly, five in each of seven classes. From little
creatures of six years old to young people of
nineteen and twenty-one years, they all played
with an ease and virtuosity and in many cases
with a brilliancy that seemed to portend a new
era in piano-playing.
There was none of the old-time self-con-
sciousness, not a trace of the nervousness that
ambitious young piano-players once used to
show at school and graduation recitals. Boys
and girls last night walked to the Steinway
piano, when their names were called, with all
the aplomb of artists, but with less conscious-
ness of the audience than an artist who is
launched usually shows. They played without
music and so convincingly and well that again
and again the audience applauded the players
as if demanding encores. No bows were taken,
for the routine was that of the schoolroom, but
the playing was that of the concert platform.
No one with the least love for music who
heard that recital could say that the piano is
dead. The only cause for regret was that there
were not more medals to encourage some of
the young artists who were divided by such a
thin margin of merit from the actual winners.
In some cases, especially in that of the ten-
year-olds, the judges must have had a hard
task to decide. They were some of the lead-
ing music teachers of the city who served as
a committee of awards. Chester W. Rosekrans,
director of Music Week Activities, presided.
The following were the winners:
Class 1, six to seven years of age, Ellen Dev-
onshire; Class 2, eight to nine years of age,
Florence Takayami; Class 3, ten to eleven years
of age, Betty Wilson; Class 4, twelve and thir-
teen years of age, Stewart Brady; Class 5.
fourteen and sixteen years of age, Robert Turn-
er; Class 6, seventeen and eighteen years of
age, Dorothy Scholz; Class 7, nineteen and
twenty-one years of age, Mary Steiner.
Robert Turner won the first Special Trophy,
a silver cup; Florence Takayami won the sec-
ond special trophy and Mary Steiner, the third
cup.
Steck Piano Arrives
Sherman, Clay & Co. is preparing to honor
the historic George Steck piano used by Rich-
ard Wagner at the time he composed "Parsi-
fal."
Harald Pracht, piano sales manager for
the firm in this city, has invited members of
the San Francisco County Branch, California
Music Teachers' Association to a pre-view of
the original "Parsifal Grand." Accompanying
the piano in its tour is the New York pianist,
Philip Gordon, who will give a short recital,
in part on the historic piano. Invitations state:
"This exhibition is in commemoration of this
great music-drama 'Parsifal.' "
On Wednesday night a recital by Gordon on
the historic Steck will be broadcast over
KFRC. The program will include selections
by a large orchestra and on the evening of
Sunday the 19th, there will be a recital at the
Woman's City Club, by Gordon, using the his-
toric piano. Sherman, Clay & Co. is also fea-
turing the modern Steck piano.
Kimball Artist in Recital
George Liebling, Kimball artist, is to appear
here shortly in a piano recital. T. P. Whit-
more, secretary of the W. W. Kimball Co., is
to come here from Chicago and T. V. Ander-
son, Southwest manager for the Kimball Co.,
is to come from his Los Angeles headquarters
in connection with making arrangements for
the Liebling recital. The H. C. Hanson Music
House, Kimball dealers, expressed satisfaction
to-day at the coining Liebling recital.
Sacramento Ass'n Meets
The Sacramento Music and Radio Trades
Association held their annual meeting on May
1, at the Elks' Temple Auditorium, Sacramento.
The presiding officer was John F. Zak, who
introduced Hugh Barrett Dobbs (Dobsie) as
Master of Ceremonies. "Keeping Up With the
Times" was the subject of a speech by A. W.
Grieur.
The monthly Breakfast Meeting of the Radio
Retailers of the Pacific Radio Trade Associa-
tion will take place at the Belleview Hotel, San
Francisco, May 16. "These early morning meet-
ings have become very popular with the radio
dealers. It has been noted that people seem to
have more pep at this hour than they have later
in the day, and they do not have to sit up all
night to have the pep either.
Big Shipment of Atwater
Kent Radios to Coast
Fifteen solid express cars of Atwater Kent
Screen Grid Radio to points on the Pacific
Coast marked the inauguration of the west-
ward flow of Atwater Kent's latest product re-
cently.
According to E. W. McM,aster, the company's
traffic manager, this is the largest single ship-
ment by express of any commodity from the
Atlantic Seaboard to the Pacific Coast. The
cars were consigned to Ernest Ingold, Inc.,
San Francisco; Ray Thomas, Inc., Los An-
geles, and Sunset Electric Co. of Portland and
Seattle.
The shipments were timed to reach their
destination so that Pacific Coast dealers in At-
water Kent radio would be able to fill orders
concurrently with the appearance of advertis-
ing announcing the new Screen Grid Set.
Columbia German Subsidiary
Reports 1928 Profits
Carl Lindstroem A. G., largest German sub-
sidiary of Columbia Graphophone Co., reports
net profits for 1928, after depreciation of 1,-
860,000 marks, compared with 1,470,000 marks
in 1927. A dividend of twenty per cent was
declared, against fifteen per cent for the pre-
vious year. The company placed a large sum
in reserves, but the exact figure is not stated.
New Lines for Aiken Corp.
The Aiken Radio Corp., with headquarters
at Toledo and a branch at Detroit, have been
appointed distributors for Cleveland territory
of the Crosley and Amrad line of receivers.
They succeed the Cleveland Talking Machine
Co., who will concentrate all their efforts on
the new Victor line.
MAY 18, 1929
New York and Eastern
Special to Convention
Delegates to National Music Industries Con-
vention Will Leave New York and Boston
for Chicago Over N. Y. C. on June 1
A special convention train bound for Chi-
cago will leave Grand Ccntra.1 Station, New
York, on Saturday, June 1, at 1.00 p. m. East-
ern Standard Time and 2.00 p. m. Daylight
Saving Time. As in previous years, the one
and one-half fare concession has been secured,
which means that the return trip is just one-
half of the normal rate on the certificate plan.
The rates from New York are as follows:
Fare including lower berth, $45.30; Fare in-
cluding upper berth, $43.50; Compartment foi
two, $61.80; Drawing room for two, $67.80.
This train is scheduled to stop at Albany,
leaving at 4.22 p. m. Eastern Standard Tiim_
or 5.22 Daylight Saving Time. Those taking
the train at Albany or New York may se-
cure their reservations from Albert Behning,
c/o Behning &• Chinnock, 105 West Fortieth
street, New York City.
For those in Boston and vicinity, there is
a train, No. 39 B. & A., which is scheduled to
leave Boston on June 1 at 9.30 a. m. East-
ern Standard Time, or 10.30 a. m. Daylight
Saving Time. This train stops at Worcester,
Springfield, Pittsfield, and connects with the
New York train at Albany, leaving Albany at
4.22 p. m. Eastern Standard Time, or 5.22 p. m.
Daylight Saving Time. For reservations and
information concerning the Boston train com
municate with William F. Merrill, 258 Boyl-
ston street, Boston, Mass.
Edison Distributor Fetes
Baltimore Dealers
The Girard Phonograph Co., Edison radio
distributors of Philadelphia, were hosts to the
managers and supervisors of the Consolidated
Gas and Electric Co. of Baltimore, at a din-
ner on March 28, held at the Southern Hotel
in Baltimore.
L. H. Collison, sales manager of the Girard
Phonograph Co., was the toastmaster, and in-
troduced the various speakers, among whom
were H. H. Silliman, Eastern sales manager of
Thomas A. Edison, Inc.; J. T. Donohue, man-
ager of the Girard Phonograph Co., and C.
S. Stackpole, assistant merchandising man-
ager of the Consolidated Gas and Electric Co.
In outlining the merchandising campaign
planned by the Consolidated Gas and Electric
Co., on Edison radios, Mr. Stackpole told of
the way every kind of dealer activity was be-
ing co-ordinated for the promotion of Edison
radio sales. He also spoke of their crew of
fifty men who are intensively canvassing Bal-
timore, and its environs, for Edison Radio
prospects.
Honsberger in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA., May 14.—Charles J. Hons-
berger, former secretary and general manager of
the Armstrong Piano Co., of Newark, N. J., is
now manager of the Philadelphia branch of the
Rudolph Wurlitzcr Co., 1031 Chestnut street.
He succeeded Irwin G. King, who is now con-
nected with the F. A. North Co.
To Erect New Store
MILWAUKEE, WIS., May 11.—The Zinke Music
& Radio Store is erecting a new building at
Farwell avenue, south of Kenilworth place here.
The building will contain three stores and
ninety-eight apartments. Cut stone will be used
for the front of the structure, which will be
eight stories high and of steel gypsum con-
struction.