Presto

PRESTO
Presto
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY.
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT -
• 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, NOVEMBER 21, 1925.
GOOD REPORTS
Within a week five piano manufacturers
have written to Presto expressing not only
satisfaction, but even indicating surprise, at
the marked betterment of business. It is
furthermore suggestive that all of the five
industries thus reporting remarkably quick
return to almost unparalleled activities in the
factories, are of the highest order of character
and quality. They include the Steinway,
Packard, Cable, Krakauer and Schiller. There
is evidence enough of the "come back" of the
piano, and the kind of demand by which the
trade everywhere is stimulated.
If the piano business were the only one
that has experienced something like a slump
during the past two years, the return might
be still more remarkable. But, as a matter
of fact, nearly all lines have felt it, and it is
only because we are close to the piano indus-
try that such reports as are now coming in
seem to possess something of the savor of
surprise.
In any event, conditions, as the year begins
to wane, are of a kind to instill new life into
a certain class of piano men. The rank and
file require no special stimulation or reassur-
ance. They understand their business well
enough to expect the changes which have al-
ways come as surely as the passing seasons.
Very few will now say that there is not a
good time ahead for the piano. The signs are
everywhere, and the dealers who read them
and take advantage of them in time will soon
start a new year with no least doubt about
the results of effort at least so far as their
vision can now penetrate.
November 21, 1925.
may, or may not, prove an innovation. Its "rumor" in that. It's substantial fact. Get
claim, as suggested by the inventor's brief, your share.
is at least decidedly in line with modern
* * *
thought. It is the "Talking Table."
The Cleveland Music Trade Association
No advance information is given by which seems to have overlooked the plan so care-
the character of the talk may be known. fully devised by the New York Piano Mer-
Possibly it is something in the line of the chants' Association for fixing the values of
occult. Perhaps a new "Ouija" has come. Or trade-ins. Many prominent piano houses have
possibly the "talking table" may be some- long since adopted the schedule with good re-
* * ^
thing with which to do away with a certain sults.
* * *
kind of piano salesmen who cannot talk, or
The article by Mr. W. L. Bush, on the in-
have little to say to prospects by which sales
may be closed. There are still a few—very fluence upon industry and trade, of music in
few—retail piano warerooms in need of some the schools, which appeared in last week's
Presto, has been printed in convenient slip
such table.
Another sign of special life in musical lines form and mailed to many influential people
is the return of the famous music leaf turner who will use it to good effect.
* * *
which has been missing from the patent lists
To
anyone
who
reads
the classified adv. col-
for several years past. There was a time
umns
in
Presto,
it
must
seem strange that
when the patent office must have seemed dull
there
could
be
any
idle
piano
men who are
without the genius of the music leaf turner
capable
of
doing
anything
in
particular to
inventors. They were so numerous that it
prove
their
fitness
to
deserve
the
dollars.
seemed marvelous that anything new enough
*
*
*
to be patented could be thought of. But the
Hard working men of the music trade will
music leaf turner has come back strong, and
be
delighted to know that the estate tax is
the latest report shows several of them mixed
only
a 20 per cent maximum on $10,000,000.
in with the talking machine devices and small
Also
that "the amount of tax paid" may not
instrument novelties.
again
be thrown open to competitors and the
There are also some unquestionably valu-
rest
of
the world.
able inventions pertaining to the piano.
Among them is a new agraffe by Mr. William
M. Bauer, of Chicago; a combined "piano and
30 YEARS AGO IN THE TRADE
practice instrument," by Mr. B. H. Jefferson,
From the Files of Presto
who was so long at the head of the publicity
department of Lyon & Healy, and two or three
(November 21, 1895.)
new piano actions. Plainly new life keeps
The "Neue Musik-Zeitung," of Leipsic, Germany,
coming to the best business in the world.
says that London has two hundred piano factories
It is not unusual to find errors' in the an-
nouncements of new piano enterprises. On
this basis, perhaps, the statement that the re-
cently organized Delaware Piano Co., of Mun-
cie, Indiana, will produce six thousand instru-
ments a year may not seem surprising. In
any event, Mr. Houston is alert and ambitious,
and his factory will produce to its full capacity.
* * *
The influence of one man in any line of in-
dustry, is again illustrated by the effect upon
the music trade of the new "Red Top" when
that radio tube broke in upon the business.
But for Mr. T. M. Pletcher it is probably that
but a small proportion of the music trade
would even yet realize that radio has any
association with their business at all.
* * *
It is to be hoped that the example of a high
school graduating class that scratched its
members' names on the surface of the school
room piano will not be very generally fol-
lowed. The piano, now on exhibition in a
Salt Lake City music store, has been chris-
tened the "Collegiate," but that doesn't ex-
cuse the class.
* * *
A short time ago the piano tuners' asso-
ciation was worrying about what to call
them. A Danish scientist has settled it. The
piano tuner is a doctor, plain enough, and his
title, instead of M. D., is T. D. For the scien-
tist says that sinus affection may be discov-
ered and cured with the tuning fork.
THE LEAF TURNER RETURNS
* * *
An interesting indication of the increased
activities in all departments of the music in-
If ever the piano dealers expect to realize
dustry is seen in the great number of recently the rewards of good work in selling the goods
issued patents pertaining to the things that this seems to be the time. At least a half-
create harmonious sound or help to that end. dozen piano industries have reported the best
And among the new-comers is an item which business in years. There must be more than
that produce about ninety thousand instruments
yearly.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Francis Smith, the venerable
author of the national hymn, "America," and of the
missionary song, "The Morning Light Is Breaking,"
died suddenly in the New England Railroad station,
Boston, at 4:50 o'clock Saturday afternoon.
The Schaffer factory is now running over-time. As
a matter of fact, and, much as the conscientious
scruples of the management may rebel, it has been
found necessary to even work on Sundays to keep
up with the demand, and to avoid disappointing
dealers.
The Baldwin piano factory building at Cincinnati,
while not completed, is in use by the company.
Workmen are now engaged putting up a long frame
structure, which will be used in different sections as
a stable, boiler house and dry-kilns. It will be 100
feet long.
When the record of this year is written it will show
a long list of deaths among the great ones of music
and song. And the list will include the last of those
who in this century have contributed to the patriotic
songs of America. Geo. F. Root, Harrison Millard
and Dr. S. F. Smith have all passed from eartli
within a very short space of time.
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(From Presto, November 23, 1905.)
Instead of trying to kill two birds with one stone
use an up-to-date shotgun. Presto advertising rates
will be sent on request.
Those who think that the playerpiano is but a
passing fad or fancy will be interested to note that
this style of instrument is coming to the front by
leaps and bounds.
Recent purchasers of the Aeolian Company's in-
struments include H. R. H. the Princess of Rouma-
nia, who only this week ordered an instrument in
special case for Christmas delivery; Lord Northcote,
the Governor-General of Australia; the Republic of
Salvador (ordered for the Government Palace).
Presto is glad to notice that the daily press has
taken up the matter of increased prices in pianos
which seems to be almost inevitable. These warn-
ings have gone forth from the trade press for some
time past and the general papers of the country—
dailies, weeklies and others—in bringing the matter
to the attention of their readers have found it a
timely subject.
Dear old Boston grows dear in just about the ratio
that her pianos in the isolated instances grow
cheaper! A few years ago the idea of cheap pianos
from Boston would have taken the curls all out of
the comic paper's typical Boston dame's ringlets.
Now there are piano makers within a comfortable
walk of North Station who think that they can com-
pete with New York and Chicago.
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