Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
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Heave Thought It/
Some things you can do with one or two people - and —
Songd - or alternate singing and solo instrument - and piano
Banjo - or ukulele accompaniments - and piano
Saxophone - clarinet or trumpet - and piano
(One person)
Orchestra - pleasing, effective, novel entertainment with drum*
and traps added.
Two people only - playing all - with singing interspersed
Inspiration fot the student - self expression for elders - endless enjoyment for all.
Over 3000 selections - populara, dances, melodies and classics.
1913 Uain Street
J".
Dallas, Texas
"Texas' Only Dealer In Pianos Exclusively"
A N EXAMPLE OF PHELPS 1 CURRENT PLAYER-PIANO
Dealers, Not
Player-Pianos,
Are Dead,
Says
J. C Phelps
Too many of them have gone
into selling ice boxes, gas
ranges, etc., declares veteran
Texas piano man in reiterating
his faith in the importance
and future of the piano.
T
HE player-piano isn't dead—but a lot of piano deal-
ers are, because a lot of them have gone into the sell-
ing of ice boxes, gas ranges, etc." This is the com-
ment of J. C. Phelps, head of the J. C. Phelps Piano
Place, Dallas, Tex., a veteran of the piano trade who has
faith in the player-piano and recently sold five of those in-
struments in five days.
The comment was brought forth by an editorial in T H E
REVIEW last month and called attention to the fact that in
various sections of the country there was apparently a sub-
PROPAGANDA
stantial demand for player-pianos, a sufficient demand in fact
to indicate that instruments of that type can be sold in prac-
tically all other localities if the dealer has sufficient faith to
push them properly.
Mr. Phelps, by the way, is not committed to the player-
piano alone but has complete faith in the future of the
straight piano as a necessary instrument in musical training.
Over fifteen years ago he declared that the piano was the
king of musical instruments and still holds to that opinion.
In the cycles of public favor that have affected piano sales
Mr. Phelps insists that history is simply repeating itself.
First it was the piano, then the bicycle, the phonograph, the
automobile, the radio, the electric refrigerator and finally
again the piano; basic first, last and all the time.
In emphasizing the importance of the piano in the musical
scheme of things Mr. Phelps said to T H E REVIEW:
"In spending nearly half a million to encourage interest in
the piano—the fundamental source of all music—including
the maturer fruits—of composition—the National Broad-
casting Co. would probably prefer the bigger compliment of
good business than altruism.
"When music or anything else fails at the fountain head,
the stream dries up, and 'reproduced' music in any form
would not long survive, without the creative element and the
recruiting of individual talent and performance.
"Louis Persinger, developer of Yehudi Menuhin and
Ruggiero Ricci, the two nationally known violin child
prodigies, speaks as follows relating to the piano as the
fundamental in the Woman's Home Companion, October,
1930:
" 'True ear is important to all music and all musical in-
struments—but indispensable for the violin—the reason for
this is obvious.
" 'At the piano the fingers reach for notes—definitely
placed and definitely true on the keyboard of a really good
piano. On the violin the fingers must find the true note on
the string with no guide but the ear. So important is the ear
for this instrument that I advise parents to give children
several months at least on the piano—before they go to the
string instrument.
What I suggest for violin students
holds equally good for other instruments, true instrumenta-
tion, true ear, and true ear sense.'
"Miss Sally Day, through a spell of illness and experiment
with two little nieces—five and six years of age—discovered
that all children taken young enough can develop seventy-
five per cent of what is known in music as 'absolute pitch'
or perfect ear.
"In all my experience I have known only three adults
{Please turn to page 27)
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
October, 1931