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Musical Merchandise Section of The Music Trade Review
Plans Announced for National
High School Orchestra Contest
has been made by C. M.
A NNOUNCEMENT
Tremaine, director of the National Bureau
tor the Advancement of Music, that arrange-
ments are now complete for holding the Na-
tional High School Orchestra Contest of 1930
in Lincoln, iNeb., May 29-31. The participants
will be the first and second winners in the vari-
ous classes of the State contests, and therefore
the picked school orchestras of the country.
State school orchestra contests in which the
Bureau co-operated were held in thirty States
last year, as follows: Arizona, eastern Colorado,
Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah,
Vermont, and the iNew England sectional. There
were some 500 orchestras entered in these dif-
Frederick Troppe Is a
One-Man Jazz Band
Psychologists may argue about the number
of things a man can do at one time, but Fred-
erick Troppe, of 1151 North Broadway, Joliet,
111., continues to serve as a one-man jazz band.
Mr. Troppe, who is an accordion player, has
ferent events, fourteen of the winners going on
to the national contest in Iowa City, Iowa.
Seven or eight new States will be added to the
list this year, including Alabama, western Col-
orado, Pennsylvania, northern Michigan, Rhode
Island, Texas and western Washington. These,
with the normal increase to be expected in each
State, will probably bring up the total entries
to between 600 and 700, with a membership of
some 30,000 children or more. In most cases
the State meets are held under the auspices of
colleges, universities and teachers' associations.
Rules for the national are made by the com-
mittee on instrumental affairs of the Music
Supervisors National Conference, Mr. Tremaine
acting as secretary of the committee. The prizes
are furnished by the National Bureau, through
funds contributed by the Musical Merchandise
Association and are of a character to spur on
competition.
and to help develop the field. A large repair
department is being organized on the sixth floor
with four or five expert musical instrument re-
pairers to be employed.
Also, the traveling force has been increased
by the addition of "Billy" Reed, well-known
member of the small goods trade, and late man-
ager of the T. Swan Co., Dallas, Tex., who will
take the field for the Fred Gretsch Co. for a
number of the trans-Mississippi states together
with "Ernie" Dahlen, who covers Ohio, he will
assist Fred J. Base, the senior field man, who
will continue his work in charge of the Chicago
territory, which in addition to the city itself,
includes Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and some
other nearby points.
National High School
Orchestra in Concert
Frederick Troppe in Action
developed a unique arrangement by which he
plays a set of Ludwig drums, getting effects on
i pair of cymbals, a triangle, and an automobile
horn.
Mr. Troppe recently purchased a new Ludwig
drum outfit finished in the popular Ludwig Rose
Pearl, so as to make the appearance of the out-
fit as flashy as the playing.
Gretsch Western Branch
Now Well Under Way
Among the prominent visitors to the Fred
Gretsch Mfg. Co.'s mid-western branch, 226
South Wabash avenue, Chicago, was President
Fred Gretsch himself, who came on from the
main plant at Brooklyn the middle of the month
to look over the new enterprise, an-d while here
complimented Vice-President Philip D. Nash
and his assistants on the location and arrange-
ment of the sample rooms and stock.
The Gretsch force of this branch has been in-
creased within the past thirty days by the acces-
sion of William Gretsch, son of President Fred
Gretsch, who has come out to Chicago to get
acquainted personally with the business here,
Music lovers in New York, Philadelphia and
Washington were privileged recently to attend
concerts given by the National High School Or-
chestra under the direction of Joseph E. Maddy.
The orchestra, made up of outstanding members
of high school orchestras throughout the coun-
try, came East .to play at the educational con-
vention at Atlantic City and made a short tour
before again scattering to their homes.
In New York the orchestra, comprising nearly
200 players, gave a concert at Carnegie Hall be-
fore a representative audience, and with Ernest
Hutchison as piano soloist. The orchestra's first
selection was Tschaikowsky's "Pathetique"
Symphony, then came the Liszt Concerto in E
flat for piano and orchestra, admirably rendered,
and finally Ernest Bloch's epic rhapsody
"America." The performance of the orchestra
won sincere commendation from critics and
music lovers alike.
Armour & Co. Doubling
Capacity of String Plant
Armour & Co. have just sent out a circular
letter to the trade making an important an-
nouncement of interest to this industry. They
are doubling their capacity for the manufacture
of gut strings, and in connection with that they
emphasize the fact that Armour & Co. is the
only packer in the world in the string business,
itself, therefore, being in an excellent position
to secure fresh material at all times.
The present superintendent of the Armour
string plant, who has been personally in charge
of the operations in their raw material and dry
rooms for the past eighteen years and whose
technical skill is credited with being largely
responsible for the high repute in which the
Armour strings are held, will continue his work-
along the same lines, assisted by the research
departments, whose aim is to constantly in-
crease the quality of the Armour strings.
National Ukulele Campaign
Is Launched in Chicago
The preparations for the National Ukulele
campaign announced by some of the manufac-
turers in the West, previously alluded to in
these columns, have now been completed and
the campaign started April 1 and continuing
through June is expected to greatly stimulate
the sale of ukuleles. Three well-known manu-
facturers, each of whom is a large maker of
ukuleles, have agreed to furnish a ukulele which
each of them will designate as a vacation special
and can be sold to the public at $2.98 each. This
is the same ukulele that has been reaching the
consumer at $3.50 each.
The Harmony Co., of Chicago, the Regal
Manufacturing Co., of Chicago, and the Globe
Music Co., of St. Charles, 111., will each pack
twelve ukuleles in a carton and distribute these
through their respective jobbers to the dealers,
the idea being to have the instruments reach the
dealer in as perfect condition as when they left
the factory.
Three styles or finishes, all at the same price,
will be packed in each carton. With this will
come an ample supply of colorful window dis-
plays and counter displays for the use of the
dealer in interesting his local public. This is
not a combination or a merger of the three com-
panies mentioned, but their executives have
agreed to join in this concerted effort to advance
the sale of an instrument highly popular with
the American youth of both sexes, and ob-
viously it will be a friendly race to see which
can sell the most instruments of these vacation
specials.
Jay Kraus, of the Harmony Co.; A. E. Hun-
ter, of the Regal Co., and F. R. Johnson, of the
Globe Music Co., St. Charles, each feel confi-
dent that the quality of these $2.98 retail ukes
will stir the enthusiasm of the dealer to make a
local record of sales in ukes.
This Gibson Mandolin
Did Some Fast Traveling
One of the members of the Warren, Pa.,
stringed orchestra which plays regularly over
radio station WLBW at Oil City, Pa., recently
decided on a Saturday that he wanted a new
Gibson mandolin. The instrument was imme-
diately ordered from Kalamazoo by wire by
Mahood's Music Shop and the telegram was de-
livered to the Gibson company on Monday
morning". The instrument was shipped at once,
reached Warren Tuesday afternoon, and was
played in concert at six o'clock the same eve-
ning from the radio studio in Warren. Naturally
the artist and the music dealer were both highly
enthusiastic regarding the speedy Gibson
service.
Targ & Dinner Music Co.
Enlarges Its Line
Max Targ, of the Targ & Dinner Music Co.,
Chicago, has announced the intention of his
company to add several traveling representa-
tives when qualified men are found. The com-
pany has also added to its line a number of
articles that will find a logical place in the
music dealer's store. The line includes novel-
ties and gift features, such as shadow lamps,
musical vanity cases, boudoir and art lights,
statuettes and music room decorations.