PRESTO
12
"CHUMMY" WAS
ENLIGHTENED
December 11, 1920.
great recording laboratories to see the rolls made to-
morrow.
Yours, Chummy.
Thursday Night.
Dearest Martha:
When we arrived at the recording laboratories to-
day the great Mr. Stoddard, who invented the Am-
In Essay Contest Among Byron Mauzy Em- pico was there. He was perfectly charming to us
and smiled graciously when I tried to express to
ployes, Ruth Howard Presented a Series
him a little of my enthusiasm for his marvelous in-
strument.
of Letters from an Observant and
Mr. Stoddard explained to us that the music com-
Eloquent Writer
mittee, whose duty it is to select the artist and pieces,
all there this morning. He introduced us to Mr.
Miss Ruth Howard, one of the contestants in the were
Draper, who, with his staff, is always a "first
"What is the Ampico?" contest among the forces of nighter"
at the latest musical comedies. Mr. Draper
the Byron Manzy stores in San Francisco and Oak- selects the songs that win the most applause and
land, adopted a most, helpful form for her contribu- has them immediately recorded. He was then super-
tion to the literature of the famous reproducing intending the recording of "You are Free," from "Ap-
piano. Miss Howard described the emotions of a ple Blossoms," by Fritz Kreisler. They tell us that
music lover who mingles with the masters and hears the roll itself will be on sale by the time I am home
the masterpieces as only the masters can play them. again. Just think of that!
Every care is taken to present an environment in
She did so in an original and charming manner.
which the artist will be at his best. It is very often
Miss Howard's "Chummy" is as enlightening and necessary, Mr. Stoddard says, to ask an exception-
entertaining as she is effusive in penning her experi- ally emotional artist to simply "run over" the selec-
ences for Martha Malicia and the folks at home. tion to test the piano and when finished he is told
"Chummy" is delightfully unsophisticated and pre- that it has been recorded. A genius who has
charmed thousands will often suffer from stage
sents the natural feelings of a music-loving youngster fright
for the first time upon entering the elabo-
who sees and hears the wonder of the Ampico for rately appointed
laboratory drawing room.
the first time. The series of letters which Miss How-
Before I leave for home we are going down again
ard presented as her Ampico essay follows:
to meet Mr. Godowsy, the editor of the Ampico
catalogue, who is away on a short vacation.
THE AMPICO.
Now I'll tell you a secret. I overheard Gordon
ordering an Ampico in the Chickering, baby grand,
By RUTH HOWARD.
to be delivered in June, and you are nominated to
Tuesday Night.
help me select my rolls.
Martha Malicia, My Dear:
Tomorrow we are leaving for Atlantic City for a
We have arrived. Our train was five hours late.
Nanny Mum's chauffeur whisked us through what few days' trip and I'll have lots to write when we
seemed to be a marvelous, electrical, wonder city. return. Nann Mums sends her love.
Yours as ever,
My eyes are quite blinky and I'm really very tired.
CHUMMY.
Will be sure to keep my promise and write at least
a note every day.
Yours—Chummy.
WORKING THE GIFT-GIVING
P. S.—Uncle Buds and Nanny Mums have some
very important guests tonight. I really believe it
SPIRIT IN ILLINOIS CITY
must be Olga Samaroff herself. Isn't it thrilling?
Just now she is playing De Bussy's "Claire de Lune."
Won't it be wonderful to meet her again? It must Fortieth Annual Sale of W. T. Brown & Co., Jack-
be she. I'm sure I can't be mistaken.
sonville, Is Occasion for Suggestion.
Christmas
giving is the theme of a clever adver-
Wednesday.
Marty Dear:
tisement this week by the W. T. Brown Piano Co.,
Imagine being awakened by that lovely melody Jacksonville, Til. The firm, which has been forty
from Thais, "Meditation." Do you know what I years in business in the Illinois city is holding a
think? I believe that Nanny Mums has asked some
"Annual Christmas Sale." This is printed:
of her musical friends to help entertain me. I must lively
"The custom of presenting gifts at Christmas tide
hurry for breakfast now.—Chummy.
is an old and beautiful one, and has become so uni-
versal that we forget it had its origin in religion;
Wednesday Night.
so general has it become. in Christian nations that
Martha Malicia:
all
of our relatives and friends expect to be remem-
Two P. G. and I simply can't sleep a wink until
I have told you something about this most wonder- bered by some material manifestation of our regard
for them. Why not a piano or player as a gift for
ful day of all my life.
Can you realize what it means to have really some one in your home? True, it is some time until
heard all in one day Margaret Volavy, with her bril- Christmas, but not too soon to begin to think about
liant technique, play "Concert Etude Op. 36," by Christmas gifts, and to look so that decision may
Macdowell; James Whitaker's interpretation of Sto- be unhurried. May we not have the pleasure of as-
jowski's "Chant d'Amour," veritably a musical sisting you in selecting the gift that is sure to bring
poem; Augusta Schnabel-Tollefson in that capricious untold happiness to some loved one?"
and flightly "Capricietto" (it was Olga Samaroff),
and I've heard "Claire de Lune" four times and her
interpretation of Chopin's "Nocturne" was so in-
tensely real and dramatic that I was glad to be ST. LOUIS PIANO TUNERS
soothed by Rubinstein's "Romance" in E flat played
MEET AND ELECT OFFICERS
by Clarence Adler.
Oh, my dear, I've listened to Leopold Godowsky,
Sergei, Rachmaninoff, George Copeland, Arthur Vigorous Campaign of Education on Care of Piano
Rubinstein, Yolando Mero, Josef Hoffman, Victor
Launched at Meeting at Hotel Jefferson.
Herbert, Carrie Jacobs Bond, and Mischa Levitsky.
I've heard Leo Ornstein play "Arbesque," by Schu-
St. Louis piano tuners organized and elected offi-
mann, Dvorak's "Humoreske," Mendelssohn's "Cham- cers at an enthusiastic meeting held at the Hotel
inade." This is only a partial list of the wonderful Jefferson,
Thursday evening, Dec. 2. Officers elect-
guests who have entertained Nanny Mums and me
today. No, do not fear, your Chummy has not lost ed are: Edgar L. Seagrave, chairman; Louis Schu-
her mind, it is all true, every word, although it bert, vice-chairman, and Robt. A. Kissel, secretary
seems like a miracle to me. Tonight I danced in and treasurer.
the conservatory to Victor Herbert's own interpreta-
Large orders for association pamphlets were placed
tion of "Kiss Me Again" (and Gordon is here). with W. F. McClellan, secretary of the National As-
Bertha Klemens played his accompaniment while he sociation of Piano Tuners, Inc. A vigorous cam-
sang to me. "Dear Old Pal of Mine," "Aloha Oe."
and "Loves Old Sweet Song." and—well, after all, paign of education on the nature and care of the
piano will be carried on, in which the local piano
you know, he's just my own Gordon Lee.
You ask me, how it all happened? Well, listen merchants will be urged to assist.
and I'll tell you. After Uncle Buds left I asked
Nanny Mums if it really was Olga Samaroff I had
AFFIDAVIT IS CONVINCING.
heard, and you can imagine she was surprised that
Tennessee and Arkansas newspapers this week
I had guessed her little secret. She promised to
take me to her and we went into the music room to- carried convincing proof of the inflexibility of the
one-price rule in the stores of the O. K. Houck Pi-
gether.
As we passed through a door she pressed a button ano Co., at Memphis and Nashvi'le, Tenn., and Lit-
and the piano, as if suddenly moved by magic fin- tle Rock, Ark. It was a reproduction of the affi-
gers, began ; slowly, the first strains of Chopin's davit of the company in the form of a written state-
"Nocturne in C Sharp Minor." I fear your Chummy ment signed by the late O. K. Houck, president of
was very stupid, for I stood spellbound until the the company, at the time it was made and duly at-
last faint note had died away. Nanny Mums ex-
"That every officer, salesman, or other em-
plained to me that this was really not black maeic, tested:
as you must have supposed by now. or anything ploye has positive instructions never, under any cir-
like it, but a reproducing piano called the Ampico. cumstances or conditions, to charge more or accept
This wonderful instrument reproduces the selections less than the prices marked on the instruments and
Hist as the artist plays them.
quoted in our price list," is one clause.
Nanny Mums has promised to take me to the
The New England Music Trade Association will
hold n banquet in Boston in January. The date is
BUYEBEPLA! R PIANOS—2469 ^hird Av.. New York not yet decided upon.
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