August 23, 1924.
PRESTO
DEVELOPMENT OF
REPRO=PHRASO
THE IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE
Still R. Harcourt, Inventor of Successful
Flayer of the Story # Clark Piano Co.,
Chicago, Pens Interesting Story of
His Experiences.
NO SUDDEN INSPIRATION
Eow a True Personal Reproducing Piano, Easy to
I lay and Musically Satisfactory, Was Produced
By Successive Steps.
The best story of the creation and development of
an idea may be expected from the person who did
the thinking and experimenting. When he wishes to
put the facts in writing he has his most absorbing
theme. That was the case with Still R. Harcourt,
inventor of the Repro-Phraso of the Story & Clark
Piano Co., Chicago, when he set about writing his
experiences which led to the triumphant completion
of the Repro-Phraso for "The Story Book," a little
monthly magazine for those interested in the sale of
the Story & Clark Piano Co.'s product. Mr. Har-
court assures readers that it is not the story of
chance or accident but rather the slow development
of an idea from very crude and simple beginnings.
Mr. Harcourt's story follows:
Mr. Harcourt's Story.
As things happened, I was one of the first sales-
men to get into the player business years ago, when
the cabinet or exterior player of 58 or 65 notes
compass represented the full extent of development.
In those days one of the great difficulties was to rec-
oncile the claims made for the ''piano-player," as
we 'then called it, with its mechanical defects, which
were many. In the early stages of any invention of
course, defects outnumber virtues; and the player
was in that respect during its infancy no worse
than, say the automobile at a parallel stage. The
trouble was that while we who were selling and had
mastered the art of playing, knew what even these
early instruments would do, it was very hard to
teach the purchasers how to get anything like the
same effects. This fact made the job of selling hard.
As time has gone on, the player has been im-
proved in many ways, but by no means in some of
the ways that would have been especially desirable.
Mechanically, of course, there is no comparison be-
tween the clean, fool-proof, compact and sturdy
action of today with its 88 note scale all housed
inside the piano and the old clumsy, short-scale, hard-
pumping cabinet which had to be pushed up to the
piano and which was continually getting out of ad-
justment. In respect however of the important mat-
ter of playing capacity, improvement has been a good
deal less noticeable. The common types of pedal-
played playerpianos are still unresponsive, hard to
play and badly arranged for the comfort and con-
venience of the playerpianist.
What Was Required.
It was doubtless this fact, so plain to everybody
for so long, that led the trade to demand instruments
which should eliminate the personal element alto-
gether. Such instruments have been produced and
are now plentiful; yet they have not satisfied that
desire of the normal person to take part in the actual
work of playing, which is at the bottom of,the suc-
cess which even the early crude players did certainly
enjoy. They were hard to play, but they did give
the playerpianist the opportunity of personal expres-
sion; and for that reason, despite their very imperfect
construction, they made a success. And they suc-
ceeded, be it remembered, in the face of the almost
unanimous opposition of the musical profession, an
opposition which the later automatic-expression in-
struments have not had to face.
That the pedal-played playerpiano is the logical
and the only true player has always been my conten-
tion; and when in the early days it used to seem
hard to teach the average man or woman to play
with any satisfaction, the thought would often come
that there must be better means for manipulating and
controlling the expression devices. Long considera-
tion of the question led me to make certain experi-
ments, which at first were also somewhat crude and
imperfect, but which it was possible to continue
throughout an extended period during which the
construction of the player action generally was
greatly improved.
The Thought.
Originally I had always felt that if the pedal-work,
the handling of the tempo and of the accenting could
be made simple, easy and snappy, so that the physical
effort of playing should be reduced to the minimum,
the playerpiano would sell much more readily, would
READING FROM L E F T : COL. WITT, CAPT. KASSAR, CAPT. WINGATE AND PRIVATE BENT.
The accompanying cut does not represent a dis-
play at the formal opening of the Central Market
Fish Store, although the numerous showing of the
fishes suggests pride in a fine line. The workman-
like costumes of the men in the foreground also look
like the beginning of a big day in the fish department
and preparation for a busy time at scaling and weigh-
ing for a pleased clientele.
The photograph from which the cut was made
really shows the close of a perfect day with the rods
and bait on the California coast for Col. Witt, Capt.
Kassar (familiarly known to friends as "Yellowtail
Johnny"), Capt. Wingate and Private Geo. P. Bent.
The party caught twenty albacora in less than four
hours in the forenoon of July 31, and the fishes aver-
aged twenty pounds in weight.
The albacora is of the species Sebastodes flavidus
and the genus papiermachibus. It is reputed a very
game member of the finny tribe, and even when
landed on terra firma will not keep still without
hitching, as may be seen in the picture. Roping an
albacora within .a given time is an energetic semi-
aquatic sport considerably favored by the intrepid
cowboys of Los Angeles.
prove to be much more satisfactory to its owner, and
would show itself able to fill its proper place in
the trade, as the one best and most popular embodi-
ment of music in the home.
With these ideas in view the improvements which
now in their final form are embodied in the Repro-
Phraso, were gradually worked out. At the begin-
ning of the experiments and throughout them one
great fact was kept steadily in mind; namely that the
easier it is for the owner to play, the easier it is
for the salesman to sell.
Thus the Repro-Phraso as it now stands is not
only easy and satisfactory to play, but easy and
satisfactory to sell. Not only does the Repro-Phraso
make the playerpiano a true personal reproducing
piano, which appeals to one and all, and which
gives more than any other pneumatic instrument
does or ever did give, regardless of its price; but
also it becomes the easiest kind of piano to sell, with-
out exception.
GRAND, UPRIGHT and PLAYER
A YEAR OF BUILDING.
This has been a year of building expansion for
the Gulbransen Company and the property holdings
of the company have been increased by the construc-
tion of a six-story factory building. This factory
has now been completed and is being equipped for
manufacturing. It is the fifth structure in the group
of buildings that constitute Gulbransen Square, ex-
tending from Chicago avenue to the C, M. & St. P.
R. R. tracks, and from Kedzie avenue to Sawyer
and Spaulding avenues, Chicago.
GENERAL TRADE IS GCOD.
C. H. Flint, manager of the Small Goods Depart-
ment of Lyon & Healy, reports that conditions
throughout the country are much improved. His
statement is based upon interviews which he has
had with dealers who visited him recently. Among
these dealers were, Mr. Fischell, Fischell & Co., Dan-
ville, S. D.; R. H. Brown, Manhattan, Kansas; E. D.
Allington, Freeport Music Co., Freeport, 111., and Mr.
Atheway, of Thatcher Music Co., Logan, 111.
STR1CH & ZEDDLER, Inc.
AND
HOMER PIANOS
740-742 East 136th Street
NEW YORK
THE
W. P. HAINES & COMPANY
PIANOS
THE PIANOS OF QUALITY
Three Generations of Piano Makers
All Styles—Ready Sellers
Attractive Prices
GRANDS
REPRODUCING GRANDS
UPRIGHTS and PLAYERS
AVAILABLE TERRITORY OPEN
W. P. HAINES & CO., Inc.
138th St. and Walton AT«.
N«w York City
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/