Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American Pianos
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform Book-
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
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CHICAGO, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1922
PROBLEM OF BEST PLAN
FOR SELLING TO FARMERS
Head of Successful Piano Industry Makes
Valuable Contribution to a Useful Discus-
sion Started in this Trade Paper.
With business increasing every day, the Straube
Piano Company, Hammond, Ind., has just broken all
records, both for production and sales, according to
E. R. Jacobson, president, who pointed out to a rep-
resentative of Presto this week that November was
by far the best month in the history of the organiza-
tion. The second best month was March, 1920, when
various unusual conditions swelled the business to
unusual heights. Mr. Jacobson does not see any un-
usual conditions in connection with the present rec-
ord, stating that he believes the general prosperity of
the country responsible for the increase. He is also
of the opinion that the November record will not
stand for long, as additional orders are pouring in
daily, while production is being speeded up as fast
as possible.
"Business," a magazine published in Detroit for
general circulation among executives, carried an inter-
view with Mr. Jacobson in the December issue. As
this publication devqtes its efforts toward finding the
unusually progressive business methods in use in the
country, its recognition of Mr. Jacobson is of special
significance. Mr. Jacobsons" interview had to do
with selling pianos to farmers on the monthly in-
stallment plan, a subject touched upon in a recent
issue of Presto. Some of the statements made to
"Business" by Mr. Jacobson follow:
"It is my belief that some system of selling to the
farmer on the monthly installment plant might revo-
lutionize certain industries; and I believe it would
come as a godsend to the farmer. Always in the past
we have counted on the farmer's crops for payment,
taking his note or his word for the balance left after
the down payment. But diversified farming is chang-
ing the credit status of the farmer; his income is
distributed more evenly throughout the year.
"Farmers are getting larger permanent incomes all
the time. There is money coming in every month
from chickens, turkeys, pigs, cream, and what not.
This money accumulates slowly and is not available
for large payments unless saved over long periods,
but when applied in installments it goes a long way.
"Our experience has been that the farmer never
misses a payment; but we have arranged for the pay-
ments to be unusually small, always with the under-
standing that a more substantial payment will be
made as soon as possible. We have operated on the
1. rinciple that it is better to have the payments small
and receive them regularly than to have them large
and be bothered all the tim with writing collection
letters. We usually start out by asking the farmer
Low much he can nay monthly—we let him set his
own amount; and sometimes we tell him to pay less
than he says he CAN pay. We feel surer of our
money that way than if wo were asking the farmer to
burden himself."
at McAlcster. J. H. Culp and B. D. Culp, Jr., are
in charge of the Fort Smith house.
The Culp company handles exclusively the Hallet
& Davis, Packard, Chase Brothers, Hobart M. Cable,
Story & Clark, and The Cable Co.'s line in players
and pianos. The following line of talking machines is
handled also by the Culp company: Hallet & Davis,
period designs, Brunswick, and the Columbia.
QEO. REICHMAN, LONG WITH
SOHMER & CO., IS DEAD
Veteran Salesman, for Years Associated with Late
Hugo Sohmer, Passed Away Sunday.
Few of the piano salesmen of New York are better
known than George Reichman, whose death occurred
last Sunday, at his home in Brooklyn. Mr. Reichman
had been associated with the house of Sohmer & Co.
for well on to a half century. He was considered,
next to the late Hugo Sohmer himself, the best
salesman connected with the famous house. And he
was a loyal and industrious piano man, of the kind
that the very name of Sohmer suggests—high prin-
cipled and delighting in the artistic side of the piano
business.
Mr. Reichman was with the Sohmer piano when
the factory and warerooms were at Third avenue
and 14th stret. He may be said to have passed his
entire mature career in the interests of that house.
Since the death of Hugo Sohmer, he acted as head
salesman in the Sohmer warerooms of Fifth avenue
and later on 57th stret.
A LIMA, O., CORRECTION.
An error occurred in Presto in an item about a
change at Lima, O. The facts are that on Aug. 2nd
F. E. Harmon sold his business and leased the Har-
mon building to A. D. and C. H. Rowlands, who are
conducting the furniture business, but have discon-
tinued both the Edison and Victrola departments
and in future will not handle other phonographs.
SMITH PIANO CO. INCREASES.
The Smith Piano Company, retailer of the pianos
of the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Company, Chicago,
has rented the third floor of the location at 214 South
Wabash avenue, Chicago, and is preparing to move
into it about the last of December. W. C. Newman,
manager of the store, found that with the increasing
business of the autumn and winter, the present space
is not enough.
WM. W. BUNCH DIES SUDDENLY.
William W. Bunch, head of the W. W. Bunch
Piano Company at Aurora, Til., died suddenly No-
vember 22. Mr. Bunch was 52 years of age and a
violinist of some note. Moving from St. Louis to
Aurora about 10 years ago, he made a host of
friends in musical circles through his music and
generosity in aiding all musical efforts.
NEW GULBRANSEN CARD.
SOUTHWEST MUSIC HOUSE
REPORTS EXCELLENT BUSINESS
Activity of the Culp Brothers Fiano Co., Fort Smith,
Ark., Rewarded in Marked Manner.
One of the active music houses in the Southwest
is the Culp Brothers Piano Co., Inc., Fort Smith,
Ark., which now has branch houses in RusselK ille,
Ark., and Hartshorn and McAlister, Okla. This is a
comparatively young concern and is an instance of
(he power of intelligent activity to accomplish much
in a short space of time.
The company reports an excellent season's business
in the main store and all the branches. The firm is
also deve'oping an extensive repair business. In con-
rection with the retail music house, a complete repair
shop for pianos and talking machines is operated in
Fort Smith, under the direction of B. I). Culp, Jr ,
and J. E. Dotson.
VV. M. Culp is in charge of the store at Russell-
viile. H. C. Hullender at Hartshorn, and C. K. Culp
To complete the list of advertising material that
the Gulbransen Dickinson Co., Chicago, has issued
for the convenience of its distributors, a three colored
street car card, attractively designed, has been added
to the available material. These cards have a liberal
imprint space, and the dealer's name appears in two
places.
ATLANTA PIANO FIRE.
hire damaged the stock of automatic pianos in the
store room of the Automatic Player Piano Company,
Atlanta, Ga., last Sunday night. The fire originated
in the store room where several pianos had been
unpacked on Saturday. F. A. Leatherman, manager
of the piano company, placed the loss at $2,000.
TO OPEN PIANO STORE.
Louis W. Stitt is preparing to open piano ware-
rooms in Monticello, Iowa. He will handle a com-
plete line of pianos and musical goods. He will make
a leader of the Adam Schaaf pianos as well as all
kinds of sheet music, talking machine records and
other supplies.
STYLE IN MUSIC FOR
THE PLAYER-PIANO
Effects Possible to Instrument Suggest That
Compositions of Some Composers' Ar-
rangements Are Not Adequate.
BY EDWARD SCHAAF
In all art the word style is customarily employed to
denote the measure of appropriateness. An artist's
style is said to be good when he expresses himself in
a manner which conveys conviction and makes us
instinctively feel, as it were, that he has said exactly
the right thing in exactly the right way. Everybody
will understand what I mean by the remarks which
follow, once this fundamental fact is grasped, namely,
that good style is simply perfect harmony between
the thing which is to be done and the manner of do-
ing it.
Applying this statement to the art of musical com-
position, we may say that there is only one possible
best style of writing for any musical instrument, and
that comprises whatever method most perfectly
brings out the individual strength of the given in-
strument.
Naturally, therefore, when we come to compose
for the player-piano we find that we can only attain
to good and expressive style when we enable the in-
strument to utter musical thought in a language
suited to itself. All writing of music for the player-
piano should therefore be carried out in the light
of a complete understanding
of the instrument's
character and peculiarities. Merely to transfer piano-
forte music to the player-piano is to do one's work
in a very amateurish style.
Now, there is no doubt that the public likes best
of all what may be called florid music. Musicians do
not usually agree with the public, but that does not
affect the facts. The fame of Chopin and Liszt
mainly rests upon their ability to write in this style,
and right here the player-piano shines in brilliancy.
The brilliant passage work in Chopin's and Liszt's
pieces is always legitimate, because appropriately in-
troduced into their compositions. No matter how
brilliant their ornamental musical figures, they beau-
tify the musical structure because they are brought
about by the logical development of the music, and
are not merely laid on "like a carpet thrown over a
railing." That is one reason why the pieces of
Chopin and Liszt sound well for player-piano pur-
pose without much rehandling.
Since the style of the player-piano is so character-
istic as I have described it, and since the very basis
of good style is obedience to the nature of the instru-
ment for which the writing is done, it follows that
the arranger should be permitted the fullest scope
for his skill in transferring pianoforte music to the
player-piano. No matter how well the pianoforte
piece may be written, it can never be appropriately
reproduced on the player-piano until it has been re-
handled in the right manner.
Example after example might be given to show
how the player-piano becomes a wholly novel instru-
mental voice when its characteristics are understood.
Once the composer has grasped and developed the
player-piano's marvelous rhythmic powers, he may
obtain a complete transformation of pianoforte music
with the richest and most satisfying effects.
The amazing ability of the player-piano to perform
simultaneously in the bass, middle and upper regis-
ters constitutes a feature of unique potency. By
eliminating all manual difficulties of performance the
composer is left free to use the most elaborate
methods, confident that they can be interpreted with
complete precision.
GREETINGS FROM CHINA.
A very unique and artistic season's greeting comes
to Presto from Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Uhl in China. The
strangely beautiful coloring of the oriental people
adds charm to a full-page picture with the unin-
telligible inscription, in the upper corner. In bronze
is the greeting ''Wishing you a Merry Christmas ar.d
Happy New Year," and on the back of the cover is
the following, in both Chinese and English: "May
the Season Be Bright and Bring Good Sport."
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