October 16, 1920.
PRESTO
AMPICO IN THE MODERN HOME
The Byron M a u z y
branch
in
Oakland,
Calif., through the mana-
ger, Helen
Plummer
Howard, placed a Chick-
ering Ampico in the
"Modern Home Elec-
trical" during its recent
exhibition in Oakland.
Mrs.
Howard secured
the services of a cul-
tured
woman
with
musical experience to
demonstrate and explain
the wonders of the
Chickering
Ampico.
The picture shows Mrs.
Evangeline Sale Ayers,
soprano, singing Gou-
nod's "Ave Maria" with
the Ampico accompani-
ment during the opening
exercises of the Home.
The M o d e r n Home
Electrical was visited by
from one to two thou-
sand people each day
during the ten days it
was open. The advertis-
ing given the Chickering
A m p ic o in the ideal
home setting, with the
resultant sales, was indeed a tribute to Mrs. Howard,
who so successfully combined a continual artistic
program with a progressive sales campaign.
The report of further activities for the Chickering
Ampico is to hand. The Adelphian Club, of Alame-
da, Cal., one of the most exclusive women's clubs
on the Pacific Coast, was the scene on Thursday, Oct.
7, of a very unusual and interesting Chickering Am-
pico concert. Mrs. Howard arranged with Paul Ash,
leader of the orchestra of Ye Liberty Playhouse, the
largest theater in Oakland, for the afternoon, using
the Chickering Ampico for both solo and accom-
paniment work in a choice program. Mr. Ash, a
leader and composer of note, is a Chickering Ampico
enthusiast.
The Adelphian stage, which was very beautifully
decorated, made a most effective setting for the ren-
dition of Arthur Weise's 'cello solo, accompanied by
the Chickering Ampico. Admittance was by invita-
tion, five hundred having been sent out by the presi-
dent of the Adelphian Club, which resulted in an
attendance whose musical appreciation was a well
established fact. Mrs. Howard designed the most
attractive programs in buff and dull orange, bringing
out the words "Chickering Ampico" to great advan-
tage. The affair, which was one of the social events
of the season, will undoubtedly result in the placing
of several Chickering Ampicos.
BRIEF ITEMS ABOUT THE
PLAYER MUSIC ROLLS
Interesting Bits of News Concern the Activities
in an Important Branch of Trade.
The offices of the Mel-O-Dee Music Co., Inc., New
York, were moved last week from the tenth to the
fifth floor of 29 West Forty-second street.
With every roll of "That Cat Step" the Republic
Player Roll Corporation, New York, will distribute
clear printed instructions as to the proper execution
of the dance. It is an innovation in dance rolls that
shows the characteristic progressiveness of the Re-
public Player Roll Corporation.
Cliff Hess, in charge of the recording department
of the Mel-O-Dee Music Roll Co., New York, is a
composer well known to patrons of song music and
rolls. Mr. Hess has introduced a musical interlude
with words in Ted Lewis' latest song, "Fair One,"
which has been released in the October bulletin of
the Mel-o-dee rolls.
Several Ampico rolls played by Jean La Farge,
prominent pianist, who is now associated with the
Knabe Warerooms, Inc., Baltimore, Md., will be put
out during the next few months and it is expected
that they will prove excellent sellers. Mr. La Farge
is a native of France and was graduated from the
Boston Conservatory of Music before going to Paris
to study under Phillippe. During the war he served
with the Expeditionary Forces.
Miss May Anderson has been placed in charge of
the music roll department of John Wanamaker, New
York.
PIANO PRICES CAN
NOT FALL SOON
The Baldwin Piano Company Sends Out a
Trade Letter to Its Customers Telling
Them Just Why Prices Must
Be Maintained.
Mrs. Howard is a woman of rare genius. Her
marked ability for clever advertising, combined with
a keen knowledge of human nature, enables her to
not only handle skillfully the many problems of a
growing business, but to promote that feeling of in-
dividual responsibility among her employes, which
spells co-operation and business success. The fol-
lowing is the program:
Chickering Ampico Solo—Rachmaninoff's Prelude
in C Sharp Minor with full orchestra accompani-
ment.
Paul Ash Orchestra—March Militaire (Schubert),
Selection from "Carmen" (Bizet).
Arthur Weiss—Cello Solo, "Good-bye" (Tolsti),
Chickering Ampico accompanying.
Chickering Ampico Solo—"Leibestraum" (Liszt),
with full orchestra accompaniment.
Edward Fitzpatrick—Violin Solo, "The Star"
(Rogers), "Smilin' Thru" (Cowl), John Becker at
the piano.
Arthur Weiss—Cello Solo, "Celeste Aide" (Verdi),
Chickering Ampico accompanying.
Anthony Linden—Flute Solo, "Silver Threads
Among the Gold" (Dank), Chickering Ampico ac-
companying.
Paul Ash Orchestra—"Dance of the Hours" (Gio-
conda).
The line of Rythmodik music rolls has been added
by Ramsdell & Son, Philadelphia.
The Sonora Shop, 1626 Chestnut street, Philadel-
phia, has added the Mel-o-dee music rolls.
The Standard Music Roll Co., New York, has
opened a branch in Chicago in the Woods Building,
54 West Randolph street.
H. B. MORENUS' MOTHER DIES.
Elizabeth Bailey Morenus, mother of Howard B.
Morenus, vice-president and secretary of the Hobart
M. Cable Co., La Porte. Ind., passed away at the
home of her son late Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 5.
Private funeral services were held at 1511 Michigan
avenue, Thursdav afternoon at 2 o'clock, conducted
by Dr. A. T. Briggs. Elizabeth Bailey was the
daughter of James and Ann Bailey, and was born at
Suffolk, Va., Jan. 2.3, 1843. She was an estimable
woman possessed with the rare characteristics and
charm of the typical Southerner. On Sept, 23, 1866,
she was united in marriage with Harvey B. Morenus,
who died in 1900. To this union were born three
children—Mrs. Charles Hackett of Florence, Ala.;
Howard B. Morenus of LaPorte, and Robert F.
Morenus of Chicago, all of whom survive, and all of
whom were in LaPorte for the funeral. Mrs. More-
nus is also survived by five grandchildren and two
great grandchildren.
Announcements are now in order from the piano
manufacturers about prices. Some dealers have
been foolishly holding back their orders in the hope
of a general reduction of wholesale prices on pianos
and playerpianos to the before-the-war basis. It is
a false hope. Those who have asked to have orders
withheld have been met with a prompt cancellation
of their orders. Manufacturers are not going to
take any chances.
As long as wages remain up, just so long will the
wholesale and the retail prices of pianos be kept up.
Piano prices are not exorbitant; there has been no
profiteering. The big firms are practically unani-
mous in their purposes to maintain prices in propor-
tion to the cost of producing the instruments.
Baldwin Company Takes Lead.
The Baldwin Piano Company is one of the first to
make an announcement along this line. Its an-
nouncement, which is being sent out in the form of a
circular letter, follows:
When commodity prices began to rise, food, cloth-
ing, etc., went up, up, up, from the very start, and
their percentage of increase was several times higher
than the increase on pianos. Also, increases on our
pianos were much slower in coming, as they were
only made by reason of actual increases in the cost
of material and labor. Our dealers and the public
have benefited accordingly.
The present shaking out of excess profits is what
you see in these sensational statements of reductions
and should not divert you from the fact that these
very people still have their normal profits in their
new prices.
With the ever present desire to make available to
our dealers and the public every saving possible, our
policy with reference to price reduction will be to
give our customers every possible advantage in any
reduction of the price of materials and labor as rap-
idly as it may occur.
It must be noted, though, that in the manufacture
of a piano, compilations of costs show that from the
time that the raw materials are taken from Nature,
until they are turned out as the completed piano, 82
per cent of the cost of production is labor, and only
the remaining 18 per cent the cost of materials.
Hence, the largely controlling factor in the cost of a
piano is the cost of wages.
We therefore deem it proper to advise you that we
do not foresee any appreciable lowering in our selling
prices until wages are reduced or production per
man increased.
THE BALDWIN PIANO CO.
DALLAS SHOW WINDOW
LOOKED LIKE KID CONVENTION
A Gulbransen Baby Was Accumulated Each Day
Until Sixteen Were Present.
The Oak Cliff Piano Co., Dallas, Tex., Gulbransen
distributor at that city, did considerable special pub-
licity during the State Fair. This fair lasted 17 days,
a period longer than any state fair in the world. The
attendance has always been in the neighborhood of
1,000.000 persons and this year it was a record
breaker.
J. F. Smith, the owner of the Oak Cliff Piano Co.,
prepared a novel Gulbransen display for the window
of the store at 112 E. 12th street. First he put a
Gulbransen "Country Seat" Model Player in the win-
dow, with illuminated card reading "The Easiest
Pedaling Player in the World," and alongside of it
he placed one of the cutouts of the Gulbransen Baby.
The next day there was another Baby and a card
reading, "A New Baby Each Day Until the Gulbran-
sen Kid Arrives, Some Family!" By the time the
baby equipped with the mechanism actually playing
the Gulbransen was shown, there were sixteen of the
crawling kids in the window. Another card read,
"All Kids Love the Gulbransen, Easy-to-Play!''
NEW GULBRANSEN POWER-HOUSE.
WELL KNOWN DEALER DIES.
The new power-house of the Gulbransen-Dickin-
son Company, Chicago, was put into service for the
great plant for the first time within the last week.
"We are using our own 'juice' now," is the way T. B.
Thompson of the company put it to a Presto repre-
sentative who called on him on Wednesday of this
week.
William F. Sudds, a well known dealer and music
teacher, died recently at his home in Gouverneur, N.
Y. Mr. Sudds, who had reached the age of seventy-
seven, was a composer of note. Upwards of two
hundred vocal and instrumental pieces are to his
credit. He was born in England but served as a
musician in the Union Army during the Civil War.
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