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THE M U S I C
TRADE
REVIEW, April, 1932
17
FOSTER & WALDO, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.,
BOUGHT BY BOUTELL, FURNITURE HOUSE
R
OBERT O. FOSTER, dean of the music
trade in Minneapolis, Minn., and for
years one of the most prominent music
merchants in the country, has sold the music
business of Foster & Waldo, which he con-
trolled, to Boutcll Bros., a leading local fur-
niture house. The deal is said to involve
almost a million dollars and the new owners
took over the business on April 4.
Mr. Foster, after a short rest, plans to
re-enter the business field in an active way.
"I am only 74 years old—far too young to
sit by the side of the road and watch the
world pass by," he declared. "My plans for
the future are not definite, but I do know
that I am going to get back into some line
of business, probably not merchandising but
something that will keep me in touch with
things."
Meanwhile, during the next month, the
Foster & Waldo stocks of pianos, radios and
other musical instruments will be sold by
Boutell Bros, at the present Foster & Waldo
location, A. Davidson, president of Boutell's,
said. "Then, if we can secure a renewal of
the lease at 818-820 Nicollet, we will con-
tinue the business there," Mr. Davidson said.
"In any event, we will continue to give Fos-
ter & Waldo customers the same high grade
of service to which they have been accus-
tomed."
Practically all members of the Foster &
Waldo staff will be retained by Boutell Bros,
to carry on the business in music and musical
instruments, it was explained by Mr. David-
son. Paul N. Aagaard, general manager of
Foster & Waldo, will continue in that capac-
ity in handling the music business for Bou-
tell's.
It was fifty-five years ago that Mr. Foster
began to sell pianos in Minneapolis, which
makes him the oldest merchant in the city
in years of service, although not in age. He
was just nineteen then. Today he is seventy-
four, but as alert mentally and almost as vig-
orous physically as on the day when he un-
dertook to dispose of his first piano in a
deal that netted him a profit of about $10,
a real profit.
Launching his musical business in the then
frontier community of Minneapolis, Mr. Fos-
ter associated with him his brothers, William
and Elmer Foster, and a Mr. Whitcomb, in
the firm of Foster Bros. & Whitcomb. Later,
the firm became Foster, Haynes & Waldo,
but after a few years Mr. Haynes died. C. L.
Waldo continued as a partner until 1919,
when he sold his interest to Mr. Foster and
moved to California. Since then, Mr. Fos-
ter has continued the business as Foster &
Waldo, although he himself has held the
sole ownership. During recent years Mr.
Foster's sons, R. O. Foster, Jr., and Kenneth
Foster, have been associated with him in the
business.
MUSIC CLUBS DEMAND
CREDITS IN N. Y. SCHOOLS
About 200 delegates attending the opening
of the eighth State convention of the New
York Federation of Music Clubs at the Hotel
Victoria voted to form a committee consist-
ing of two members from each of the 222
clubs in the organization to work out a leg-
islative program to obtain further school
credits for work in music.
Mrs. Etta Hamilton Morris, of Brooklyn,
the president, said that the organization
sought to have musical studies, either in
school or under a private teacher, made an
elective subject in the grammar and junior
high schools. Talented children, she de-
clared, often found that in their formative
years their musical studies are crowded out
by subjects "which they are never going to
use after they close their books on them."
Dr. Russell Carter, supervisor of music of
the State Education Department at Albany,
asserted on the contrary that "you can't have
a credit system in the grade or junior high
school for music when you don't have it for
other subjects." He said that these schools
taught singing, "the use of the one instru-
ment that God has given all of us," and that
children who want to specialize beyond that
should work by themselves just as children
have to work by themselves if they want to
specialize in mathematics beyond the point
taught in these grades." A suggestion to
make music a required subject he dismissed
by asserting, "I think it would be terrible
to bring up everybody as a musician; we
want human beings."
Dr. Carter addressed a luncheon of the
conference at which Miss Jennie Buchwald,
president of the Piano Teachers Congress,
presided. The other speakers included Joseph
P. Donnelly, assistant director of music in
the New York City schools; H. E. Friedman,
of the Piano Teachers Congress; Ernest Ash,
president of the Associated Music Teachers'
League, and James Woodside, assistant
teacher of groups for voice in the city public
schools.
SHERMAN, CLAY & CO.
ISSUE ANNUAL STATEMENT
The annual financial report of Sherman,
Clay & Co., San Francisco, revealed a net
loss of $1,537,280 for 1931 as against a net
loss of $408,320 for 1930. At the same time
it was reported that the company's total assets
as of December 31 were in excess of $3,000,-
000 and that the current liabilities were
$248,620. All of the officers of the company
were re-elected.
BALDWIN BRINGS OUT UPRIGHT WITH FOLDING KEYBOARD
T
HE Baldwin Piano Co. has met the prob-
lem of limited space in modern homes
and apartments by placing on the market
a new upright piano of small size with a
folding keyboard that further conserves
space. The pedals are also conveniently re-
cessed so that there are no projections when
the instrument is closed. The space-saving
possibilities can be realized when it is stated
that the depth of the piano is only 16J^
inches when closed, and only 24 inches when
the keyboard is in playing position. The
piano itself is 3 feet 93^ inches high and
4 feet 9^i inches wide. The music desk
comes forward automatically when the front
section of the top is raised to increase the
THE
NEW
BALD-
WIN-MADE
I N G
FOLD-'
KEYBOARD
PIANO
(LEFT)
W I T H
CASE
CLOSED,
OPEN
ING
(RIGHT)
FOR
PLAY-
tone volume. It is shown herewith folded
and open.
The new folding keyboard has a case of
mahogany with inlaid crotch mahogany
panels and the general design is sufficiently
attractive to make the instrument harmonize
nicely with practically any home furnishings.
It has a full eighty-eight-note scale.