10
May 14, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
ONE OF THE MANY
PIANO DISPLAYS
Schumann Piano Co. Will Present Novel
"Iwantoknow" Display at the Hotel
Stevens During the Music Trade
Convention, June 5 to 9.
'IWANTTOKNOW' WILL BE THERE
An Instructive Feature of the Exhibition Which Will
Bear Upon Effective New Angles of
the Sales Appeal.
Among the atractions at the national music trade
convention in Chicago, June 5-9, will be a novel dis-
play by the Schumann Piano Company, Rockford,
Illinois, which is to be built around the interesting
little character of "Iwantokno" (pronounced I-want-
to-know). Iwantokno has been asserting itself quite
noticeably among the trade as the little spirit, or em-
blem of buyer inquisitiveness for intelligent analysis
of certain features of piano construction, which have
long distinguished the Schumann slogan, "Built Like
a Violin."
Since making its debut, about eight months ago,
through the medium of an instructive little periodical,
by the same name, that reaches a host of dealers and
other folks interested in pianos each month, it has
brought light to bear upon effective new angles of
sales appeal and is now playing a very important role
in the Schumann regime.
Matters That Are Vital.
Though a tendency prevails among some dealers,
in talking piano to a customer, to skim lightly over
the explanation of mechanical detail, Schumann has
clung tenaciously to the principle that these things
are of vital interest to the buyer if presented in the
right way. Even more so than in the old days when
the salesman used to begin doing "his stuff' by re-
moving the front panel.
Other manufacturers, they hold, have educated the
public in presenting such things as automobiles,
houses, furniture, clothes, etc., to the. point of want-
ing to know all they can about what things are
made of, and how they are put together. It must be
only natural that folks are similarly inclined to place
confidence in the piano salesman who thoroughly
understands and is able to exploit the construction
high lights of his product.
Too Often Neglected.
"Personality, the calibre of the firm, the reputation
of the manufacturer, testimonials will never cease to
play their important parts, but it is serious to neglect
this other angle," says Mr. Van Matre, president of
the Schumann organization. But the reason that
some have found their construction talk uninteresting
is that the salesman is either careless in the manner
in which he presents what he has to say, of he is not
thoroughly versed so that he can talk intelligently.
"With the able assistance of little Iwantokno,"
said Mr. Van Matre, "we cooperate with Schumann
dealers in overcoming both of these handicaps. For-
tunately, however, we are well provided with many
exclusive built-in features that are easily distinguished"
from other makes of instruments—an unusual fund
of things to talk about."
Interesting Features.
Iwantokno, at the convention, will have a large
table at his disposal, containing thereon samples of
these various features. Chief among them will be a
Schumann sounding board, ribbed in fan shape,
highly crowned, with laminated bent to position
DECKER
mJ
EST. 1856
51 SON
Grand, Upright
and
Welte-Mignon
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
bridges, and assembled in the well known Schumann
fashion of wood-dowel construction. Also sample
panels of the new durable Schumann lacquer which
have stood drastic tests of being exposed first to
outside zero weather and thence to 180 degrees of
heat, without checking. This particular kind of
closed-pore finish is an exclusive Schumann feature
which has received no end of enthusiastic comment.
Though recently adopted, its success has long been
assured. Mr. Hurst, factory superintendent, and sec-
retary of the Schumann organization, has tested,
played and experimented with it during its develop-
ment of five years' standing before releasing it to
the public.
Much attention will also be focused upon the full
line display of attractive Schumann Period models,
done in this lacquer finish and adorned with blended
color carvings, which will be located in rooms 413 and
412 at the Stevens Hotel.
MAX DOLIN, ORCHESTRA
LEADER, AND "BALDWIN^'
San Francisco Musician and Concert Director
and Teacher Writes Enthusiastically of the
Famous Piano from Cincinnati.
Max Dolin has done such splendid work as leader
of the Coliseum Theater Orchestra of twenty musi-
cians in San Francisco that he has received requests
for concerts in coast towns and in distant cities like
Honolulu.
Yet with his duties as orchestra conductor and his
concerts, Mr. Dolin finds time to maintain a studio
for a select number of pupils. After a long experi-
PIANO TUNER'S PLAN FOR
HELPING FLOOD SUFFERERS
S. B. Mosier, of Oklahoma, Donates Forty Per Cent
of Receipts to Red Cross.
Editor Presto-Times: Enclosed find a clipping
from the Okmulgee Times-Democrat of May 8 which
may be interesting to you.
Mr. Mosher is an old tuner who has been in many
of the southern places inundated and knows some-
thing of the distress those towns are suffering and
wants to do what he can to help them.
He doesn't do this to advertise, as he has about
all the work he can attend to, and if tuners through-
out the country would do as well a large fund could
be raised by them. Sincerely yours,
Okmulgee, Okla., May 9, 1927.
N. B. T O W N S E N F .
The clipping referred to in the foregoing commu-
nication appeared in the Want Adv. column of the
Okmulgee newspaper and was as follows. If every
tuner in the country felt the same way the aggre-
gate of their contributions would swell the relief fund
very largely:
"I will donate 40 per cent of all cash piano tuning
work done during the next ten days to the Red Cross
Flood Relief Fund. If you want your piano tuned
and at the same time help the flood refugees, this is
vour opportunity. S. B. Mosier, Mason Hotel. Phone
2400."
WIDESPREAD PUBLICITY
GIVEN MUSIC WEEK EVENTS
C. M. Tremaine, Director of Bureau, Heard by
10,000,000 Listeners in Radio Greeting.
Among the many phases of the National Music
Week, which closed on May 7, was the unparalleled
amount of publicity for music in general. A strong
factor in that publicity consisted of the radio stations,
and the keynote of radio participation was the At-
water Kent Hour which was authorized as the official
opening of the celebration.
An all-star program of artists was broadcast by
W E A F and fifteen associated stations. As an added
feature, C. M. Tremaine, director of the National
Bureau for the Advancement of Music, was asked to
give a special Music Week greeting. It was esti-
mated by W E A F that his remarks were heard by
10.000,000 listeners.
More space than ever before was given to Music
Week by the dailies throughout the country, and an
advance story on Music Week was sent out for the
Sunday and Saturday editions of the leading papers in
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Newark, Jersey City and
Hoboken. On the Music Week radio announcements
alone one New York paper utilized almost a half page
in one issue.
MAX POI.IX.
ence in orchestra and concert work and in teaching,
Mr. Dolin has announced that the Baldwin piano
meets his exacting requirements and he recently
wrote: "I was so impressed with the wonderful tonal
quality of the Baldwin Concert Grand Piano used by
Feodor Chaliapin in Honolulu that I immediately
decided to use it for my concert at the Princess The-
ater. In future the Baldwin piano will be used exclu-
sively at all mv concerts."
SPEED UP ENTRIES.
C. L. Dennis, manager of the merchandising service
department of the Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce has issued a reminder to dealers to forward
as soon as possible their entries for the 1927 dealer
advertising- competition, which will be one of the
most instructive features of the convention at the
Hotel Stevens next month. Entries should be sent to
the office of the Chamber, 45 West Forty-fifth street,
New York.
VISITORS AT THE AMPICO STUDIOS.
Aaron Copland, whose jazz piano concerto written
at the request of Serge Koussevitsky, conductor of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra, proved to be one
of the sensations of the musical season, was a
visitor at the Ampico Recording Studios in
New York last week.
Mr. Copland records
his playing exclusively for the Ampico. An-
other visitor, who is at present in the lime-
light, was Robert Goldsand, the youthful pianist
who has made a deep impression by. his marvelous
playing. Other visitors were McNair llgenfritz, dis-
tinguished composer-pianist of light classics. Stuart
Ross and Leo Podolskv, all of whom recorded.
CAROLINA COMPANY BANKRUPT.
A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by the
Carolina Piano Manufacturing Company, High Point,
N. C. Clifford C. Frazier, referee in bankruptcy pre-
sented a report which showed receipts of $4,661.34
and disbursements of $4,611.57.
JESSE FRENCH & SONS
"Make Homes Happy *
© SONS
ianos/Plaijers 6»Grar
Write for Catalog'
Castle, Indiana.
New York
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/