PRESTO
April 7, 1923
in. And here is where the intelligent salesman who likes fine pianos,
and believes it is better to sell them, can find his winning argument
—his knockout punch to mediocrity.
How often do you hear a piano salesman say a word about the
effect of the piano's quality upon the sensitive ears, and the develop-
ing minds of the children of the family? If the piano is designed for
the educational advantages of the youth, is it customary for the
The American Music Trade Weekly
salesmen to refer to such things, or does he point out the beauty of
case
and finish, show the solid iron plate, the staunch back-posts, and
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-
BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL. dilate upon the splendor of the ivory keys? Of course he also "tries"
the tone and, perhaps, calls particular attention to the duration of
Editors
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
sound when he hammers Middle C, or some key down in the base !
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234. Private Phones to all De-
partments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
But, if the argument suffices, does it matter that the rough, un-
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office, Chicago, Illinois,
even
quality of tone of the "cheap" piano would rout a burglar from
under Act of March 3, 1879.
the
safe
? And is there nothing "bad" about that kind of "music"—
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4. Payable In advance. No extra
charge in United States possessions. Cuba and Mexico.
call it music, because the salesman does!
And so we find that music is good or bad in proportion to the
Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTO
PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
character of the instrument. And it is "mellow" or "noisy" in much
Advertising Rates:—Five dollars per inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.
the same degree that it is good or bad. Too much noise is not a sure
Complete schedule of rates for standing cards and special displays will be furnished
on request. The Presto does not sell Its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted for
sign of quality. There are piano men who are still trying to create
articles of descriptive character or other matter appearing In the news columns. Busi-
ness notices will be Indicated by the word "advertisement" In accordance with the
pianos
with more tone volume than has yet been attained. But why?
Act of August 24, 1912.
Photographs of general trade interest are always welcome, and when used, if of
On the other hand, a piano manufacturer has introduced a "silent"
special concern, a charge will be made to cover cost of the engravings.
Rates for advertising in Presto Year Book Issue and Export Supplements of
pedal. It is designed to stifle all tone for practice purposes. And
Presto will be made known upon application. Presto Year Book and Export issues
have the most extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical in-
there are dealers who like it, which seems to show that, like the "loud"
strument trades and industries In all parts of the world, and reach completely and
effectually all the houses handling musical instruments of both the Eastern and West-
pedal, and the "soft" pedal, the "silent" pedal also has its charms.
ern hemispheres.
There are expert piano makers, and equally experienced piano
Presto Buyers' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Pianos and
Player-Pianos, it analyzes all instruments, classifies them, gives accurate estimates
merchants, who believe that it is not more tone that the piano needs.
of their value and contains a directory of their manufacturers.
Items of news and other matter of general interest to the music trades are in-
There is noise enough. It is better tone and durable—the kind the late
vited and when accepted will be paid for. All communications should be addressed to
Presto Publishing Co.. 407 So. Dearborn Street. Chicago, III.
Mr. Calvin Whitney used to declare would "improve with age." And
by the perfection of pianos of that kind we eliminate the possibility of
SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1923
"bad" music so far as the piano is concerned, in any event.
PRESTO CORRESPONDENCE
IT IS NOT CUSTOMARY WITH THIS PAPER TO PUBLISH REGU-
LAR CORRESPONDENCE FROM ANY POINTS. WE, HOWEVER,
HAVE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVES IN NEW YORK, BOSTON,
SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, CINCINNATI, INDIANAPOLIS, MIL-
WAUKEE AND OTHER LEADING MUSIC TRADE CENTERS, WHO
KEEP THIS PAPER INFORMED OF TRADE EVENTS AS THEY HAP-
PEN. AND PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE REAL NEWS
OF THE TRADE FROM WHATEVER SOURCES ANYWHERE AND
MATTER FROM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS, IF USED, WILL BE
PAID FOR AT SPACE RATES. USUALLY PIANO MERCHANTS OR
SALESMEN IN THE SMALLER CITIES, ARE THE BEST OCCA-
SIONAL CORRESPONDENTS, AND THEIR ASSISTANCE IS INVITED.
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Forms close promptly at noon every Thursday. News matter for
publication should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the same
day. Advertising copy should be in hand before Tuesday, five p. m.,
to insure preferred position. Full page display copy should be in
hand by Monday noon preceding publication day. Want advs. for cur-
rent week, to insure classification, must be at office of publication not
later than Wednesday noon.
BAD MUSIC
An eminent Unitarian minister recently told his congregation
that "heaven is not a place of moist, white clouds and bad music,"
and that prayer is not, as some good folks seemed to believe, a matter
of "talking out loud to God." The Rev. J. Pulsford, while musical,
was not discussing the things of music when he said all that, but in it
he made a suggestion which might be used to advantage by piano
salesmen who like to press the desirability of really fine instruments.
It is quite common with poets and writers to liken music to
prayer, and to tell of its inspirational influences. One writer went
so' far as to tell of "sweet music! sacred tongue of God," and Carlyle
declared that "music is well said to be the speech of angels." And
can there, then, be "bad music"? And if there is lack of the devo-
tional element in "making loud noises that God may hear," why not
loss of art in loud sounds that pass for music?
It is well understood that many enthusiasts claim that there can
be nothing bad in music. But we who are pretty close to the things
that are supposed to make music, know that there is badness some-
where in the vicinity. We realize that, if the music is not inherently
evil, at least the instruments that sometimes struggle to produce it
are so inadequate as to cast suspicion upon the offspring of their
travail. They are sometimes so inferior that the possibility of em-
ploying them to woo inspiration is as hopeless as it is to hope, with
them, to satisfy the muses and bring happiness to sensitive ears.
And here is where the question of good or bad pianos comes in.
Here is where the matter of whether pianos can be "cheap" comes
ON CONSIGNMENT
Sometimes small mistakes are profitable. An illustration was
quite unexpectedly created by an answer to a correspondent which
recently appeared in the "Where Doubts Are Dispelled" columns of
this paper. Nor is it quite fair to charge ourselves with a mistake,
even there, because, while it was stated that the consignment plan of
supplying pianos to the trade is not so general as once it is still prac-
ticed by a good many manufacturers. And the profit which has come
from our treatment of the correspondent's question may be seen in
two communications which appear this week.
One of the communications, which follows, was accompanied by
the best analysis of the'consignment plan that has ever appeared.
We have published oceans of articles on the subject, but never any-
thing so good as the contribution which came from Mr. J. J. Glynn
under cover of the following letter:
New York, March 27, 1923.
Editor Presto: In the issue of March 24th, Presto answered two inquiries on
consignment and stated, among other things, that the consignment system is not
much in vogue at the present time, and that there is not much incentive to do busi-
ness on the consignment plan. It advises dealers against consignment.
This company does considerable consignment business and, as there appears to
be a misconception in the minds of the trade, and some of the trade press, as to
what consignment really is, I have taken the privilege of preparing for you a
special article on the subject, which I enclose herewith.
I believe that the article will be of interest to the trade. If you wish to publish
it you are welcome to do so.
Very truly yours,
JOHN J. GLYNN.
It may safely be said that some of the greatest successes in the
piano business have come through the consignment plan of distribut-
ing the instruments. Some of the greatest retail houses of today had
their beginnings by reason of the ease by which it was possible to
secure instruments to sell, and in which the profit was adequate. One
of the largest retail and jobbing music houses in the country is in
Kansas City. When the founder of that house began he secured his
supplies on consignment from the late Mr. W. W. Kimball, who had
a firm faith in that plan. And it may equally be said that many other
houses throughout the middle west owe their start and successful
development to the same big-minded Chicago manufacturer. No
less may'the growth of the Chicago industry itself be credited to the
consignment plan, for its greatest business was based upon that sys-
tem of what Mr. Glynn properly calls a "silent partnership."
But it is true that, while some very powerful piano industries
still adhere to the consignment method of doing business, the number
of such industries is not nearly as large as it formerly was. We do
not intend to enter into any discussion of the causes of the change,
or why the newer concerns do not encourage the system. There are
almost as many reasons as there are manufacturers who do not con-
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