Presto

August 11, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
THE MERCHANT AS
A MUSIC UPLIFTER
The Personal Equation Is Important in Small
Town Merchants' Efforts to Promote Love
of Music in Community and in Every
Community the Means Are Found.
From time to time in a general way the music
dealer reads advice from associations and individuals
to aid in the musical uplift so that musical taste will
be developed and sales of musical instruments follow.
A great many things are proposed, from inviting
grand opera companies to visit the town to joint
action in causing to be printed suggestive reading in
the pages of the local papers. These ideas are good
under certain circumstances, but they are not practi-
cable for the purpose in view in a small town in a
remote section unaffected by the progressive spirit
of the growing cities.
Waiting for the musical page in the local paper to
get the public to the musical instrument buying point
by the theory route is as painful as watching for the
century plant to bloom. And as for hoping for opera
companies! Why many of the little places would
consider it dizzy to see a barn-storming musical com-
edy company replace the movies for a one-night stand
in the Film Palace once in five years.
Up to Dealer.
The truth is that the music dealer in a place of that
kind must be his own musical uplifter and the way to
do it, too, is as old as pioneering. Telling the people
in syndicated pieces in the local newspaper to sing
and play music and love the harmonious generally
reads fine, but it doesn't produce the desired results.
What the musical merchandise dealer should do is
to get groups of the young people together and make
them.play. Sales will follow.
A common fact has been discovered by music
dealers who have solved the problem of creating
musical instrument prospects in Main street. It is
that while comparatively few people can play musi-
cal instruments, a great many are found to have the
life-long desire to do so. Another thing the pros-
pect creators discovered was that the more primitive
a town or rural community is the more the commu-
nity spirit prevails. It is a survival of the pioneers'
attitude of dependence on one another. And the in-
vestigating dealers found how easy it is to deepen
and enrich it.
Community Music.
Community music is a wonderful mover. When
the alert music dealer brings the musical groups to-
gether he at the same time develops sociableness and
an appreciation of the finer things of life. He organ-
izes the instinctive desire for music. The town band,
school band, church orchestras, fraternal organization
orchestras, family groups of players, are the evidences
of his results. And if this is not musical uplift,
what is?
The music dealer is his own uplifter and the per-
sonal equation is an important thing in his efforts to
promote a love of music in a community and the
natural result—musical instrument sales.
Geissler is of the opinion that trade is going to show
considerable improvement after the first of September.
Mr. Geissler has been engaged in the music business
in Evansville for a number of years and is well known
to the southern Indiana trade.
HARRY E. FREUND TELLS
INTERESTING STORY
HERE'S SOMETHING MORE
ABOUT FOLDING PIANO
Recent Event in Chicago Reminds Him of
Thrilling Moment in New York in
Days Before the War.
In writing in "Views of Many Topics" in the Chi-
cago Daily News last week Harry Edward Freund
contributes an interesting reminiscence h e a d e d
"Prophets of Poland":
A correspondent of Presto-Times recently asked for
"The visit to Chicago of my friend, Ignace Jan
information about a "folding piano" which he believed
was made somewhere. The editor had no knowledge Paderewski, to deliver the oration of the evening at
the memorial services at the Audito-rum in honor of
of such an instrument and invited readers aware of
its manufacturer to inform him of the maker and the John Francis Smulski, brought to my mind a notable
location of the industry. The following was received event many years ago, on which occasion the freedom
of Poland was predicted in a very dramatic manner.
this week:
"A luncheon (at a New York club to which I be-
"There is a very good folding piano, it is made in
longed)
was tendered to Paderewski, Jean de Reszke,
London, invention of a German, is used on yachts,
and I cannot recall the name of any of the London the celebrated tenor, and Edouard de Reszke, the
stores. Murdock Piano Co., Regent Piano Co. or renowned basso. During the course of the afternoon
Paderewski suddenly got up from the table, went
Chappel Piano Co. will give you the information.
over
to the piano and started to play Polish national
"Mr. Foster of the American Piano Co., when he
was in London, looked at this piano and at the time, anthems when Jean de Reszke joined by singing the
I understand, arranged to make it here in the U. S., solos and Edouard de Reszke the choruses. It was a
but, as you know, the American Piano Co. has been marvelous and thrilling performance of three great
too busy in reorganizing the retail distribution of its Polish musicians giving expression to their sentiment
product to give attention to a new product like a for their beloved country.
"The guests present, among whom were the late Wil-
folding piano.
liam
Steinway and Walter Damrosch, were over-
"A friend of Mr. Abbott—XX.
come by enthusiasm and emotion, and Steinway, a
"Box 279, Madison Sq. Station, New York."
g'ant in intellect and physique, said in his emphatic
manner:
A JAPANESE REQUIREMENT.
" 'I thought 1 knew all the worlds of music, but this
The most popular Japanese instrument seems to is a new world to me.' "
be an upright piano made in 7 and 7j/j octaves with
"Another guest dramatically declared: 'Poland is
a fine lacquer finish, superior in finish, perhaps, to not yet lost!'
foreign pianos. Many of the locally made instru-
"The De Reszkes have passed on, and when Pade-
ments contain actions and parts of American manu- rewski paid his eloquent and heartfelt tribute to his
facture, native woods being used in the cases. On old friend, John Francis Smulski, his brother patriot
the whole, their pianos are not equal in tone and for the freedom of Poland, the memory of the earl:'er
action to the better makes of instruments imported event came suddenly to my mind, for the truth of the
from America.
prophecy for Poland's freedom had been fulfilled."
Correspondent, Replying to Invitat'on of Presto-
Times, States Some Facts About the Instrument.
IMPORTANT BRANCH STORE.
NEW LANDAY STORE-
A thoroughly modern music store conveniently lo-
cated is provided residents of North Riverdale and
Upper Dayton View, section of Dayton, Ohio, with
the establishment of the Anderson-Soward Music Co.
branch at 1925 North Main street. The newest and
best musical merchandise is handled at this branch
store.
Landay Bros., Inc., New York, which includes musi-
cal instruments in its stock, will shortly open a new
store at 583 Fifth avenue. The new location is near
Forty-eighth street. The new quarters will be remod-
eled to suit the special purposes of the company.
Another important addition to the chain of the Lan-
day stores will be one opened at 540 East Fordham
road. There the company will occupy a complete
bu'lding. This makes the third store opened by it in
the Bronx. No change will be made regarding the
Landay Auditorium, now located at headquarters,
Landay Hall, corner Forty-second street and Sixth
avenue.
The Sterchi Music Co., Inc., Terre Haute, Ind.,
composed of Arbey Anderson, Victor Harkness and
Merle Sterchi, recently succeeded to the business for-
merly conducted by Sam H. Sturchi at Fourth street
and Wabash avenue.
PRIZE=WINNING WINDOW SHOW
BUSINESS IMPROVES
IN SOUTHERN INDIANA
Reports from Evansville and Other Points in That
Direction Considered Satisfactory.
N. F. Hutchinson, superintendent of the public
schools at Salem, Ind., has completed arrangements
for a new music course to be offered under the aus-
pices of the schools of that city. The course to be
offered will be in the violin and will embrace 45
lessons which will start at the opening of school in
September. The lessons will be given at $1 for each
pupil per lesson. The pupil who finishes the course
will be awarded a $35 string instrument by the school.
This plan of viol : n instruction was inaugurated in
the public schools at Bloomington, Ind., three years
ago by Prof. Fred Sharp, of the music department
and it was a marked success, over 200 pupils having
taken the course last year.
Music dealers at Evansville and other towns ri
southern Indiana report trade has shown some little
improvement during the past week. While buriness
has not been rushing, the dealers say they have been
do'ng about as much business as they did this ti y.e
last year.
Arthur Willem, sales manager for the Stahlschmidt
Piano Co., Evansville, Ind., will play the organ during
the three days convocation of the Scottish Rite Ma-
cons at Evansville during the coming fall.
Walter Geissler, of the Geissler Music Co., Evans-
ville, Ind., has returned from a trip to Chicago. Mr.
The accompanying cut shows a prize winning win-
dow display of M. A. Weymann & Sons Co., Phila-
delphia, Pa. This display reflects great credit on this
old and well-known eastern music house.
The award was made in connection with a nation-
wide contest among Gulbransen dealers. The window
is prepared in the very best of taste and bespeaks
refinement and elegance in every feature. The back-
ground is of black velvet. The silk cloth extends
from one to the other of the Candelabra. There is a
va"se of flowers oil t!ie piano and a- violin: Gulbran-
sen ad enlargement is used, special Gulbransen display
card and a copy of the book used in Gulbransen sell-
ing, "Artistic Interiors."
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