Music Trade Review

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WmBtaid White c
Technical Editor JIH
should come pianos of two kinds divided into
three classes.
Pianos henceforth will be
bought either for professional or for amateur,
but always for strictly utilitarian musical, pur-
poses. The broadcasting of music will call, in
fact is already calling, for a piano specially
HESE words are written at the end of to the old ways of conducting the practical adapted to transmit its sounds over the air
a year which is generally held to have side of musical art. The face of the picture after a fashion that shall ensure their emerg-
been in every way calamitous. That is being radically changed and the piano in- ing at the receiving ends of the system in
there has been a sudden slackening of the eco- dustry will have to adapt itself more or less something like naturalness and beauty. At
present the piano suffers in the course of
nomic machine, a considerable increase in un- elaborately in accordance.
broadcasting
because it is at one and the same
employment, and a general sinking of the
I dare say that the concert of the future will
mental levels of the people into depths of be a concert given in a broadcasting studio time the most completely indispensable and
depression everyone knows. Why it hap- in front of a microphone and thence trans- the most poorly reproduced of all the musical
pened no one seems to know. What is to be mitted to an unseen audience scattered over instruments. The engineers and physicists
done about it appears to be as much a mys- half or all the country. I do not mean to say who have taken up the task of perfecting the
tery. It will therefore be much better for men that Carnegie Hall will have to close its doors apparatus and organizing the system of broad-
of the piano industry to forget, so far as they next season or that the New York Philhar- casting are puzzled to know what to do with
can, stock market crashes and business slumps, monic will shortly be disbanded. I merely the piano. They realize that no synthetic key-
in making an earnest, even a prayerful, endea- mean to affirm, what is indubitably true, that board instrument, such as the oscillator-
vor to gain some insight into the future prob- within a comparatively short time, as such loud-speaker apparatus which has several
abilities of things generally, just so far as they things go, the large scale concert business will times recently been announced, can take the
concern themselves. At least out of such an be conducted by means of broadcasting. How place of the piano in a practical sense; and
occupation there may be drawn some conclu- long it will be before the ordinary concert or this because the piano has so. fitted itself into
the practical art of musical performance that
sions safe, sound and practical.
recital dies out I cannot say. Personally I
a successful substitute must be able to do all
believe that among the musical connoisseurs
The New Factor
that it can do without suffering from any of
Apart from the question then of general and those new appreciators of music who may its defects. The question, however, what is
business depression, which I for one am sick be caught young and converted early, for life, to be done about the extremely bad repro-
of futilely discussing, the year 1930 has had a the next few years may witness a marked re- ducing qualities is therefore very pressing.
great deal to say to the piano industry in gen- vival of personal interest in music making, in The physicists and engineers are very anxious
eral, and to piano technicians in particular. amateur music and in the cultivation of private to solve the problem So far, they have had
One of the features of the year has been the musical performance on innumerable small, no worth-while help from the makers of pi-
remarkable development of the sound picture rather than on a few large, scales. There are anos. I say this in the very definite light of
and of broadcasting. These two branches of signs which lead one to believe that this may what has been said to me by men who have
the great new and formidable art of sound come about; yet even so it will be a minority consulted me on these very points.
recording and sound reproduction are spread- movement.
New Line of Study Needed
ing themselves over the whole field of enter-
So now, it seems to me, considering what
Broadcasting and The Piano
tainment in a manner that threatens to put
Now it seems to me that those who are in- the future of the practical side of musical
them into an entirely dominating position
terested
in the development of the piano and performance is almost certain to be, the piano
within a few years. It is very likely, in other
technicians have before them a very definite
words, that the whole practical side of musical in its retaining its present still undisputed po- task. They have the task before them of taking
sition
as
chief
and
indispensable
practical
art will in due course find itself bound to the
up anew the tonal study of the piano, in the
wheels of this powerful and somewhat ruth- medium or musical expression will have to light of the new electro-acoustics which has
take
into
account
both
of
the
tendencies
to
less new chariot; with what effects no one can
so completely come to dominate all sound-
as yet foresee. If one looks at the state of which I have directed attention. If the masses study on account of its being the foundation
are
in
the
future
to
obtain
their
musical
affairs as it is now in process of development,
of the sound reproducing arts. If the techni-
one must admit that the old order has passed pabulum through broadcasting, then obviously cians will now enter into collaboration with
they
will
not
be
interested
in
buying
pianos.
away never to return, and that a new order
the reproducing experts, they will be able to
has suddenly and quite irresistibly taken its This much in fact we already know. The produce, sooner or later, a piano which shall
masses
arc
no
longer
buying
pianos
as
they
place. We have only to look at phenomena
satisfy the demands of the broadcasting appa-
like the newly announced merger of concert did up to ten years ago. It is a safe bet that ratus, so that the piano of the future shall
they
never
will
again.
agencies under the wing of the Columbia
reproduce satisfactorily; something which as
Obviously then, those who wish to stay in
broadcasting system to see what is happening
the business of making and selling pianos will
have to adapt themselves to the new frame-
work of things. The cheap furniture piano
ought to be entirely abandoned. In its place
Electro-Acoustics Developments and
Their New Demands on Piano Tone
T
Badger Brand Plates
are far more than
merely good plates.
They are built cor-
rectly of the best
material and finish,
and are specified by builders of quality
pianos.
American Piano Plate Co.
Manufacturers BADGER BRAND Grand and
Vfright Piano Plmtms
Racine, Wisconsin
Welte Mignon Experts
PFRIEMER HAMMERS
Always Found in Pianos
of the Highest Quality
We install the original Welte-
Mignon Reproducing Actions
in all makes of pianos. Also
general renovating and re-
pairing of all types of player
actions.
Originators of the Re-enforced Tone
Producing Hammer
WELTE-MIGNON PIANO CORP.
Wales Ave. & 142nd St., New York
T.ytton Building, Chicago
704 St. Ann's Ave.
24
-
New York
CHAS. PFRIEMER, INC.