Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
ACTIVE IN PIANO
PLAYING CONTEST
Personnel of Supervising Committee Pub-
lished Gives Strong Assurance That Chil-
dren's Piano Playing Tournament Will
Be a Success and Stimulative to Trade.
eleventh and twelfth grades, inclusive). No profes-
sionals eligible.
Preliminary tests will be held during the months
of March and April. District tests will be held the
first two weeks in May. Semi-finals will be held
the last two weeks in May. The grand finals will
be staged as a feature of the annual convention of the
national music industries, which will be held in Chi-
cago the week of June 6. All preliminary and dis-
trict tests will be held in Chicago's school halls and
auditoriums. The dates given here for the district
and semi-final tests are subject to revision.
January 22, 1927.
ERNEST URCHS APPEARS
IN CLASSICAL CONCERT
Prominent Representative of Steinway & Sons
Takes Part in MacDowell Memorial As-
sociation Benefit in New York.
How many among his intimate friends in the
trade know that Ernest Urchs is a pianist of rare
ability? Perhaps it would be better to ask how many
do not know it. Anyway, he is, and he is one of
the three amateur pianists who, with John Frskine.
professor of English a* Columbia University and
author of "The Private Life of Helen of Troy" and
Many Music Houses of Chicago Comprised in First
"Gallahad"; and Olin Downes, music critic of The
Roll of Contributors to Necessary Fund for
Times, New York, who gave a concert in Steinway
New Purchase Includes Control of Wegman Hall on the afternoon of Jan. 21 and the evening of
Prizes and Expenses.
Jan. 22 for the benefit of the MacDowell Memorial
Piano Co. and Six Piano Names with
The Annual Greater Chicago Children's Piano Play-
Association of Peterboro, N. H.
Honorable
Records
in
Industry.
ing Tournament is the official title of the new move-
Mr. Downs and Professor Erskine were announced
ment in that city, the announcement of which was
The Estey Piano Co., New York, has bought out
to play the Brahms-Haydn Variations for two
made in Presto-Times last week. This week the list the Wegman Corporation of New Jersey, which con- pianos. Professor Erskine, accompanied by a sec-
of supervisors is added to that of sponsors already trolled the Wegman Piano Co., New York. This ond piano, played the Mozart Concerto in D major.
printed.. The supervising committee consists of the new deal accomplished, by George W. Gittens, direct- The final number was the Bach triple concerto in D
following;
ing head of the Estey Piano Co., results in five new minor, played by all three, accompanied by a small
piano units for the purchasers in addition to the string orchestra of students of the Institute of Musi-
List of Supervisors.
Emil Garber, of the Chicago Herald and Examiner, Wegman piano: The Chase & Baker, Malcolm Love, cal Art, conducted by Frank Damrosch.
director; Peter F. Meyer, Chicago, executive secre- Vough, Alexander and LeRoy pianos, all long iden-
tary; C. E. Austin, of the Chicago Herald and tified in a prominent way in the piano industry, and
Examiner, exploitation director; Jas. T. Bristol, presi- widely known 'to the public in all sections of the
dent James T. Bristol Co., treasurer; Henry E. Wei- country.
The Wegman and the other instruments acquired
sert, vice-president Bissell-Weisert Piano Co., chair-
man finance committee; Henry Hewitt, sales man- by the Estey Piano Co. will be included in the ambi-
ager M. Schulz Co., chairman committee on tious plans for sales this year, according to Mr. Git-
arrangements; Herman Fleer, manager, Lyon & tions and J. Harry Shale, vice-president and sales Entertainment and Lecture Features Meeting
H.ealy piano division; Roger O'Connor, manager manager. It is a sterling group of instruments, each
at Union League Club on Thursday with
Kranich & Bach Chicago branch; C. R. Brownell. one with an inviting background for a publicity
Many Guests in Attendance.
campaign.
The
pianos
bearing
the
name
of
the
late
manager Lyon & Healy tuning and repair depart-
Henry
Wegman,
founder
of
the
Wegman
Piano
Co.,
The
Chicago
Piano & Organ Association held its
ments.
were acknowledged to be instruments of high quality
Charles E. Byrne, vice-president Steger & Sons and were recognized in the awards at the World's twenty-eighth annual dinner at the Union League
Piano Mfg. Co., chairman ways and means commit- Fair in Chicago in 1893. They have for several years Club on Thursday of this week. The meeting was
tee; C. G. Steger, president Steger & Sons Piano been manufactured by the Wegman Piano Company, characterized by a variety of good entertainment and
Mfg. Co.; Eugene Whelan, W. W. Kimball Com- whose factory has been on Tenth avenue, near Thir- a lecture by J. Paul Goode, of the University of
Chicago, who was the principal speaker of the eve-
pany, chairman speakers' committee; Walter Kiehn, teenth street, New York.
ning.
advertising manager, the Gulbransen Co.; Eugene
The executive officers of the Music Industries
E. Farny, manager Chicago division, Rudolph Wur-
Chamber of Commerce, New York, who were in Chi-
litzer Co.; Gordon Laughead, Chicago division
cago at the meeting of that organization, were guests
Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., and president Piano Club of
of the evening.
Chicago; Roy Cook, retail manager The Cable Piano
Subjects pertaining to the music trade were dis-
Co.; Adam Schneider, treasurer Julius Bauer & Co.;
cussed informally and ideas exchanged. A one hun-
E. C. Hill, retail manager, Baldwin Piano Company's
Chicago division; Harry Bibb, phonograph division, Backing a Music Contest; the "Guiro" At- dred per cent attendance at the dinner was predicted
by Eugene Whelan, of the W. W. Kimball Co., Chi-
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.; Matt J. Kennedy, of
tracts Fat Men; a New Music Supervisor
cago, chairman of the entertainment committee. The
Matt J. Kennedy, Chicago, and president National
guests in attendance included practically all of the
and Decline of the Sax.
Piano Travelers' Association.
members of the auxiliary board of the Music Indus-
By J. B. DILLON.
On General Committee.
tries Chamber whose names appear in connection
During Music Week, May 1-8, a musical contest, with the report of this week's meeting of the board
All of the above, with the following, comprise the
general committee: H. C. Dickinson, vice-president between high school students, is to be held. Last of control of the national organization in another
Frank M. column.
Baldwin Piano Co.; Raymond E. Durham, vice-presi- year there were eighty-three entries.
dent and general manager Lyon & Healy; Otto Beach, director of music at the Kansas State
Schulz, president M. Schulz Co.; Frank Hood, vice- Teachers college, Emporia, Kans., will be invited to
president Schiller Piano Co.; Kenneth W. Curtis, supervise the contest.
The Tipoca orchestra from Mexico City performed
Chicago representative for The Koehler Industries;
M. O. Meige, publisher Chicago Herald and Exam- in Denver recently. In lieu of the saxophone they
iner: Hays McFarland, assistant publisher Chicago used the Guiro. It is made from a gourd. Ameri-
Herald and Examiner; John Pratt, advertising direc- canos have often used the gourd for a dipper. A fat
tor Chicago Herald and Examiner; W. E. Guylee, man in the crowd after hearing the performance said H. Hauschildt Music Co. Vacates O'Farrell
vice-president The Cable Co.; Sam Moist, Moist it was great, but he was of the opinion that the Guiro
Street Premises to in Future Concentrate
Piano Co.; George J. Dowling, president The Cable was used as a symbol of "How Dry I am!"
Business in Oakland.
Co.; A. E. Owen, general manager P. A. Starck Piano
J. E. Hardy, a pioneer of the Cripple Creek dis-
The H. Hauschildt Music Co., 140 O'Farrell street,
Co.; Marquette A. Healy, president Lyon & Healy; trict of Colorado, and who conducted a music store at
E. M. Love, treasurer Story & Clark Piano Co.; A. Victor for twenty years, died January 11. He was San Francisco, has retired from the local field and
for the future will confine its activities to the Oakland
G. Gulbransen, president The Gulbransen Co.; Carl seventy-two.
Kinsey, Chicago Musical College, and Fred Forster,
Miss Effie Smith, of Loveland, Colorado, has been .store, to which the stock of the San Francisco store
Forster Music Publishing Co.
appointed music supervisor of the Longmont, Colo- has been removed. The Sacramento branch was dis-
rado, schools. Miss Smith has been teaching music continued last September.
Subscribe to Fund.
Following the death of Henry Hauschildt, in the
at Grand Island, Nebraska.
Up to this week the Chicago music trade has sub-
A prominent Denver pawnbroker says that vio- early part of last year, the executors decided on con-
scribed upwards of $15,000, the subscriptions ranging lins, guitars, mandolins and saxophones are fre- centrating the business in Oakland, where a large
from ten dollars to two thousand dollars each. The quently offered for pawn, but they side-step the store was occupied and a desirable business had been
following are the donors to this, fund:
Sax as it takes up too much room, there seeming to developed.
The premises vacated by the II. Hauschildt Music
Baldwin Piano Company, Menson's Music Shop, be less call for second hand saxes than the others
Co., were on the same day occupied by the Union
Bissell-Weisert Piano Company, James T. Bristol named.
Music Co., which also has a store in the Mission.
Co., Inc., Cable Piano Company, Chicago Piano &
The lease acquired by the latter company is only of
Organ Association, Chicago Piano Club, Central Gul-
A. M. SWEETLAND OF THE STARR.
two years' duration but before the expiration of the
bransen Store, The Gulbransen Company, Will A.
Not many piano travelers can lay claim to popu-
period the management hopes to acquire a good
Gross, Grosvenor Music House, Hassmer Bros., Jus- larity in the trade equal to that of A. M. Sweetland, of
tin Brothers (Cicero), Matt J. Kennedy, W. W. the Starr Piano Co. traveling force. Mr. Sweetland permanent San Francisco location. The company will
specialize on pianos in its new store and give con-
Kimball Company, Kranich & Bach, George Lestina, was in Chicago last week, and no one who had not
cessions for the operation of other departments. J.
Lyon & Healy. Mid-West Piano Company, Frank seen him since he lived in 'that city could say that
Naese & Co., Albert F. Price, L. A. Reichardt, Reich- he has grown a day older than when he moved to Hart has taken space for radio, D. Melander for talk-
ing machines and records, and John P. Broder for
ardt Piano Co., Roseland Music Shop, Rosenberg South Bend to live the peaceful life when at home,
sheet music.
Bros., C. Schulz & Sons, Simonson Piano Company, which is seldom. He is an enthusiast on the Starr
Steger & Sons Piano Mfg. Co., Vacca & Sons, Wade- instruments and he's popular with Starr dealers
Twichell Co., Ralph B. Waite Piano Co., Weiser & everywhere.
$20,000 FOR INJURED PIANIST.
Son's, Witzel Music Co., The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,
Miss
Sophinc Lobell, 7018 Sheridan Road, Chicago,
Moist Piano Company.
MANAGER RESIGNS.
pianist, whose right leg was injured in an automobile
Plans for Contest.
Fred Sheely, manager of the Templiu music store. accident so that she could not operate the pedals of
The contestants are to be divided into three divi- South Bend, Ind., has resigned. He is succeeded by a piano, was awarded $20,000 damages by a jury in
sions—elementary (up to sixth grade); intermediate Herman Marker, who has been connected with the Judge Walter Brewer's court last week. She was
(seventh to ninth grades, inclusive), and high (tenth. concern for eleven vears.
run down in February, 1925.
LIST OF DONORS GROWS
ESTEY PIANO CO. BUYS
OUT THE WEQMAN CORP.
ANNUAL DINNER OF
CHICAGO P. & 0 . ASS'N
DENVER TRADE AND
WHAT IT IS DOING
OLD HOUSE RETIRES
FROM SAN FRANCISCO
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/