November 12, 1927
PRESTO-TIMES
Steinway, and by Ramon de Majewski of the whole-
sale department, visited Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleve-
land, and Cincinnati.
Ernst Urchs, manager of the wholesale and artist
departments of Steinway & Sons, arrived on Monday
of this week from Europe on the S. S. "New York." Officers Moved Up a Notch and a New Secre-
He was accompanied by Mrs. Urchs, who had accom-
tary Elected in the Person of James
Activity in Sales of Steinway & Sons Ebony panied him on his various interesting trips to Euro-
B. Sill of Kimball's.
pean points. Entertaining musical celebrities were
Small Grand Keeps That Department in
The annual meeting of the Chicago Piano and
interesting features of their visit abroad. Mr. Urchs
Factory Very Busy—Ernest Urchs
also passed considerable time in the Steinway factory Organ Association is in session on the second floor
of the Great Northern Hotel, Chicago, as Presto-
in Hamburg.
Returns from Abroad.
Mr. Urchs was away four months and visited all Times goes to press.
There is some spirited balloting going on, the elec-
principal points abroad. He was a guest of Pade-
rewski three days at his home in Switzerland, at- tion of officers being the chief event of the meeting.
tended many operas, fifty or more important con- The plan heretofore of moving the officers up a peg
certs, and the Beyreuth Festival. In Germany he is being followed in the main which will result as
Charles G. Faux Succeeds F. K. Amreihn in Man- made the Steinway factories his headquarters.
follows:
F. P. Whittemore, the president, retires. Elected:
Charles C. Faux Is Manager.
agement of New York Store—Estey Organ
Company's Activities and Other News.
Charles G. Faux succeeds F. K. Amreihn as man- Roger O'Connor of Kranich & Bach, president; Fred
ager of the New York branch of the P. A. Starck Bassett of M. Schulz Company, first vice-president;
Steinway & Sons report numerous and urgent calls Piano Co. Mr. Faux was formerly manager of the R. J. Cook of The Cable Piano Company, second
for the new baby grand in black ebony finish which Boston Starck House since it opened two years ago. vice-president; Adam Schneider, treasurer, and James
has aroused considerable attention where featured He is a man notable not only for his energy but for B. Sill of the W. W. Kimball Company, secretary.
Mr. Sill, who is a new officer, is connected with
by Steinway representatives. Lyon & Healy, Chi- the originality of his sales methods. Mr. Faux has
cago, and the E. F. Droop & Sons Co., Washington, the enviable reputation of producing results in a the wholesale department of the W. W. Kimball
D. C, report particular interest in the ebony baby piano department and has been equally instrumental Company, Wabash avenue and Jackson boulevard.
Some minor amendments to the constitution were
grand following its display in windows and news- in the development of the business of the P. A.
considered. A pleasant feature of the meeting was
paper advertising.
Starck Piano Co.'s business in the west.
Mr. Faux is a so-called "life-time" piano man, hav- the luncheon.
Steinway Ebony Grand.
ing
been connected with important piano houses in
The Steinway ebony baby grand has been shown
RECALLS OLD PIANO DAYS.
for some time at the Steinway Hall warerooms in Boston and vicinity the greater part of his business
George
E. Snyder, advertising manager of the
career.
The
New
York
branch
is
known
as
the
gen-
New York, but it has been only recently placed on
the market. Black has been declared a most desir- eral eastern Starck house, having under its jurisdic- Meyercord Company, decalcomania products and
able phase in color schemes, as they say it harmon- tion the Boston, the Brooklyn and the Philadelphia transfer ornaments, eleventh floor of 133 West Wash-
ington street, Chicago, was at the outset of his
izes with everything. So the demand for black fin- stores.
career a piano man for several years. He started in
Guests of Haddorff Representative.
ishes in pianos has induced Steinway & Sons to
Two brothers of Meikeljohn Brothers' Music the business with the Esiey & Camp house, and he
duplicate one of the leading styles in the line in
House, one from Providence, R. I., and the other recalls among the piano men of that day Mr. Tomp-
ebonized finish.
ton and Mr. McDonald, who were with that concern,
William R. Steinway, manager of the European in- from Pawtucket, were guests this week at the Re- and both of whom have passed away. R. K. May-
terests of Steinway & Sons, expresses great satis- publican Club of W. B. Williams, general eastern nard, now representative of the M. Schulz Company
faction at the pleasures of his recent trip to the Mid- representative of the Haddorff Piano Company, on the Pacific Coast, and Mr. Snyder were among
dle West. Mr. Steinway, who was accompanied by Rockford, 111.
the youngsters who worked for Estey & Camp when
Paul A. Schmidt, assistant to President Theodore
A third brother with these two comprise the Mei- the piano trade was less than a modicum of the
keljohn Bros. Music House, which has several branch present-day business.
stores in the commonwealth of Rhode Island. A
expression of my most distinguished sentiments of fourth brother, Dr. Alex Meikeljohn, who was for-
The Pine Lawn Music More, St. Louis, Mo., John
esteem and consideration.
merly president of Amherst College, is now a pro- J. Long, manager, has moved to new quarters at 6207
(Signed) F. LISZT.
fessor at the State University of Wisconsin, at Mad- Natural Bridge road.
Rome, December 26, 1867.
ison, where it is said a special chair is to be named
The exposition referred to was the great Exposi- for him.
tion Universelle of Paris in 1867 at which a Chick-
Mr. Williams is not sure whether the "end" of un- held that the word was used in a trade-mark sense
ering won the first prize and the plaudits of the out- satisfactory conditions in the piano trade has arrived
to indicate the origin of the goods and pointed out
standing artists of Europe—including even Gottschalk or not, but he is convinced that with perhaps some that the Christman Piano Co. had adopted it as a
and Thalberg. The above two famous pianists were "eliminations" this business will before long settle notation on pianos long before the date alleged by
so impressed with the artistic quality of the instru- down to prosperity and proper distribution of piano the appellant.
production.
Old Dealer Dies.
The fine old New England house is one of the
Albert A. Moak, vice-president and treasurer of
biggest distributors of pianos in that section and the the Buckingham & Moak Company, 119-121 Genesee
splendid line of Haddorff instruments has a big part
street, Utica, N. Y., died recently in California where
therein.
he had been residing for the past few months. He
had been connected with the old firm of Buckingham,
Hardman, Peck & Co.'s Show.
Moak & Marklove from 1905 to 1912, when he or-
Hardman, Peck & Co. is with the leaders in show
of Period models, one entire floor of the salesrooms ganized the Buckingham & Moak Company. He was
being given up entirely to these, and today as one a man of great energy and was prominent in trade
enters their store he sees the alluring models; eight affairs of a state and national character.
Instruments Taken in Raids.
of these. Period grands and no other styles are on
the first floor. It is a very beautiful showing.
Secretary Loomis of the National Association of
In consequence of a campaign in the trade Hard-
Music Merchants took up this week with Major
man, Peck & Co. made a large number of new and
Maurice Campbell, director of the Federal Prohibi-
valuable agencies during the past few months and tion Office for the New York district, the question
his been materially benefited in the sales and prestige of the possibility of securing a rulin gfrom the Pro-
of the business by the many artists, several of them hibition Department in the matter of merchandise
Metropolitan opera singers who* use only the Hard- confiscated by prohibition officers in cases where
man piano in their concert work, not only in and raids are made on restaurants, speakeasies, or other
about New York city, but on tour.
places where liquor is found being sold, with par-
ticular reference to pianos or other musical instru-
Beautiful Mathushek Model.
A wonderfully beautiful Florentine design and fin- ments taken in such raids.
It has been the practice in cases of this kind to
ish Period model occupies the center of attraction in
the Mathushek window at the West 37th street ware- take all articles of furniture and fixtures, as a gen-
rooms of that company, and on a card at the piano eral rule, destroying them or selling them at auction
regardless of ownership. In instances where pianos
the Mathushek legend: "Mathushek: Known for
A corner of Liszt's studio in the Royal Academy of Tone." A great expanse of red front Woolworth are in such places on rental or on time payments, the
Music in Budapest showing- the second of the two Chick- store now dazzles the passer-by on the former beau- merchant renting or selling these instruments has had
erings owned by Liszt, and used by him as director of tiful Aeolian Hall building in West 42nd street across no redress.
that institution.
the street, to the north of the New York Public
Major Campbell's Opinion.
Major Campbell stated that he could not see
ment that they both later purchased pianos of the Library.
wherein the Federal Prohibition Office has any choice
Estey Organ Company Active.
same 'make for their own personal use. And in
tribute to the artistic merit of the piano, Napoleon,
The Estey Organ Company, Brattleboro, Vt., has in a matter of this kind. He said that the office
emperor of France, awarded the supreme recompense recently made up a very beautiful console for the simply has to enforce the law and the law is specific
—the Imperial Cross of the Legion of Honor—to C. Capitol Theater, New York, which admirably repre- in this respect. His attitude is that it is incumbent
Francis Chickering, who was then head of the 104- sents the tastefulness of the company's products. It upon the merchant who sells to thoroughly investi-
gate before sale is made. Major Campbell stated
year-old house of Chickering & Sons.
is a pipe organ console and harmonizes with the that this general situation applies in other cases with
The exposition over, it was only fitting that so architectural scheme of the interior of the house. It similar
effect, notably that of automobiles which may
great a piano should become the proud possession is an eloquent bit of evidence of the ambition and have been
purchased on time and which are confis-
of the greatest artist of his time—Franz Liszt—and ability of the old Brattleboro industry.
cated because of liquor being transported. In such
it became his own piano on Christmas of that year.
Rights to Word "Studio."
instances finance companies who' have advanced
Among famous pupils of Liszt, of which there
The Christman Piano Co., Inc., New York, has money on the deferred payment plan of sale have
were three hundred, may be included Julia Rive-King, been granted the rights to the name "Studio" as no redress whatever. Major Campbell's only sug-
Walter Bache, Hans Von Bulow, Leopold Damrosch, applied to pianos. The decision was given last week gestion was that this matter might be taken up by
Josef Joachim, Rafael Joseffy, Edward MacDowell, in a hearing of an action for interference by the the musical instrument dealers with Congress with a
Moriz Rosenthal, Camille Saint-Saens and Xavier Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. before the Commissioner of
view to a change in the law.
Scharwenka.
Patents in Washington, D. C. The commissioner
NAK TOBA.
LETTER BY WIRE
FROM NEW YORK
CHICAGO TRADE HOLDS
ITS ANNUAL MEETING
NEW STARCK MANAGER
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