Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
ess
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1927
PIANO CLUB OPENS
WEEK IN CHICAGO
Luncheon at Noon Monday and Annual Din-
ner and Election at the Blackstone Hotel
in the Evening Are Joyous Events In-
augurating Memorial Week.
HARRY BIBB NEW PRESIDENT
Pleasant Fraternal Feeling in the Club Evokes Com-
ment of Retiring President Gordon Laughead
in Happy Speech.
This has been a gala week in the piano and gen-
eral music business at Chicago—a notable week
fraught with potentialities for bettering things gen-
erally through club and association effort, through
individual push and through the broadening of good-
will among fellow workers.
First there was a dual affair by the Piano Club of
Chicago, whose programs were on the tapis from
Monday noon until midnight, beginning with the
noonday luncheon at the Illinois Athletic Club and
ending with the annual meeting and feast at the
Blackstone Hotel that evening.
Then after a lull on Tuesday began the convention
of the Illinois Music Merchants' Association at the
Palmer House, a concomitant feature of which was
the conclave of the Ancient and Honorable Associa-
tion of Cheese Hounds.
Dinner at Blackstone Hotel.
There was not a big gathering Monday noon at
the luncheon of the club, but at the Blackstone in the
evening there was a crowd. The annual meeting was
unique. A big "eat" and entertainment for a little
money; never before as much for as little outlay, for
there was provided an extra good meal, refresh-
ments and entertainment. The only reflection that
could be cast was on the limitations of the room,
which was crowded by the good-sized assemblage.
More persons than were expected had come, and
many late comers had to be provided for.
Axel Christensen There.
The College Quartette and "Our own" Axel Chris-
tensen furnished the entertainment of the evening.
Comment was general to the effect that this was an
unique affair—small room, big crowd; small price,
big dinner; with more ''extras'' than the club has
been accustomed to for many moons.
The annual report of the retiring president, Gordon
1 .aughead, follows:
Retiring President's Report.
I desire to pay tribute to the loyalty of your other
officers, Harry Bibb, Roger O'Connor and Brownie
Brownell, to your President during the past year.
Never in my Piano Club experience have I known
such loyal, willing, sincere men. They have made
the work easier, co-operation a joy and have faithfully
served you and the trade in general efficiently. They
have always carried out the purpose of this club—
the promotion of music and the friendship of the
members. We have never had a disagreement on
any point this year These men also piloted the
activities of the 1927 music trades convention with
honor to themselves and satisfaction to the trade.
The work of the board of governors, too, is de-
serving of thanks.
Our past presidents always
jumped in and helped whenever needed_ and their
advice and counsel has been deeply appreciated.
Tribute to the Talent.
It is increasingly difficult to get good talent free,
mainly because the radio stations are paying the
artists. We are deerdy grateful to Axel Christensen,
Ted Benedict, Harold Dick and others who are pro-
fessionals, but who interest themselves in the Piano
Club because they like us.
Our year's social activities aside from our weekly
noon day meetings included: a stag party for Axel
Christensen. a stag party at the Il'inois Athletic
Club, a party for the ladies at the Chez Pierre. Pre-
convention dinner to our past president and true
friend Edward H. Uhl and the convention banquet
and dance which in reality was a Piano Club func-
tion.
The Club holds a unique position in the trade—
organized for the promotion of music and the friend-
ship of its members. We have been the big brother
and willing helper of the National Trade Bodies and
several State associations. This good will promoted
by Matt Kennedy, Jim Bristol, Harry Schoenwald,
John McKenna and Harry Hewitt, has certainly
made the music business a friendly business among
its workers.
Our serious work is the promotion of music. Dur-
ing the past year we broke all preceding years' rec-
ords in this work. We gave over $800 to the Chi-
cago Civic Opera Co.; $1,000 to the Chicago Piano
Playing Tournament, and other smaller sums to other
music promotion ideas. Our members made the
Piano Playing Tournament possible by giving count-
less days and nights to the actual operation of the
tournament. The Piano Club not only gives its
money but its time to promote music and I think-
that in the past year we have surpassed and left far
in the rear any similar organization engaged in this
work.
Your treasurer will report $4,000 on hand in Lib-
erty Bonds and several hundred dollars in the bank
and all bills paid. We believe this is also a record in
view of the fact that we promoted music on a larger
scale than ever before.
Group instruction of piano, school band contests
and piano playing tournaments are a reality. For
the next year I would like to see a group instruction
movement, instead of a Piano Playing Tournament.
To keep pace with the times we need new active
young members anxious to work. Let's get every
young fellow in the trade—not now in the club—inter-
ested. You will help him and he will help you.
To you all I am grateful for your help and a thou-
sand courtesies during the past year.
Retiring Secretary's Report.
The retiring secretary, Roger O'Connor, made the
following report for the fiscal year ending October
10, 1927:
During the past year, the total number attending
our luncheon and other functions reached 2,893. The
special social events other than the regular luncheons,
constituted a gathering of 88 at the testimonial Stag
Dinner to Axel Christensen on the evening of De-
cember 6, 1926—133 at a Dinner Dance, Chez Pierre,
on the evening of February 1, 1927, a stag in honor
of our four life members on March 21, 1927, at the
Il'inois Athletic Club, at which sixty were present;
lifty-two at the pre-convention "pep" party. Hotel
Stevens, on the evening of June 3, 1927, and the
large number of 801 at the noon luncheon, Hotel Ste-
vens, on June 6, 1927, which luncheon officially
opened the Music Merchants' Convention.
One of the outstanding events in the entire piano
industry was the first annual Greater Chicago Chil-
dren's Piano Playing Tournament, the finals of which
were held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Ste-
vens on the evening of June 8, 1927. The Piano Club
contributed $1,000 in cash toward the financial sup-
port of this venture, and the Tournament Directing
Committee, numbering twenty, were all members of
the Piano Club, each of whom gave of their time
freely for a period of over six months prior to the
Grand Finals, in the great preparation of this gigantic
task, which was a huge publicity success, and the
entire membership of the Piano Club to a large
extent volunteered their services in acting on differ-
ent committees in the preliminary and district tests
of which there were several hundred held prior to the
Grand Finals.
Past President Henry D. Hewitt of 1926, was chair-
man of the project, Past President James T. Bristol
of the year 1923 was treasurer, Peter Meyers, execu-
tive secretary, and Chas. E. Byrne father of the Tour-
nament idea.
Eugene Whelan, Adam Schneider,
W'alter Kiehn, Henry E. Weisert, Chris. C. Steger,
Donald Steger, Gurney R. Brownell, Geo. S. Mc-
Laughlin, Gordon Laughead, Geo. K. Dowd, Harry
B. Bibb, Fred Ryder, E. C. Hill, C. E. Moist, H. H.
Fleer and Roger O'Connor, comprised the Master
Committee.
During the past year, the grim messenger of death
knocked at the portals of our Club on December 18,
1926. and called one of our members, JOHN M.
BARN HARD, to his last reward.
Forty-one new applications for membership were
received and accepted during the year. The total on
the roster of the Club to date is 235 city, 62 out of
town, making a membership all in good standing
of 297.
Election of Officers.
The election of officers unanimously placed in office
the entire slate as selected by the nominating com-
mittee and presented some six weeks ago. ft ap-
peared in Presto-Times in the issue of August 27.
The new president, Harry Bibb, was introduced
and gave an enthusiastic talk. He thanked the club
for the honor, said he realized the responsibility of
the office and asked the earnest help of every mem-
$2 The Year
AT THE FACTORY OF
THE STARR PIANO CO.
Evidences of Activity Visible in Every Depart-
ment and a Busy Shipping Room Tells
an Eloquent Tale.
The factory of the Starr Piano Co.. Richmond, Ind.,
enjoys distinction because of its size and completeness.
It is always a pleasure for the Presto-Times man to
visit it and observe its efficiency, but his recent
visit was particularly enjoyable from the plain evi-
dences of Starr activity in production. The Starr
Piano Co. manufactures every component part in
its comprehensive line of products—pianos, phono-
graphs and talking machine records. Richmond is
proud of the great Starr plant and points to the
Starr Piano Co. as the pioneer industrial institution
of the central states and that it now occupies a posi-
tion of prominence among the best known piano
factories.
Starr Capacity.
The capacity of the Starr Piano Co.'s factory is
plainly evident, not only from the extensive build-
ings and lumber yards but from modern character
of its machinery and tools and the efficiency of the
picked corps of craftsmen employed. It is a splen-
did showing of progress since the company was or-
ganized in 1872. The buildings are located in the
center of a plot of ground thirty-acres in extent,
which is devoted entirely to the purposes of the com-
pany. In this great plant every part of Starr pianos
and Starr-made pianos is completed from the basic
material, including the player mechanism in all its
entirety.
The large and steady demand for Starr grands is
an evidence of merit of the instruments as well as
the favor for the grand models at this time. Starr
grands come in three sizes from the famous small
grand, the "Minum," to the largest concert style.
The Starr Glissando.
The new Starr Chromatic Glissando pianos are
notable innovations in the extensive line of the com-
pany. The Giissando piano is a new and novel means
of expression which interests the artist and the stu-
dent. Starr Chromatic Glissando pianos offer the
player an opportunity for performing either ascend-
ing or descending chromatic glissandos through the
entire keyboard with a perfection of rhythm and
evenness of touch unobtainable on flat keys. The
Starr Chromatic Glissando piano not only provides
a means to greater versatility to the proficient pianist,
but is an inspiration to youthful students in taking
the monotony out of daily practice.
Henry Gennett, president of the company, is at
present in California, from which he sends very sat-
isfactory reports of Starr Piano Co.'s business on the
Pacific Coast.
W. S. LANZ TO GO EAST.
W. S. Lanz, traveler for the Schiller Piano Com-
pany, who recently covered the Northwest in a sell-
ing trip, intends to cover the East and South in his
coming trip. He expects to find a livelier trade this
trip than before for some time, as he says financial
conditions are improving in the East, and are better
in the South, too.
her to aid him in making a success of the organiza-
tion; to help him to increase the membership and
in every way boost with him. He expressed his
pleasure at seeing the hold-over members of the
Executive Committee taking such keen interest, for
their work would count for much.
At the noonday luncheon of the Piano Club two
prominent guests from out-of town were R. K. May-
nard, general Pacific Coast representative of the M.
Schulz Company, and George Bliss, eastern represen-
tative of the Q R S Music Company. Both of these
men were called upon for talks and obligingly pleased
their auditors.
Gordon Laughead had to make a quick getaway
from the meeting in order to catch a train for In-
dianapolis, where he was due on Tuesday forenoon to
deliver an address before the convention of the In-
diana Association of Music Merchants, his topic
being ''Profitable Advertising."
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