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SHEET MUSIC and BOOKS
DECLARES DEALERS NEED
GREATER CO-OPERATION
VIOLINS OF GUMMED PAPER
REPORTED FROM VIENNA
WALTER W. CLARK JOINS
WARNER BROS. EXECUTIVES
Editor, Music TRADE REVIEW:
If a report vouched for by Commercial
Attache M. H. Land, of the U. S. Consulate
at Oslo, turns out to be based on facts, the
waste paper that was formerly discarded or
sold for a few cents will be used in the
making of violins.
In short, it is reported that in Vienna
they are already making good violins out of
gummed paper. The new paper violin was
made by Vienna craftsmen in a factory for
orthopedic appliances, according to informa-
tion reaching the United States Department
of Commerce. Its tonal softness is said to
compare with that of the best Italian violins.
The acoustic properties of the paper were
discovered accidentally during the manufac-
turing of orthopedic appliances, and the
violin was constructed as an experiment.
While it is quite possible to construct from
paper an instrument rigid enough to permit
the use on a violin sounding board, the
purity and richness of its musical notes can-
not be evaluated before a test, according to
Dr. Paul Heyl, of the United States Bureau
of Standards.
Popular opinion concerning the nature and
qualities of the wood contained in old vio-
lins has been recently controverted by sci-
entific tests, according to Dr. Heyl. Records
of tests to which some of our better-known
musicians voluntarily subjected themselves
tended to show that the trained musician
cannot differentiate between the musical
notes obtained from Stradivarius, Cremona
and other highly prized makes of violins
when each instrument is tuned and properly
played.
Walter W. Clark, formerly an executive
of the Victor Talking Machine Co., and its
successor, the RCA Victor Co., recently en-
tered the music publishing field in an im-
portant capacity as supervising manager of
all the Warner Brothers Publishing interests.
In his new work, Mr. Clark will serve as
exclusive contact between the music publish-
Dear Sir—In looking over your Novem-
ber issue, we were interested in an article
written by Fred T. Cunningham, of Green-
wood, Miss. This writer fully agrees with
Mr. Cunningham in that the local dealer
in sheet music and, for that matter, general
musical merchandise, is given scant assist-
ance in his efforts to hang on these hectic
days, and want to say right now that when
the local dealer finally does go, which it
seems most of them will if conditions do
not improve soon, that then the big shots
will find out when it is too late just how
important a part they have been playing.
Just recently we have received letters from
big music jobbers expressing their disap-
proval of these publishers who are printing
the retail price on their popular numbers
at 25 cents and charging us about 20 cents.
Now no music dealer on earth can exist at
such a margin and as for us, we simply
refuse to handle such numbers at all. At
the present time there is no music store
within 100 miles of this place, so you may
see what things are coming to. The writer
has been located here for thirty-two years
and only by dint of careful business meth-
ods are we able to survive ourselves. As
to sale of pianos in this agricultural com-
munity, where 50-cent corn is selling for 10
cents and best hogs at $2.40 per cwt., there
is nothing to it, for the people have no
money, so about all we have to try to keep
up expenses on is sheet music and small
goods and when publishers deliberately price
their products where there isn't 20 per cent,
in it, and our overhead is that much, what
chance is there for a legitimate music busi-
ness. Yes, many publishers do seem to cater
after music teachers' business on what seems
to us a very poor business basis, not only
giving them nearly as much discount as the
dealer, but taking chances on their money.
No, it seems to this writer chat if ever
there was a time when the local dealer should
receive all the assistance possible, it is now,
for verily they are the foundation of the
business in general, and when the foundation
crumbles, the rest will fall.
R. L. JONES, Prop., Jones Music House.
E. B. MARKS MUSIC CORP.
GETS JUNGNICKEL CATALOG
WALTER W. CLARK
ing houses of Harms, Inc., M. Witmark &
Sons, Remick Music Corp., and a half inter-
est in the Famous Music Corp., and H. M.
Warner, head of the Warner Bros.
Mr. Clark is particularly well qualified
for his new office inasmuch as, in the phono-
graph field, he had much to do with the
recording end, including the selection of the
proper music and competent artists. His
experience includes a number of years spent
in England with the Gramophone Co. inter-
ests before coming with the Victor company
New Song for Witmark
Mills Music, Inc., Moves
some twelve years ago. He has no radical
M. Witmark & Sons have accepted for
The offices of Mills Music, Inc., are now ideas as to the reorganization of the music
publication a new song by Bernice Petkere, en- • located at 1619 Broadway, where they oc- publishing business, but has some sound plans
titled "Half a Mile Away From Home." cupy half of the large third floor of the Brill in view designed to improve conditions gen-
which has already made a strong appeal Building in the heart of what has become erally so far as Warner Brothers interests
to radio entertainers and is being or will the new music publishing center of New are concerned.
be featured on numerous programs. During York.
Buddy Morris continues as vice-president
the past year Miss Petkere has produced
and general manager of the Music Publish-
four song successes, including "Star Light"
ers Holding Corp., and will confine his in-
Robert Teller Sons & Dorner
and "River Home."
terests to the Witmark and Remick operations
while Henry Spitzer continues as general
Music Engravers and Printers
manager of Harms, Inc.
The Byerly Brothers Music Co., Peoria,
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
111., has purchased the sheet music business
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
of Killan Music Co., Quincy, 111., and will
Nat Landau has opened a new music shop
311
West
43rd St.
New York City
add the department to the company's store.
at 43 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre.
18
The Edward B. Marks Music Corp., New
York, recently secured the exclusive sales
rights for the noted catalog of Ross Jung-
nickel, Inc., consisting chiefly of interesting
scores, trios and trio albums, octave works,
string orchestra pieces, scale studies, etc.
Mr. Jungnickel, who founded the company
some 30 years ago, died last Summer and
the deal with the Marks Co. was made by
the executives of the estate.
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
December, 1932