Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1929 Vol. 88 N. 28

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Musical Merchandise Section oi The Music Trade Review
77
appeared in America early in the Nineteenth
century, having been brought by the Negro
slave from his African home. The guitar, in its
modern form usually credited to a German
named Cetto about 1790, enjoyed a season of
popularity about the time of the lute's decline,
(Continued from page 65)
but this was brief and it soon retired to semi-
obscurity.
In our own country guitars were
dawn of musical history to the appearance of music merchants will again place these modern
the violin were the most important stringed descendants of the lutes, known as fretted in- manufactured successfully as early as 1833, the
instruments. Some of the first significant music struments, somewhere near the top of popular primitive banjo was gradually improved and
attracted sporadic attention from shortly before
to appear was written for lutes; favorite court favor and musical effectiveness.
musicians were lutists; Monteverdi, the father
The violin, blossoming forth from the mul- Civil War times on, while the mandolin did
of grand opera, used various lutes in his orches- tiple cocoon of the viol family, appeared. The not attract much attention until the '80's, its
introduction being generally credited to Spanish
students who demonstrated it very attractively.
But until the beginning of the Twentieth
Century there had been no real improvement in
fretted instrument construction since the decline
of the lute. Then things began to happen. The
A Modern
gradually growing interest in these fretted in-
Mandolin
struments stimulated manufacturers and deal-
Quintette
ers. The banjo acquired a sturdy, efficient, and
F r o m l e f t to
artistic construction, tenor-banjos, mandolin,
right: First Man-
guitar, cello and ukulele banjos appeared; the
dolin, M a n d o -
violin construction was successfully applied to
Bass,
Mandola
the mandolin, and tenor, baritone and bass
( t e n o r ) , and
mandolins completed the family quartet; the
Mando-Cello
(baritone)
guitar was presented with a bigger tone, truer
scale and more substantial build, and violin
construction was in some cases satisfactorily
applied to it. And the instruments began
to engage the more active interest of the public.
These improvements were solely the work of
tra, and so did Bach and many other great harpsichord and then the piano accompanied it, American artisans, and whatever advance you
Seventeenth century writers. It was equally and the lute family began to recede from public find in fretted instrument performance is in-
or even more popular with the average citizen, affection. About the beginning of the Eigh- debted to American artistry and ingenuity for
even barber shops provided lutes for their cus- teenth century the transition was completed, and its existence.
tomers to strum their favorite ditties upon the violin, harpsichord, and piano were monop-
The list of those who contributed is long and
while waiting.
olists of public favor, and the numerous mem- noteworthy. Most of them are still in business:
This period of absolute supremacy for the bers of the lute family were practically exiles. Bacon, Gibson, Martin, Paramount, Washburn,
lute family covered thousands of years; beside From a small lute known as the Mandura, by Vega—many more could be named. The in-
it the 250-year supremacy of the violin family way of Spain and Italy came the first modern struments themselves offer advantages and con-
seems short indeed. And it is not at all illog- form of the mandolin, with four double strings veniences, both musical and technical, so unique
ical to suppose that the elapse of still more tuned the same as the violin, and pear-shaped to themselves that it seems inevitable that the
time and the ingenuity of American artisans body with strips of bent wood for the back and several seasons of fervent interest they have
aided by the resourcefulness of American sides, and a flat top or soundboard. The banjo inspired, should continue and strengthen.
Fretted Instruments, Their Origin,
Development and Marketing
Every Day You Hear
More About
It is not "high pressure" advertising that
is doing it. It is "conversational adver-
tising." The most powerful kind because
it comes from the satisfied user whose
word is final. This is truly creating a
demand and is the greatest factor in
building more sales and repeat customers
for the dealer. If you do not handle the
LEEDY line—ask the dealer who does.
He will corroborate our statements. Why
not add LEEDY to your present lines.
It will bring you more business.
Have you seen these "attention getters":
The "Roll-Off"—"Drum Topics"—and
our Catalog "R"?
- Cojnc.
Palmer St. and Barth Ave.
Indianapolis, Indiana
USA
STRINGS
A PAGE FROM THE CATALOG
VIOLIN G STRINGS
No. 200—Silver Plated Copper wire wound on
fine quality gut. Light Green Silk ends.
No. 205—Sterling Silver wire wound on special
quality gut. Very strong and durable. Pol-
ished. Purple silk ends.
No. 210—Pure Silver wire wound on very fine
quality gut. Polished. Blue silk ends. A very
fine tone quality combined with strength and
durability.
No. 215—Pure Silver wire wound on very best
quality gut. Polished. Old Gold Silk end.
A string that is appreciated by the great mu-
sicians.
ALUMINUM WOUND VIOLIN D STRINGS
No. 250—Aluminum wire wound on special
quality gut. Polished. Green silk ends.
No. 255—French Aluminum wire wound on very
best quality gut. Polished. Red silk ends. A
very fine string.
V. C. SQUIER COMPANY
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
Order Squier-Trued Strings From Your Jobber
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
78
Musical Merchandise Section of The Music Trade Review
Leedy Mfg. Co. Offers
New Line of Tom-Toms
The Leedy Mfg. Co., makers of the well-
known Leedy drums and orchestral accessories,
have displayed considerable enterprise and now
offer what they call Leedy Full Dress Tom-
Toms, made in their own factory in Indian-
apolis. They are made in four sizes, 10 inches
by 4 inches; 13 inches by nine inches; fourteen
inches by twelve inches; sixteen inches by six-
The New Line of
teen inches. The finishes are of DuPont, Pyra-
lin in black onyx, rainbow pearl, red onyx and
marine pearl, and they may also be obtained
in plain shells finished in black, white or red
duco.
As G. H. Way explained to The Review: "We
believe our new American-made tom-toms are
superior to the ordinary Chinese models. They
are instruments of beauty and durability. The
shells are of laminated construction heavily
reinforced with wide inside hoops, with extra
heavy heads of close-grained steer hide, pro-
ducing a better tone and resisting damp weather
better than the Oriental pigskin. With these
we believe there will be no more rattling or
splitting of shells, and they are adorned with
heavy decorated tacks and strong brass rings
that will not pull out. As tom-tom rhythms
are now all the rage in orchestral effects, they
offer a great scope for shading and fit almost
every modern number."
Want Al Smith to Devise
Muffler for Saxophones
Here is the way the old grads of Dartmouth
College regard Alfred L. Smith's recent con-
nection with C. G. Conn, Ltd., Mr. Smith him-
self being an alumnus of that college. The
following appeared in the Dartmouth College
Club:
"Al Smith has deserted the New York fold
The GLOBE
Music Company
Manufacturers of
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS
Guitars, Mandolins
Lute Mandolins, Ukuleles
Banjo Ukuleles, Banjos
In many styles and
modern finishes
ST. CHARLES, ILL.
to go to the heart of the corn belt and become
vice-president of the C. G. Conn Co., the peo-
ple who make musical instruments. They have
a swell letterhead adorned with sliphorns,
drums, silver-lined cornets, piccolos and saxo-
phones. At the top is a picture of the factory,
which looks as if it stretched from Elkhart to
South St. Paul, and contained enough assorted
and assembled noises to make the subway sound
like the soothing notes of a kitten's purr. If
Al's out there to find the way of applying a
Maxim silencer to a saxophone, it's all right
with us."
Leedy Tom-Toms
J. Walter Strong Now
Holton Sales Manager
Sees Great Opportunity
for Band Instruments
A. H. Beardsley, president of the Buescher
Band Instrument Co., Elkhart, Ind., is enthusias-
tic over the opportunities that lie in store for
the band instrument dealer who is able to
visualize the possibility of establishing and co-
operating with industrial bands and other ama-
teur organizations as well as working with the
schools. In this connection Mr. Beardsley said
to The Review recently:
"Never before in the history of the band instru-
ment business has the wide-awake dealer pos-
sessed such an opportunity as confronts him
today.
"From Maine to California, every city, town,
hamlet and crossroad either has or wants to
have a band. It is the dealer's privilege, work-
ing in conjunction with the manufacturer, to
help them to attain their desire.
"And while schools are providing material for
a great many of these bands, they are not by
any means the only new bands that are being
organized. Industrial concerns are furnishing a
great deal of business to the dealer, while lodges
and fraternal organizations furnish their share.
"This increase in the dealer's prosperity is
naturally reflected in increased shipments by
the manufacturer, and these increased shipments
J. Walter Strong, for the past seven years
office, export and advertising manager of Frank
Holton & Co., Elkhorn, Wis., has recently been
made sales manager of that company.
In addition to his new duties he will continue
with most of his old
ones. Under his gu'd-
ance a splendid export
business has been de
veloped and Holton
representation will be
found in the four cor-
ners of the world.
Mr. Strong predicts
that 1930 will be the
biggest year in Holton
history due to the sales.
J. Walter Strong
and merch a n d i s i n g
plans recently formulated. He is confident that
the recent mergers in the industry will react
most favorably for the up-and-doing independ-
ent instrument manufacturers.
Duplex Mfg. Co. to Make
the Heyn Drum Pedal
The Duplex Manufacturing Co., St. Louis,
Mo., makers of the Duplex separate tension
drums, announce that they have taken over
the manufacture and sale of the Heyn drum
pedal. This was formerly manufactured by
the Heyn Drum Mfg. Co., of Omaha, Neb. The
pedal was designed by Chester Heyn, a pro-
fessional drummer, and is widely used by pro-
fessionals all over the country. A folder on
this pedal, giving full details of mechanical
construction, is now ready for the dealer and
will prove of interest. The Duplex Co. is also
preparing a new Duplex drum catalog which
will go to press early in November.
Launch Educational Work
The Des Moines Music Co., Des Moines, la.,
has organized an educational department under
the direction of Ralph R. Story of Denver, to
provide instruction in musical instruments to
one hundred boys and girls between the ages of
nine and seventeen. A concert will be held at
the end of three months and prizes awarded.
A. H. Beardsley
naturally lead to production of new and better
models.
"The Buescher Co. has recently perfected and
released for sale a new slide trombone of dis-
tinctly modernistic tendencies, with an action
almost unbelievably fast, and a tonal quality
never before experienced.
"In addition to this new instrument, we are
bringing out this month, particularly for the
benefit of the dealer, a new cornet and a new
trumpet. Each is constructed with an excep-
tionally short valve, embodying an entirely new
type of duo-cone, non-tilting spring, resulting
in a lighter, faster, and more positive action—
a neater and more compact model.
"Buescher dealers everywhere have acclaimed
this new trombone as being the greatest stride
forward in the history of this company. I pre-
dict that Buescher dealers everywhere will have
the same opinion of the new cornet and trumpet.
I feel that in bringing out these three new
models we have added materially to the band
movement."
The Geneva Music House, South Exchange
street, Rochester, N. Y., has been purchased by
Henry Bolin who has managed the store for
the past twenty years. Mr. Bolin will continue
to operate the place with the assistance of his
sister and brother.

Download Page 79: PDF File | Image

Download Page 80 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.