Presto

Issue: 1924 1990

September 13, 1924.
PRESTO
MIESSNER'S MELODY WAY
USED BY LYON & HEALY
covers a six-weeks' period. Enrollment is open to
any child between the ages of 8 and 14 who has not
taken piano lessons before. The course of lessons is
absolutely free.
Big Announcement in Chicago Sunday Papers
Makes Known Nature and Provision of
New Teaching System.
HENRY 0. JOHNSON FACTORY
IS WELL UNDER WAY
The "Miessner Melody Way," the method of pro-
viding piano lessons for children, is being used by
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, and last Sunday's news-
papers carried a half-page spread describing the sys-
tem.
"Music for every child. That is a problem cen-
turies old. Many musical educators have tried to
When Finished the Plant at Bellevue, Iowa, Will Be
Larger Than Before.
The rebuilding of the Henry G. Johnson Piano
Co.'s factory, destroyed by fire May 29, is in process
or rebuilding, the work having started last week
and the unit rushed to completion in the hope that
it will be prepared for the holiday business.
The new addition includes a building 30x70 feet,
with basement, north of the section destroyed by the
flames, which will be the "glueing-up" room, with
4.C0O square feet of space. This will make the fac-
tory complete and increase the working force.
When completed and running again Mr. Johnson
will have a much larger force of employes and will
produce, in far greater numbers, the popular instru-
ments for which the trade is calling with increasing
impatience. It will be only a question of capacity for
the Henry G. Johnson pianos and players prove
quick se'lers and profitable for the retailers.
GOOD REPORT FROM THE
E. E. FORBES PIANO CO.
Cheerful Items From Birmingham Firm Include
One About C. McLallen's Return.
W. OTTO MIESSXER.
solve it. Search has been made tirelessly for a plan
that would make musical training possible and prac-
tical for every child.
''W. Otto Miessner, who has written and taught
music to children for over twenty years, has devised
for us a plan which helps us to provide music for
every child in our city. Mr. Miessner's books are
used by millions of school children. He is past-
president of the National Association of Music
Supervisors."
Lyon & Healy states that Mr. Miessner's Melody
Way greatly shortens the time of learning. "Chil-
dren who never before have taken an interest in
piano instruction, are fascinated by the Melody Way
materials and methods. More than 5,000 of them
have learned to play the piano during the last three
months, through this remarkable new method," con-
tinues the Lyon & Healy announcement. "The classes
now being formed for this course will be personally
taught in a classroom at our store by a teacher who
has graduated from the Miessner Institute."
The course consists of twelve one-hour lessons and
C. McLallen, who has been connected with the
Bush & Gerts Piano Company, Houston, Texas, has
returned to Birmingham, Ala., and joined his old
friends, K. E. Forbes & Sons Piano Company. Mr.
McLallen will devote all his time to looking after
the floor sales, and will have charge of that phase of
the business in the Birmingham store.
The business of the E. E. Forbes Piano Co. has
grown to such an extent that the firm needed a
man to specially look after floor sales. The Com-
pany is looking forward to a very large volume of
business this fall with its first class sales organiza-
tion.
M. D. Manning, salesmanager, returned from his
vacation this week.
HEADS GRAND DEPARTMENT.
S. B. Moats, the new manager of the grand piano
department of the Griggs Piano Co., Davenport, la.,
is well known to the trade of that and adjoining cities
as an enthusiastic exponent of the grand and a suc-
cessful salesman of that type of instrument. The
extensive showing of grand pianos in the warerooms
of the A. P. Griggs Piano Co. gives Mr. Moats a
desired opportunity to fully show his abilities in
grand sales.
CALVIN T. PURDY'S ROLE.
Calvin T. Purdy, retail sales manager for Hardman,
Peck & Co., New York, used the Hardman grand in
playing an accompaniment for Mabel A. Miller, a
promising soprano of Norwalk, Conn., who sang at
the formal opening of the new building of the Stud-
well Piano Co., in South Norwalk, Conn., recently
held under very enjoyable circumstances. The ener-
getic proprietors of the store are Fred Kane and
Harold Wilson.
GOOD AUGUST SALES
FOR U. S. MUSIC CO.
Business Last Month Was Greater Than
That of Any Month in Its
History.
The U. S. Music Co., 2934 West Lake street, Chi-
cago, announced last week that the month of August
was the best in volume of business of any month in
the history of its business. The company attributes
this fine showing to its co-operation with dealers in
an effort to stimulate player sales, which will ulti-
mately reflect on the player roll sale.
The U. S. Music Company has practised various
methods in aiding dealers to create a desire for the
playerpiano on the part of the buying public, and
each method has been a huge success.
Dealers are urged to advertise in their local papers
and the IT. S. Music Company has offered every pos-
sible assistance in the way of preparing cuts and
matrices and other material necessary in the scheme.
It has offered this service free in addition to pre-
paring the copy for the advertisement. This excel-
lent co-operation was a great aid to dealers at the
beginning of the summer season when they were
expressly urged by the Chicago firm to use its service
to make player sales during the warm months.
The tour of Axel Christen sen, well known pianist,
which was planned and carried out by the U. S.
Music Company and connection made with music
merchants in the cities included in the Christensen
itinerary, was another instance of the co-operation
of the U. S. Music Company in preparing dealers
for the summer sales of the playerpiano. Not only
were playerpiano sales stimulated through this meas-
ure but also the player roll sales, which were good
throughout the summer in every locality.
The polic'es of the I*. S. Music Company were not
selfish in stimulating playerpiano sales, as the num-
ber of rolls and the profit derived would be small in
comparison to the playerpiano sales and profits. The
company desired its dealers to be successful and that
is determined in the volume of piano sales and not
the sale of player rolls alone.
George Ames, vice-president, had this to say
about the demand of L T . S. rolls, when seen last week.
"In the summer of 1923 we were busy throughout the
season and at the end of August had completed a
very successful season, the month of Augjist being
the best we had ever experienced. The past sum-
mer, however, proved to be a better one than last
year by a good margin and the month of August
just past, was better than August of last year, and
in fact the best month we have ever experienced in
the history of our business."
<
CARRIES OUT REMODELING PLANS.
Harry C. Shroyer, proprietor of the Shroyer Music
Co., Bethany, Mo., is carrying out necessary altera-
tions in the building recently purchased for the,
housing of his business as reported in Presto last
week. It is possible the stock can be moved to the
new location by October 1. The main floor and bal-
conies will contain the stock of music instruments
and supplies. The basement probably will be rented.
The Shroyer Music Company is one of the oldest
business firms in Bethany. It has been established
more than thirty years and for twenty years has occu-
pied its present location on the northwest corner of
the square.
NEW "23" MODEL BOWEN LOADER
We are now making shipments of our latest model, which is Foolproof and indestructible.
Price reduced to $95.00 including extra good moving cover.
Shipped to responsible dealers on approval.
Try one. If you don't like it send it back.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
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/
10
September 13,
PRESTO
ANNOUNCEMENT OF
NEW Q R S M0N0=B0X
Undeniable Aid to Greater Sales of Q R S
Rolls Strikingly Told About by
Q R S Music Co.
A double-page spread in Presto this week shows
the design and coloring of a hanger for the walls and
windows of music stores which will be highly appre-
ciated as an assured aid to Q R S music roll sales.
It is the announcement of the new single-piece Mono-
Box of the Q R S Music Co., which is the develop-
ment of an idea for adding to the pleasure, comfort
and convenience of the playerpiano owner and the
dignity of the playerpiano itself.
Player owners will freely admit certain discom-
forts of the old style two-piece box. The delay in
extracting the box from a pile of rolls, for instance,
which was exasperating when the roll desired hap-
pened to be near the bottom of the pile. Then one
had to remove the lid, find a place to lay that, re-
move the roll and again find a place for -the bottom
of the box. Too often that place was on the top of
the player where it would scratch the fine finish of
the case. These discomforts in handling the rolls
are now relegated to the past by the introduction of
the new Mono-Box by the Q R S Music Co.
The new box is the embodiment of simplicity.
With its use the roll can be removed, played and re-
turned to its proper place with one hand. Confusion
is avoided, for the place of the roll in the cabinet
or stock of rolls is always the same and the player
owner soon becomes familiar with the location of
each selection. This is one of the most admirable
features of the new box, which will make it welcome
to the mothers and homekeepers generally in hun-
dreds of thousands of homes. Everyone familiar with
homes where the player is used continuously has
seen the boxes scattered all over the piano and
everywhere else available. Mother is annoyed when
the piano and the furniture show marks and scratches;
fetet
Grand and
Reproducing
Grand Pianos
are the last word in
musical perfection.
father is exasperated when his favorite rolls get into
the wrong boxes, and the children fuss over placing
and evading the blame.
The Mono-Box is made of the finest material, has
a gold border around the label, a gold monogram
on all sides, with gold border around the margin.
But the beauty and attractiveness of the box is the
smaller part of it. The fact that it has no separate
lid to remove which makes it valuable to the users
also makes it expensive to manufacture. But, while
it costs the Q R S Music Co. nearly three times as
much as the old style box, all Q R S rolls will soon
be shipped in this new model box at no additional
cost to the dealers.
The Q R S Music Co. has been working over three
years perfecting machinery that will make the one-
piece box. Over $75,000 has been spent in experi-
mental work and patents alone, on machinery to per-
fect and finish the Q R S Mono-Box.
The beautiful broadside shown in Presto this week
is available as a wall hanger, tinned at top and bot-
tom with eyelet for hanging it up, and will make an
attractive window decoration. The broadside was
printed in the printing plant of the Q R S Music
Co. at the Chicago factory, where all the catalogs,
monthly bulletins, wall hangers and various other
literature are printed. Announcement of the new
Q R S Mono-Box will appear in fifteen of the lead-
ing magazines beginning with a four-color cover
page of the Literary Digest on September 20.
INCREASED OUTPUT OF
THE PACKARD FACTORY
Unmistakable Evidence of Better Demand for
Fine Instruments Is Seen in Activity of
the Industry at Fort Wayne, Ind.
There are piano industries the activities of which
afford a good horoscope of trade conditions. One
of them is at Fort Wayne, Ind., where the manage-
ment of the Packard Piano Company is such that
dealers are never left in doubt as to the source of
their supplies when business awakens with unusual
vigor. Just now, increasing orders for Packard
pianos and players are responsible for enlarged pro-
duction, and the Packard Piano Company is finish-
ing surplus stock, anticipating even greater sales
volume during the fall and winter.
Indicative of the business increase during the
month of August is the shipment to several dealers
in Pennsylvania, Missouri and California, of carload"
lots of Packard small grand pianos.
"We have made a substantial upward revision in
our production schedule," an official of the company
said this week, "and are very well pleased with the
volume of recent business."
Factory records show a decided increase in the
percentage of sales of small grands, the popularity of
which is growing as people demand better music and
realize the advantages of the beautiful grand designs.
SPRINGFIELD STORE ENLARGED.
The Anderson Piano Company, 320 South Sixth
street, Springfield, 111., displaying what is said to be
the largest stock of pianos, players, grands and pho-
nographs in Central Illinois, has again increased its
store rooms, adding the adjoining property recently
occupied by the Donaldson Fur Company. O. F.
Anderson, manager and owner, announcing this ex-
tension, also stated that he had taken over the
exclusive Edison phonograph agency in Springfield.
The company now occupies three rooms, 318-320
South Sixth street, and 604 Post Office court. The
company began twelve years ago at 209 North Sixth
street, but within a year was located in its present
home.
Lester Piano Co.
1806 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia
The Sadowski Music House, now at 5331 Chene
street, Detroit, will move this week to another loca-
tion owing to the expiration of its lease.
For QUALITY, SATISFACTION and PROFIT
NEWMAN BROTHERS PIANOS
NEWMAN BROS. CO.
Established 1870
Factories, 816 DIX ST., Chicago, III.
A QUALITY PRODUCT
FOR OVER
QUARTER OFA CENTURY
SEASONABLE CHAPTER
IN FISH NOMENCLATURE
Piscatorially Inclined Piano Men Will Be In-
terested in Correction of Presto's Fish Editor
Who Called a Catch by the Wrong Name.
In the olden times fish stories were told with the
certainty that the size of the catch would be vastly
out of proportion to the actual yield. But of late
all that has changed and accuracy is the first consid- .
eration after the fisherman has recovered from, the
fatigue of his fights with the finny monsters.
Recently a true story appeared in Presto, in which
was told the remarkable success of George P. Bent
assisted by several captains and attendants in landing
a flock of fish of large dimensions of a species not
FEET
familiar to the piscatorial department of Presto.
In witness of which the following from Mr. Bent
himself is copied from a recent letter:
"Somebody around your organization whether it
the editor himself or the office boy—anyhow
somebody must be confusing the fish known and
spelled as 'A-1-b-e-c-o-r-e' with some sort of fancy
musical instrument. I note that it is always spelled
with a final a instead of e. We spell it with an e
in California, also in Funk & Wagnalls' new diction-
ary."
Naturally, it was supposed by Presto's minnow
seiner that the species of catch in question was of
the singing fish variety, and its name was of such
lyric nature as to intensify that suspicion, aside from
other seemingly indubitable evidence. But if Presto
isn't up in fish nomenclature, its artist can draw an
Albecora with accurate detail, as the accompanying
sketch, taken from life, will testify. And, from this
time forward, it will be "albecore" whether, like the
small boy's apple, it has any or not.
NEW BRINKERHOFF TRAVELER.
Lawrence J. Foster, is a new traveling representa-
tive for the Brinkerhoff Piano Co., Chicago, and
Iowa,- Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska have been
assigned to him as territory. The Brinkerhoff Piano
Co.'s line is well and favorably known in the states
named and Mr. Foster is one of the genial and likable
kind who will extend the circle of friends of the
piano and players of the Chicago company.
WILLIAMS
PIANOS
The policy of the Williams House is and always
has been to depend upon excellence of product
instead of alluring price. Such a policy does not
attract bargain hunters. It does, however, win the
hearty approval and support of a very desirable
•nd substantial patronage.
Will I/VMS Maker, of Williams Piano..
WILLIftlTIJ Epworth Piano, and Organ,
Kinder & Collins
Pianos
520-524 W. 48th S
NEW YORK
When In Doubt See Presto Buyers' Guide
PO OLE
-BOSTON-
GRAND AND UPRIGHT PIANOS
AND
PLAYER PIANOS
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/

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