Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1925 2037

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E.tabn.hed J884. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
to c*n» t $2.00 a r~*
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1925
stronger than this time last year, an increase of nearly
fifty per cent.
"With the addition of five hundred new members,
the N. A. of P. T. Inc. becomes the largest and
strongest (in point of numbers) unit in the Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce, all of which is
without a doubt a source of great satisfaction and en-
Fifty Per Cent Increase in Membership and couragement to the officers and members in general
and to the old guard in particular who have worked
Other Evidences of Interest in Purposes of
so hard and done so much for the association and
National Association of Piano Tuners
for the piano tuning profession.
Strengthens Optimistic Feeling.
Work to Do.
"Notwithstanding the fact that such wonderful
progress has been made in the way of increasing the
membership and building up a strong and powerful
organization of qualified efficient piano tuners
Instruction Facilities Provided by Manufacturers of throughout the country, the progress of the associa-
tion along other lines is still more wonderful and of
Player and Reproducing Pianos Are Appreciated
much greater importance than the increase in mem-
Features at Sixteenth Annual Meet.
bers and local divisions. Let us consider the all too
The sixteenth annual convention of the National glaring fact, that there are about ten million out-of-
Association of Piano Tuners was held this week at tune pianos in the U. S. A. Nevertheless, the
the Hotel Statler, Detroit, opening Monday, August piano tuners of this country, independent and em-
3, with the registration of members and closing with ployed, are dragging down something less than eight
the election of officers on the afternoon of Thursday. million net, just a little over one-tenth of the amount
It was the largest and most notable gathering of the tuning business will or could be made to yield, a
piano tuners and technicians ever held. All the re- condition due to the lack of organization on the part
producing piano and playerpiano manufacturers had of the piano tuners and the policy of misrepresenta-
instruments and sectional parts on display with staffs tion of the true facts concerning the nature and care
of experts to explain their purposes and merits. Heads of the piano by the piano dealers and salesmen in the
of service departments of the various manufacturers past.
Up to Tuners.
were on hand with corps of trained instructors carry-
ing on the educational work which was such a re-
"However, the piano tuners are to blame for this
markable feature of the convention.
condition as the remedy is at hand, and if the tuners
have not the courage, brains and energy to take ad-
Welcomed by Mayor.
vantage of the opportunity offered them by the N. A,
Mayor John Smith of Detroit gave a formal wel- of P. T. Inc., then they are not entitled to as much
come, as did also Jock Minifie, chairman of the De- pay as the milk wagon driver, as the milk wagon
troit Division.
driver knows what he must do in order to make more
The optimistic spirit of the association was reflected money, and does it. When the employed tuners
in the mental attitude of the officials. "This has been wake up to the fact that there are certain things to
the most eventful year in the history of the National be done, certain conditions that must be produced
Association of Piano Tuners—first, because of the in- or brought about before they can commence to drag
crease in its membership, and, second, because of the down the salary of a milk wagon driver. When the
prominent part the association took in the establish- employed tuners of this country make up their minds
ing of a standard pitch," said Charles Deutschmann, to quit their foolishness, act like men, join the Asso-
president, in his opening address.
ciation and help to elevate the profession, and do the
things that are necessary in order to improve condi-
President's Review.
tions, then and only then can they expect to receive
Mr. Deutschmann's speech was an illuminating re- the pay that a specialized workman possessing the
view of the efforts and performances of the associa- skill, ability and experience of a piano tuner should
tion since the convention of 1924. A notable accom- receive.
plishment was the drive for more members in which
Bright Outlook.
the membership was increased over fifty per cent.
"But, the greatest and most gratifying effect of the
But the awakening of interest in the tuners' associa-
tion has created a problem for its officials. Mr. work of the association and the great piano concerns
who are co-operating in the work of educating the
Deutschmann said:
"There are springing up all over our country inde- piano owning public as to the nature and care of the
pendent organizations, and, while this is a most pro- piano, is the change that has taken place in the atti-
nounced compliment to the N. A. of P. T.—in fact, tude of the public towards tuning, and while it is per-
an acknowledgment that they see and are taking haps true that this great change has only commenced
notice of the good results of our work—yet in de- to show, nevertheless, we know that there is a
fense of our institution it is absolutely essential that marked change in public sentiment towards piano
we use our best endeavors to bring them into our tuning. Piano owners are responding to the educa-
fold before they lose their enthusiasm—owing to the tional work nicely. Piano owners are no longer
inability of their local organization to bring about astounded when the tuner tells them that the piano
the things they are seeking—or go to pieces and dis- should be tuned four times a year."
band.
An English Visitor.
An Impossibility.
Among the prominent men at the convention was
"We have had some experience in this matter and A. W. Stokes, honorary general secretary of the
we have discovered to our sorrow that it is impossible Pianoforte Tuners' Association of London, England,
to interest men of a defunct local association in or- who was a most interested and enthusiastic partici-
ganization matters until time has healed the sting of pant. Mr. Stokes was assigned "Hints on Publicity"
their failure. My trip east was on a mission of this as a discourse topic. It was a clever treatment of a
kind and how well I have succeeded is too early to universal topic, in which he brought the necessity of
predict."
publicity home to the individual tuner. Mr. Stokes
The question of fees for membership, the attitude said, in part:
of the association on apprentices, and the necessity
"The best method to follow is to decide upon how
for funds for publicity were matters discussed by the often you can afford to advertise. Whatever you de-
president, who also explained what has been per- cide, advertise regularly, whether weekly or monthly,
formed by the conference on pitch.
and above all keep it up.
"The public has a very short memory, which is a
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
blessing to the "dud" tuner and a curse to the effi-
Reviewing the activities and achievements of the cient man.
"Piano owners will forget to have their pianos
N. A. of P. T. Inc. for the past twelve months Sec-
retary McClellan pointed to the phenomenal increase tuned; it is your place to remind them. They will
in the number of members through the membership forget the risks run by employing incompetent men;
drive as the greatest single feature or objective ac- again you must remind them. They will be unmind-
complished since the Milwaukee convention. The ful of the justice of rewarding competent work with
PIANO TUNERS
MEET IN DETROIT
THE TECHNICAL VALUE
organization is now well over five hundred members
(Continued on Page 7.)
CABLE MIDGET UPRIGHT
INSTALLED ON BOAT
California Deep Sea Fisherman Has Little
Upright Added to Floating Equipment of
His Houseboat at Eureka.
Whether there is any trath in the statement that
music is a good bait in fishing is going to be proved
conclusively by Mr. Reise, famous deep sea fisher-
man of Eureka, California.
Mr. Reise has recently purchased a Cable Midget
Upright from the Wiley B. Allen Company, at
EASY TO GiOT ABOARD.
Eureka, for his houseboat. Although a devoted and
enthusiastic fisherman, Mr. Reise likes to enjoy all
the advantages of home on his extended cruises along
the Pacific Coast, and so he has equipped his house-
boat with every modern convenience and comfort.
His latest acquisition is a Cable Midget Upright
which he regards, very highly because while it is
small, light and easily moved it possesses all the
musical qualities of the finest upright pianos.
Mr. Johnson, manager of the Wiley B. Allen
agency in Eureka, who sold Mr. Reise his piano, has
been particularly successful in selling Cable Midget
uprights. He has seen the possibilities of this dainty,
sturdy, little piano and has done his bit in proving
that it is a "many-purpose piano for unusual places."
NEW TACOMA TRADE
ASSOCIATION FORMED
Officers Elected, Constitution and By-laws
Adopted and Other Important Business
Transacted at First Regular Meeting.
Sam Silver was elected president of the newly or-
ganized Tacoma Retail Music Dealers' Association,
at the first meeting held in the offices of the Sherman
Clay & Co. branch, July 28. Other officers elected
were: A. G. McMillan, vice-president, and Sidney
Lee Johnson, secretary-treasurer. The following are
the trustees: E. Tatum, M. B. Clinton, Galvin Hop-
per and V. Ohnvic. A constitution and by-laws were
adopted.
All the music houses of the lively Washington city
are represented in the new trade association and the
members, by the high degree of interest, give assur-
ance that the organization will fitly represent music
trade interests in that portion of the Pacific Coast.
The attitude of the association on several trade prob-
lems particularly interesting to the Tacoma dealers
will be reported to the association at the next meet-
ing by the specially appointed committees. The new
association announced its stand in favor of a five per
cent carrying charge on small goods, phonographs
and radios.
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/
August 8, 1925.
PRESTO
A DELIGHTFUL DINNER
AT DECORAH, IOWA
One of a Series of Events Shared by Friends
of Geo. P. Bent in the Town of
His Birth.
Two of the characteristically enjoyable entertain-
ments for which Geo. P. Bent has become famous
were given last month. They were, in a sense, con-
tinuations of the Drake Hotel banquet given by the
popularly known former piano manufacturer during
the music trade convention on June 13th. The first
page of the menu card of the last of the events at
Decorah, Iowa, read as follows:
"Dinner to old time friends given by Mr. and Mrs.
George Payne Bent (Gee. Pee. Bee. and Clara Ames
Wingate Bent), June 16, 1854-Tuly 24, 1857; wedded
April 26, 1876."
The list of speakers for the occasion was unusually
large and a number responded with happy remarks.
The list included the following:
Miss Albertine Appy, Mr. E. C. Bailey, Mr. Fred
Biermann, Mr. Robert Bergeson, Col. Chr. Brandt,
Mr. Robert O. Foster, Dr. F. W. Conover, Mr. M. T.
Grattan, Judge Chas. N. Houck, Mrs. Albert Lin-
coln, Mr. R. F. B. Portman, Mr. Geo. H. Payne,
Rev. Chas. A. Payne, D. D., Rev. Irving E. Putnam,
Mr. W. H. Reed, Miss Clara Rollins, Mr. Lew B.
Whitney, Mr. Norman Willett, Mr. A. J. C. Win-
gate. Orchestra conductor, Mr. B. O. Marsh; song
leader, Mr. B. O. Thorsen.
Reference is made to this event in Decorah, in one
of Mr. Bent's letters to the Rev. Irving E. Putnam,
which appears on another page this week.
and there are nearly thirty used pianos stored there
at the present time.
A fine line of grand pianos, playerpianos, reproduc-
ing and straight pianos is now shown on the second
and third floors of the building. The first floor is
used for the display of band and string instruments,
phonographs, music books and sheet music, and sup-
plies of all kinds. Several spacious booths for dem-
onstrating phonograph records are also located on the
first floor. An extensive supply of phonographs and
playerpiano rolls and accessories are kept there.
The basement is used as a stock room for all sorts
of musical merchandise, sheet music, piano benches
and phonographs.
Mr. Benedict, although seventy-eight years of age,
is at his desk in his establishment from eight o'clock
every morning until closing time and is justly proud
of the large and successful concern he has developed
in Galesburg.
NEWS NOTES FROM
PORTLAND, ORE., FIELD
Steinway Concert Grand Provides Accompani-
ment for Schumann-Heink at Two Con-
certs of Saengerfest, in Portland, Ore.
The North Pacific Singing Union, comprising sev-
enteen singing societies of Oregon, Washington and
Idaho consisting of male and mixed voices held their
eighth saengerfest in Portland, Ore., July 24, 25 and
26. Over 300 singers participated in two concerts
given in the municipal auditorium, Madame Schu-
mann-Heink being the soloist at both concerts. A
Steinway concert grand piano was furnished for the
concerts, and another Steinway was sent to the pri-
vate suite of Madame Schumann-Heink, through the
courtesy of Sherman, Clay & Co.
Two more suits were filed in the federal court at
Portland, Ore., by eastern publishers against the
United Amusement Co., of the Oaks Amusement
Park of Portland, the city's "Coney Island." One
suit was brought by Clark & Leslie, Inc., of New
Joseph Benedict, Galesburg, 111., Music Dealer, York, alleging that the copyrighted musical composi-
Proud of the Healthy Business He
tion, "Maggie Come Right Upstairs," was sung at
the Oaks without authority, and the second suit was
Has Built Up.
filed by.Ager, Yellon & Bornstein, of New York, for
Work of redecorating the entire interior of the the unauthorized using of "I Wonder What's Be-
Benedict Music Company store, at 64 South Cherry come of Sally." Damages in both cases are asked of
street, Galesburg, 111., is in progress in preparation not less than $250.00, nor more than $5,000.00.
fdr the fall trade, and Joseph Benedict, proprietor of
G. F. Johnson of the G. F. Johnson Piano Co. of
the business which he founded in that city thirty- Portland, Ore., and president of the Oregon Music
three years ago, states that his expectations for big Trades association, was the principal speaker at a
sales are brighter than ever before.
luncheon given in that city by the Fine Arts Club
Mr. Benedict went to Galesburg in 1892 and opened July 27. Mr. Johnson took "Music" as his subject
a small music store in a site in the Commercial block and spoke of the elevating influence of music in the
on South Cherry street. His stock consisted of a few home, school and church, and spoke of the impor-
pianos and a small rack of sheet music.
tance of music being given a larger place in our pub-
Later he moved into the McKenzie building, where lic schools, and urged every music teacher, music
he remained for a year and then moved into the club and musical organization of the city doing
Thompson building. At the end of fifteen years the everything possible to promote interest in music in
late Judge Thompson agreed to put up the building the schools.
for the store in which the Benedict Music Company
M. A. Roach, proprietor of the Eugene Music Shop
is now located.
of Eugene, Ore., has added a piano department to his
At first Mr. Benedict's establishment occupied only store, according to announcement of Harry Melvin,
the first floor but the business expanded so rapidly traveling representative of the Portland, Ore , branch
that now the concern occupies the entire building, of the Wiley B. Allen Co.
practically three floors, and the entire side of the
adjoining building to the north on the third floor.
Mrs. W. P. Wheeler, of Oshkosh, Wis., has been
One part of this third floor addition is used exclu- appointed principal of the Miessner "Melody Way"
sively as a repair shop. What is termed an "over- method of piano instruction for that city and adjoin-
flow" room is also located in this third floor addition ing territory.
SEVENTY=EIGHT BUT
STEADILY ON THE JOB
STIL HARCOURT SHOWS
TUNERS REPRO-PHRASO
Popular Piano Man Meets Friends Among
Craft and Explains Action of This Player
at Detroit Meeting.
j
Stil Harcourt of the Story & Clark Piano Co., 173
North Michigan avenue, Chicago, who has the dis-
tinction of being the creator of the sensational Repro- i
Phraso instrument, was a conspicuous figure at the !
tuner's conclave at Hotel Statler, Detroit, this week. !
Mr. Harcourt by his genial ways and knowledge j
of all things pertaining to the piano, has a wide j
acquaintance in the piano trade and particularly with
the piano technicians. Being closely connected with \
the tuners, in the fact that he is a piano technician i
himself, and aware of the struggles of the service'
men in gaining recognition in the trade, Mr. Harcourt \
is heart and soul for the organization and its ad-
vancement in the music industry.
As at previous conventions of the tuners, the Story
& Clark exhibit was an interesting feature for the]
three days beginning Monday of this week. Several'
pianos and skeletons were shown and men schooled j
in the art of tuning all classes of instruments, and]
from all parts of the country were attentive to the!
talk of Mr. Harcourt.
]
PIANO CLUB OF CHICAGO
IN PROMOTION OF MUSIC
Special Opera Performances for School Children One!
of the Achievements to Its Credit.
The Piano Club of Chicago justifies its existence!
by the promotion of music and the friendliness of the!
membership. The governors have learned that it is!
not always necessary to spend money to promote:
music. This year the board of governors suggested
to the Chicago Civic Opera Company that perform-
ances especially for school children would help toi
lay the foundation of musical appreciation. The sug-<
gestion was adopted and thousands of high school
students attended the opera. Beginning with the pur
chase of symphony tickets by Matt. J. Kennedy sev-j
eral years ago this club has always been alert to help
"Make America Musical."
The meeting this week was on Monday at the Illi-i
nois Athletic Club. This summer the meetings have ;
been short and snappy. Adjournment is before 1:30J
and the entertainment committee invariably has some!
good entertainment for the luncheoners. Regular!
monthly meeting of the board of governors followed-
the luncheon.
!
A meeting of the executive committee also was!
held following board of governors meeting.
j
MUSICIAN IS GOOD SALESMAN.
A wide acquaintance among musical people!
and activity in local musical events makes Bert Mar-j
guart a valuable acquisition to the piano sales force
of Kohler & Chase, San Jose, Calif. Mr. Marguart
is leader of Marguart's Dance Orchestra, a popular
musical organization of that city. In addition to his
musical talents he has proved his ability to discover
piano prospects and quickly close the sales on a
profitable basis.
SUMMER and AUTUMN
offer opportunities for the live piano salesman unequalled by any other season. With the Bowen Loader it is easy to get out into the
country, taking the piano along. Sales are sure, and with the Ford runabout and one-man Carrier you can demonstrate and do busi-
ness anywhere. Our latest fool-proof, indestructible Loader for only $95 affords an unusual opportunity. Satisfaction guaranteed.
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/

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