Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
The American Music Trade Weekly
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
halls and other similar public places has been
common enough through the centuries. It is
now the day of Apollo, Janus and Pan.
THE IRON PLATE
It may seem almost startling to some, but
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
. Editor*
as
the experienced piano man knows, the
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
strongest
part of the piano is often its weak-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
est. It is the iron plate, which is so often re-
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago. Illinois, under Act of Marcn 3, 1879.
ferred to as the backbone of the piano. And
that supposedly powerful essential has caused
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, f/4.
Payable In advance. No extra charge in United States
more annoyance and loss to the manufacturer
possessions. Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on
application.
and dealer than any other part of the instru-
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if ment. It has been the cause of innumerable
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen "returns" to the factory. It has created loss
in the smaller cities are the best occasional cot re- of sales just when the prospect had about con-
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
cluded to close. And it has been the cause of
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the more disappointment to the travelers in the
editorial or news columns of Presto-Times.
trade than any other single feature of the
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of pro- piano.
duction will be charged if of commercial character,
Naturally the iron plate itself suggests
or other than strictly news interest.
When electrotypes are sent for publication it is power. It is expected to bear a large propor-
requested that their subjects and senders be carefully tion of the "immense strain of the springs"
indicated.
about which most prospective buyers have
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat- heard not a little. It is the part that is so of-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the
same (Jay. Advertising copy should be in hand before ten rapped upon to show the imperishable
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full character of the instrument, and it is the basis
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon
preceding publication day. Want advs. for current of many an attempt to reproduce the fine qual-
week, to insure classification, must not be later than ities of great instruments.
Wednesday noon.
And yet the "cracked plate" is a familiar
Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
member
of the group of mysteries to which
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
suspicion has been repeatedly cast when com-
plaint reaches the piano factory office. It is
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1927.
this that causes such industries as the O. S.
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press Kelly Company to declare that the "iron plate
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring is the backbone of the piano"—a graphically
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur-
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that truthful expression—and upon the quality of
is not strictly news of importance can have the iron plate rests much of the fame of the
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they name of Fairbanks, also of Springfield, Ohio.
concern the interests of manufacturers or You can not hope for strength in either the
dealers such items will appear the week follow- human being, or the musical instrument, with
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the
current issue must reach the office not later a weak back.
And yet it is much more infrequent that the
than Wednesday noon of each week.
piano's plate is made the center of discussion,
or commendation, than almost anything else
A DEDICATION
in the instrument. The careful piano maker
It is the custom to publicly dedicate
knows the plate he uses, and the wise piano
almost everything that contributes to the
dealer knows the source of the plates that help
glory of a city, or to the good of humanity the
give power and endurance to the piano he
world over. Of course great public buildings
commends.
are dedicated as soon as they rise to imposing
heights and present any notable suggestion of
UNFILLED NICHES
splendor and progress.
But it has not, we believe, been customary
Recently, for instance, there were calls
to distinguish buildings designed for commer- in the corridors of the music trade. With all
cial purposes by the pomp of public and special the ingenuity and industry which have crowd-
dedicatory exercises. An exception in this re- ed the aisles of the music industry, there are
spect was the gathering of the officials and still several often-called-for lines of instru-
other noted characters to celebrate the com- ments which have not yet developed to a com-
pletion of the new Aeolian Hall in New York mercial extent. This fact is seen by the ques-
last week. The city's mayor, several notable tions which appear at intervals in the "Where
speakers, and many leaders in the various Doubts Are Dispelled" columns of Presto-
branches of musical work, were present to tell Times.
of the purposes of the new building and to
Last week, for instance, there were calls
commend the enterprise that made so fine an for nickel-in-the-slot phonographs.
There
addition to New York's business buildings and have been questions of the same kind before.
art centers possible.
But while there have been a number of at-
As a matter of fact, the history of the tempts to supply such an instrument, with
Aeolian Company presents a volume of in- automatically changing disc device, none have
teresting progress. Beginning in a very small seemed acceptable. There are several sys-
. way, with a half-story-down display of auto- tems pointing to such a phonograph, but the
matic pianos, in the early eighties, the indus- completed instrument, actually ready for the
try has pushed and fought its way to its pres- demand, has not yet appeared.
ent powerful place in the world's business.
Nor has the "fool-proof" radio yet arrived.
And it is interesting to note that descendents There are so many good receivers that it
of the first to embark in the. enterprise are hardly seems fair to say it but, probably in
still active today in carrying forward the ideas the nature of things, the absolutely satisfac-
and plans of the founders.
tory one, from the commercial point of view,
Dedicating the churches, court houses, music is still in the offing. It must come or the radio
March 5, 1927.
"craze" will dissolve into the sanity of the
purely musical instrument of which the piano
is the best representative. Nothing has, in
any considerable degree, proved a competitor
of the piano, and there probably never will be
anything, especially for home use.
WHAT WE WERE DOING
And Saying When the Trade
Was Young
45 YEARS AQO IN THE TIMES
(From Musical Times, March 3, 1882.)
Mr. J. McTammany, inventor of the "Organette,"
is very busy. His new establishment, at Worcester,
Mass, is in perfect running order and Mr. McTam-
many is congratulating himself on the demand for
large organettes for churches and lodges.
The Haines Bros, new square grand pianos are
attracting the notice of artists by their singularly
beautiful tone and touch. It is a fact that if a dealer
begins to handle the Haines Bros, he sticks to it
against all others.
Mr. Alfred Dolge, of New York, is the founder of
a stock company for the manufacture of felt and
sounding-boards in a small town of about one thou-
sand inhabitants, which has been called Dolgeville.
The establishment during 1881 yielded about 25,000
pounds of felt and over 50,000 sounding boards.
35 YEARS AQO IN THE TRADE
• (From Presto, March 3, 1892.)
The tuners of Chicago held their second meeting
last Saturday evening at the warerooms of Estey &
Camp. The committee on constitution and by-laws,
appointed at the last meeting, presented their report,
and, with the addition of a few clauses, they were
adopted.
Adam Shaaf's new factory is nearing completion
and everything will be in readiness for manufacturing
about April 1st. With his characteristic push and
close attention to business, Mr. Shaaf is giving a
large share of his time to personally superintending
the work.
Within our Gates: E. P. Hawkins, A. L. Ebbels
(general Eastern representative Presto), New York.
—R. S. Howard (New England Piano Co.), Bos-
ton.—Edward McCammon (McCammon Piano Co.),
Oneonta. N. Y.—Calvin B. Whitney (A. B. Chase
Co.), Norwalk, Ohio.—Mark Ament, Bloomington,
111.—George Sanborn (traveler for Mason & Hamlin
Organ & Piano Co.).
25 YEARS AQO THIS WEEK
(From Presto, March 6, 1902.)
On Saturday evening, Messrs. Hugo Sohmer and
George W. Reichmann, of Sohmer & Co , will attend
the dinner to be given in honor of Prince Henry, of
Prussia, by the German Society of New York at the
Waldorf-Astoria.
Your correspondent succeeded in getting aboard
the German Emperor's yacht "Hohenzollern," last
Friday afternoon, thereby escaping the terrible rain
storm which many New Yorkers will remember all
their lives. The "Hohenzollern" is a veritable float-
ing palace. What a pity it is that you Chicagoans
cannot get her out your way.
There was rather more truth than nonsense in the
report alleged to have been made by the committee
of a fire company which had been appointed to pur-
chase a piano—especially that portion of 'the report
in which the committee stated that they had found a
"few less than 700 best instruments on earth."
THE PROFITS.
When you're working to make money,
Digging in as if for life,
As the busy bees make honey,
Is it worth the toil and strife?
Yes, you say, but in the tussle
Do you get your honest share
Of results of work and hustle—
Are you sure the profit's there?
In your eager, hot pursuing
Of your share of trade, or more,
Do you threat your own undoing
Of the progress made before?
Ever reaching out and striving
For the conquest of your toil,
Are you ever self-depriving
By the profits you may spoil?
Never let your blind ambitions
Lead you out where reason stalls,
Far, where unforeseen conditions
Block the way till fortune falls;
In the race for fortune's favor
'Tis not all in speed alone,
To enjoy the victor's savor
Keep the profits for your own.
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