PRESTO
Presto
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY.
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT -
lacking in the right appeal, the letter may be
worse than nothing.
From the first design to the cleanly ad-
dressed envelope, the piano trade letter must
be attractive, and suggestive of its purpose,
and never slovenly and suggesting careless-
ness or lack of regard for the finer sensibili-
ties of the recipient. There is a good deal of
valuable suggestion in last week's article on
the art of business letter writing.
- Editors
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4.
Payable In advance. No extra charge in United States
possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on
application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen
in the smaller cities are the best occasional corre-
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat-
ter 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 current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday noon.
Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1924.
FROM 407 TO 417.
The offices of Presto Publishing Co. have been re-
moved just one door south of former location on
South Dearborn street, Chicago. The new number
is 417 South Dearborn street, and only change of the
0 to 1 is required to have it correct. Presto has been
within fifty feet of its present location for nearly
thirty-five years. In its new and larger quarters it
will be better than ever equipped to meet the require-
ments of a steadily increasing business. Remember
to change your records to—
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.,
417 South Dearborn Street, Chicago.
BUSINESS LETTERS
It would not be fair, perhaps, to say that the
average business letter of the piano trade is
behind that of other lines in the matters dis-
cussed in a useful article in Presto of recent
date. In any event, and agreeing that many
of the music trade letter-writers are as good
as the best, it is equally true that some of
them are not.
A good letter will stimulate the desire for a
musical instrument. A well-written letter can
start the prospect storeward, or at least make
him receptive to the salesman's talk when he
calls at the home. A poorly worded, badly
typed letter will have the opposite effect.
Music in itself suggests the refinements. The
piano is, in many homes, the most elegant of
the family gods. It comes in after all of
the more commonplace things have been pro-
vided, and often it suggests a large invest-
ment designed to instruct as well as to enter-
tain.
People who regard the piano in that way
are not usually of the kind to be favorably
impressed by a poorly written letter, badly
prepared and showing lack of regard for the
fitness of things. The letter from the piano
store is often the introductory appeal to the
higher sensibilities. It must, therefore, be
proportionately graceful, as well as forceful,
in statement.
There are many arguments
available, any of which will be rcsultful if
properly expressed. If shabbily written and
PROOF OF CIRCULATION
Among the hundreds of letters which have
come as a result of the recent "Hidden Piano
Name" contest, was one from a piano dealer
and tuner who said :
"I was greatly interested in the verses and,
though I was not able to give enough correct
answers to get a prize I did find all but nine of
the names. But what surprised me most was
the widespread reading which Presto has.
There were answers from coast to coast, and
from Canada to Cuba! And the familiarity of
the dealers with most of the names proves that
piano men are of the alert kind of business
men."
While there was no thought of presenting
the circulation-proof to which the subscriber
draws attention, his point is a good one. And
it will interest him to know that at least a
hundred more answers to the poetic problems
have come since the contest closed. And among
them all of the following would have been win-
ners had they not delayed mailing their an-
swers until it was too late for them to be
counted as eligible:
Geo. Frederickson, Oklahoma City, Okla.;
B. F. Tatum, Port Arthur, Texas; Dewey
Schrago, San Pedro, Cal.; Eldon P. Fleming,
Fairfield,
Iowa; S. E. Cox, Okmulgee,
Okla.; Virza Bolley, Elkhart, Ind.; John Oku-
lic, Camden, N. J.; J. M. Shouse, Okmulgee,
Okla. The answer of Mr. Cox missed only the
Schumann to be 99 per cent good.
Another contest of similar nature—but dif-
ferent—will appear before long, when we be-
lieve that it will be Presto's pleasure to dis-
tribute a still larger number of prizes and per-
haps bigger ones.
THE HARPSICHORD'S RETURN
There has been talk in the trade about a pos-
sible successor of the piano—the manually played
piano which is supposed by some to have re-
ceived its death blow from the player mechanism.
Of course the "straight" piano will never die. It
has of late shown signs of a distinct revival and
some of the factories—even the larger ones—
have been putting special efforts into them, even
in their newspaper and trade advertising. Never-
theless, the talk about something different has
reason, for change is the life of business as well
as of people.
Recently, in the eastern cities, there have been
a number of popular harpischord concerts. Think
of it—"popular" harpsichord entertainments. In
New York City a young woman has made a
specialty of the ancient instrument upon which
some of the immortals performed their miracies.
And the harpsichord is a beautiful instrument—
beautiful to hear as to see. In Aeolian Hall, New
York, there was recently a classical concert, too,
by Mine. Landowska, in which the harpsichord
was the instrument. And it was a success. A
few years ago an old Boston industry announced
the revival of the harpsichord industry, but it did
not seem to get far.
It will not greatly astonish musical people of the
February 2, 1924.
future to find harpsichords filling the music store
warerooms. Pianos will be there, but they may
be the "old fashioned" instruments. The uprights
will present their box-like appearance in even
greater numbers, but the dainty little, sweetly
tinkling, instrument of Mozart and Haydn will
attract an affluent class of customers.
And that will, we are inclined to believe, be the
"successor" to the piano, if ever there should be
one. But it will be a return, and not an innova-
tion, in the ordinary sense. For already the harp-
sichord is making an appeal to the higher tastes
in music, as the recitals plainly show.
FINE SHOWING OF THE
STEINWAY BY LYON & HEALY
Corner Window in Chicago Shows Piano of Pader-
ewski's Choice With the Artist's Picture.
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, has an appropriate display
this week in the showing of the Steinway Duo-Art in
the corner window at Wabash and Jackson. This
display is simultaneous with the visit of Paderewski,
whose piano is the Steinway and whose reproductions
are made for the Duo-Art.
There is a large picture of the artist in the window
and also two large cards set up in attractive fashion.
The cards quote Paderewski on the Steinway piano
and the Duo-Art.
"Because in my opinion the Duo-Art is far superior
to all other reproducing pianos, I have entered a life
agreement to record exclusively for that instrument,"
is one quotation. On the other card the artist speaks
of the Steinway as follows: "Musicians and the
musical public have long regarded the Steinway as
the standard of perfection. It would seem from this
that the summit had been reached. I feel obliged to
declare after my absence of many years that an as-
tonishing progress has been achieved."
MOVEMENT BACKED BY DEALERS.
The Portland Chamber Music Society for the pur-
pose of promoting chamber music has been promoted
in Portland, Ore. Mrs. Lillian Jennings Clarkson.
manager of the Portland Chamber Music Trio, com-
posed of Susie Fennell Pipes, violin; Ferdinand Kon-
rad, 'cello, and J. JR. Hutchison, piano, are the moving
spirits and so much interest has been indicated al-
ready that success is assured. Music merchants are
interested in this organization.
CONTEST HELPS BUSINESS.
The second annual music memory contest among
Ohio public school children has been launched. It
will culminate in a final examination at Memorial
Hall March 29. The music trade is active in support
of the movement. All schools, both city and rural,
are in favor of this contest. Miss Nellie I. Sharpe,
supervisor of music in the public schools, is in charge,
and she anticipates making this contest even a better
one with more competitors than in the one conducted
last year.
C. J. HEPPE RESIGNS LEAGUE.
The Philadelphia Music League has elected Dr.
Herbert J. Tily president, to succeed Florence J.
Heppe, head of the piano firm of C. J. Heppe & Son,
who retired from office after presiding at the meeting.
The 200 men and women present enthusiastically ap-
plauded reports of a plan for an allegorical pageant
to be held there as a feature of music week, to be
celebrated in Mav.
NEW AGENCY MANAGER.
Fred H. Jackson, well known in Mansfield, Ohio,
musical circles, has joined the sales department of
the W. E. Jones piano house. Mr. Jackson will make
his headquarters at the Mansfield store, while he will
supervise the agencies in the adjoining counties.
ARTIST USES LYON & HEALY.
The Emery Wales Concert Management, 64 East
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, announces that Boguslawski
is under its management booked for an extensive tour
for seasons .1924 and 1925, using the Lyon & Healy
Grand exclusively.
OMAHA DEALER IN CHICAGO.
Charles H. Thatcher, progressive Omaha dealer,
was a recent visitor to Chicago. Mr. Thatcher, who
was accompanied by his wife, called at the offices of
the Baldwin Piano Co., whose line he is representing
in the Nebraska city.
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