PRESTO
October 9, 1920.
Jas. F. Bowers, present head of the old music house, knew them all,
and he knows, too, why the unfolding pedal in those times would
have created a sensation while today it will scarcely cause a ripple,
good as it is.
FIFTY YEARS FAITHFUL
Fifty years ago very few if any men could cejebrate their semi-
centennial as faithful workers for the same music house—or any
other U. S. A. business house. Certainly no man at that time in
Chicago could do it, and it would be difficult today to find as many
as two or three who have remained loyal to one place and one trust
through fifty years. That is why the story in last week's Presto,
of the celebration of Mr. Jas. F. Bowers' devotion to the house of
Lyon & Healy, and its reward, has so much more than ordinary trade
interest.
Fifty years ago the music trade was not of great importance in
the commercial world. It was just beginning to grow into some-
thing. In the East Oliver Ditson had built up a good business in
Boston. In New York Firth, Pond & Hall had grown fairly large.
In the West Cincinnati had a good music store, conducted by a man
named Baldwin—not the founder of the present great piano industry
—and Milwaukee had H. N. Hempstead, running a branch of the New
York house just as, later, Lyon & Healy started as an offshoot
of the Boston house. Chicago already had two fairly successful
music stores—those of H. M. Higgins and Root & Cady.
But the house of Lyon & Healy, opened in 1864, is the only one
that survives today, and Mr. Bowers, now president of that fine in-
stitution has been with it from the sixth year of its existence. How
the memories must have filled him on the day of his semi-centennial
anniversary! He must have had with him again that little giant,
P. J. Healy, and the noted musical enthusiast, George W. Lyon. He
must have recalled the days when his late successor as president of
the house, "Bob" Gregory, looked after the "small goods" with the
dignity of a preacher, and "Charlie" Post attended to the affairs of the
office. He knew the late Silas G. Pratt, composer and pianist, whose
successor he was in presiding over the sheet music counter. He had
seen the other veterans of today—as "Ben" Jefferson, the adv.-man;
Jay Freeman, the violin expert, and a host of others—come into the
house and grow to places of importance. He knew the "Healy boys"
when they were babes and he can recall an army of Chicago's early
musicians who have long since given up piano playing to handle
celestial harps.
And when Mr. Bowers applied for a place in Lyon & Healy's,
the great "Chicago fire" had not yet swept away every vestige of the
city's musical greatness. The famous Smith & Nixon Hall, at Clark
and Washington streets, still stood, with its big Steinway sign across
SEVERAL EXPERTS
TALK ADVERTISING
Tell Piano Men of Campaigns and Propa-
ganda Methods of Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce.
Alfred L. Smith, manager of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, the main office of which is
in New York, is improving both as a public speaker
and a demonstrator of ideas, plans and proceedings
along the line of promoting a more general interest
in music and things that produce music. He gives
his message in a simple and instructive way; it is a
pleasure and a profit to listen to him.
His subject before the Chicago Piano & Organ
Association on Thursday of last week was "Co-
operative Advertising," which he said was the one
theme that had been running through the different
lines of publicity. Most of the important trades
had this end in view. Cement-selling propaganda
was spread through articles on the necessity of good
roads. Fruit growers and dealers had changed the
eating habits of the nation by advertising the good
habit of eating fruit for breakfast.
And now we were trying to make America more
musical. The speaker believed, he said, that con-
ditions were not ripe now for co-operative adver-
tising on a national scale. But it is possible for a
campaign to be conducted through local advertising.
In the work of promoting the love of music, each
campaign of the Bureau for the Advancement of
Music is a part of a certain theme. First, Mr. Smith
said, came "Music in Wartime." Then followed
"Music in Times of Peace," "Music in Childhood"
and other campaigns, Later the theme was carried
the roof and the things of the trade, as we have them today, were
still unborn. There was no dream of the player-piano, the harp had
not entered Mr. Healy's dream of art, it had not been thought pos-
sible to create a new piano to bear the firm name and daily programs
of free concerts to entertain customers were remote from the scheme
of progress.
It is easy to imagine some of the sensations which must have
moved Mr. Bowers, as head of the house of Lyon & Healy, that day
last week when he was called upon to accept the congratulations of
his friends upon the celebration of fifty years with the house, every
year of which has lifted him still higher in the esteem of the trade
and public. It was a notable memorial to an unusual attainment and
a very rare condition.
President Wilson has set aside today, October 9, as Fire Preven-
tion Day. In his proclamation to the nation, he asks the governors
of the various states to designate and set apart October 9, as Fire
Prevention Day. This being the anniversary of the great Chicago fire
of 1871, the citizens of Chicago have annually taken notice of it by
holding meetings and by visits to the relics that are on exhibition at
the Chicago Historical Society's building and elsewhere. President
Wilson calls attention in the proclamation to timber saving by tak-
ing steps to prevent forest fires and fire prevention generally. Piano
men, manufacturers, merchants and salesmen, are interested in fire
prevention, whether in the great forests or the cities large and small.
Without wood we could make very little. And lumber is getting
scarce—and consequently costly.
* * #
Mr. Alfred Dolge, a gentleman so widely know in the piano
industry that his name is historic, sailed last Saturday from New
York for Rotterdam, on a trip "around the world." It may strike
some in the trade as remarkable that Mr. Dolge is again absolutely
independent financially. Considering that not so many years ago his
entire fortune, of an ordinary life time of hard work, and large work,
was swept from him, the achievements of the founder of two Dolge-
villes set a fine example for younger men in whatsoever line of
endeavor.
*»s
•¥•
¥
Because some minor essentials to life are "coming down" is no
reason why pianos will soon take a tumble. Dealers who wait for
lower prices before placing their orders will have a dull Christmas
and a slow start for the New Year.
# * *
Copper has fallen somewhat in price. But copper isn't much of
an item in the piano, and the decline won't cut any corners in the
still upward tendency in the cost of the completed instrument.
on by reproducing quotations of what great Ameri-
cans had thought of music, showing how essential
it is to life or good living.
Mr. Smith exhibited an advertisement showing
what our leading presidents had said about music.
One plan was to sell it to the local papers at the
regular price and then the local paper men could
solicit advertising from the music trade of the
town in which they published. The associations
are offering to the merchants of each locality propa-
ganda showing the importance of inculcating the
desire among the people for music. It might be
well also to have a local organization go over the
work. Mr. Smith thought it best not to advertise
any specific line of houses in the general advertising
of music.
Edwin F. Droop, of Washington, D. C, spoke
briefly. He said he always felt rejuvenated by meet-
ing such a lot of intelligent men as constituted the
gatherings of the piano trade in Chicago. He was
going back to Washington with a lot of new ideas,
and he had got those ideas in Chicago.
Frank E. Morton said he had found that the
University of Illinois had no place in its curriculum
for the promotion of music. He said we should
work through organizations and associations. We
had got to make and sell 500,000 pianos a year in
this country; we must reach that figure. We had
passed the buck long enough. It was high time
for the Chicago Piano & Organ Association—each
member in it—to do his part.
Adam Schneider, president of the association,
talked of the retailers' license and of the reporting
bureau which reports removals in Chicago. About
60,000 removals had been reported so far. Prose-
cutions were about to be begun against expressmen
who had fai 1 ed to report names and addresses of
persons they had moved.
The association passed a resolution congratulating
FINE SALES IN PLAYERS
MARK WEEK IN PORTLAND
Other Items of Trade News Suggest' Activity in
Music Goods Generally.
The G. F. Johnson Piano Co., Portland, Ore.,
made some fine sales last week, among them being
two Chickering Ampicos and two Marshall & Wen-
dell Ampicos. These sales were made by Charles
Huggins.
Horace Marlow, of the San Francisco branch of
the Wiley B. Allen Co., has been transferred to the
Portland branch. He motored from San Francisco
to Portland.
Back orders for Conn saxophones are now coming
in at the store of the McDougal Music Co., Port-
land, Ore. There is a big demand for these saxo-
phones and R. S. McDougal expects an enormous
business in that line this fall.
SPIRIT OF MUSIC.
In featuring the Knabe piano this, week the Bruce
Co., Springfield, 111., said: "The spirit of music
dwells within the Knabe. It is not merely a good
instrument of sound workmanship—it is more. A
living and breathing art has endowed the Knabe
with soul and distinctive individuality. It is the
harmonic achievement of supreme craftsmanship."
James F. Bowers on the completion of fifty years
with Lyon & Healy.
A report was made that James F. Broderick is
now out of the sanitarium and can be visited at his
home at 4709 Beacon street, Chicago, where he
will welcome old friends, for he feels lonesome at
times.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/