P R E S T 0-T I M E S
PAST PRESIDENTS'
DAY AT PIANO CLUB
Men Who Have Served in Honored Position in
Piano Club of Chicago Hear Graceful
Speeches and Toasts at
Weekly Luncheon.
The weekly luncheon of the Piano Club of Chi-
cago this week was observed as a celebration of Past
Presidents' Day. In the absence of President Roger
O'Connor, who is ill, Vice-President Brownell named
Adam Schneider as presiding officer and toastmaster.
Mr. Schneider assumed the duties with pleasure, but
in his keen, technically minded way, first asked the
vice-president to officially close the regular luncheon
their service. Mr. Whalen presented a humorous lot
of records which he said were taken from the minutes
of the different meetings. At any rate, they pro-
vided Mr. Whalen with an opportunity to speak in
his humorous manner about events in the club his-
tory. Mr. Whalen credited the club and the associa-
tions formed in the club with a great share of his
success in the business w r orld. Three w T ords, Faith,
Hope, Love expressed his experiences.
The next past president was Matt Kennedy, who
paid a warm tribute to the club and to the many
associations formed which he said were about the
most pleasant of his life.
James Bristol, the third president, spoke in a sim-
ilar vein acknowledging the club and his associations
there as being the inspiration and groundwork of
whatever success had come to him in his business
life. He said that there was no occasion for saying
anything further, for it sometimes seemed that when
on his feet he felt as if he were an animal, but when
he sat down he was a genius. Mr. Bristol's fine
record as president had been largely eclipsed by his
record as secretary of the club, from which office he
went to the president's chair.
The speech of Henry Hewitt, fourth president, was
short but interesting and directly to the point in rem-
iniscence, good-will and fine appreciation of club ben-
efits and club associations.
How Harry Bibb Joined
Harry Bibb, another ex-president, related how he
wa •. attracted to the piano club. Matt Kennedy said
to him one day that the phonographs ought to be
considered as musical instruments and that he (Mr.
Bibb), being a phonograph man, ought to come to
the p'a:o club, which was tie chief music trade
organization of the country. He accepted the invi-
tation and the challenge and everybody knows the
PLAN OF NATIONAL
MUSIC WEEK COMMITTEE
In Addition to Listening to Music Public Is
Urged to "Make Music, for Music
Makes Happiness."
The leading idea which is being advanced through
the medium of the National Music Week, May 5-11,
is to be a plea for active participation in music in
addition to listening to it. In keeping with that
stressing of music-making, the following have been
added to the list of rallying calls for Music Week:
"Make Music, for Music Makes Happiness."
That stressing of participation is being advised by
the National Music Week Committee for the reason
that "we believe such an increase in music-making to
be greatly needed as a stabilizing influence in family
and community life." At the same time, this feature
of Music Week will be of direct commercial benefit
to the music trade for such increased participation
will undoubtedly redound to the advancement of the
products of the various firms. Through the stimula-
tion of more music in the home, they will directly
profit.
That our community and family life strongly needs
such an increase in musical participation is the re-
mainder of the committee when calling upon churches,
schools, clubs, homes and numerous community
groups to rally 'round the local Music Week as a
stimulus to more music-making throughout the year.
When issuing the announcement of this special trend
of the Music Week beginning on the first Sunday in
May. C. M. Trema'ne, secretary of the national com-
mittee, made the following comment from its head-
quarters, 45 West 45lh street. New York city:
"Tn emphasizing this phase for Music Week this
year, we are following out a policy pursued since the
week was first organized on a national scale. Each
year we have singled out for special attention some
element vital to the fulfillment of the complete idea
underlying the Music Week."
TO BROADCAST TUNER
ADVICE OVER RADIO
ADAM SCHNEIDKR
proceedings. He reminded the members that the
by-laws prohibited any person not an officer from
presiding at a regular meeting.
When this suggestion was acted upon Mr. Schnei-
der took up the gavel and in his delightfully remin-
escent way referred to his own record of fifty-five
years in t'.ie music trade, fifty-three of which had
been with one house—Julius Bauer & Co. He men-
tioned other individuals present who had been con-
nected with the music trades for fifty years or more
Mr. Lapliam, he said, had been in the music business
William C. Stonaker, Vice-President of the
New York Division of the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Tuners to Talk.
HARRY BIBB
rest of t'.ie story; how he became one of the best
and most active presidents that the club has ever had.
Air. Bibb illustrated the point of his talk by a
remark he had heard where the policemen's dances
were bigger than those of the firemen because the
police sold more tickets for their affairs. He took
the cue to himself and sold the club idea to music
trade men, with the result that a great membership
came to the club during his administration.
The secretary read a letter from President O'Con-
nor expressing his regret at not being present. A
round robin letter signed by all those present was
sent to him.
The drawing of prizes, the seventh name drawn
fell to Harry Bibb which, by the way, was his second
drawing of a prize.
A guest at the luncheon was William Sha : ler, rep-
resentative of Philip W. Oetting & Son, Inc., 213
East 19th street, New York, sole agents for Weickert
hammer and damper felts.
Other past presidents of the club who were un-
avoidably absent from the festivities were Gordon
Laughead, Walter Jenkins and Harry Schoenwald.
HEXUV HIOWITT
over fifty years, Mr. Weber about fifty-three years,
and Will Collins for fifty years.
Adam Schneider Presides
Mr. Schneider, after paying compliments to the
past presidents who were at the tables and others
present, first introduced Eugene Whalen, who was
the first president of the club, dating from its official
organization in 1913, and the others in the order of
February 16, 1929
GREETINGS FROM SPAIN.
A New Year greeting, delayed in the mail, came
this week to Presto-Times from Esteban Pinol, music
dealer, Barcelona, Spain. Senor Pinol is a graduate
piano tuner of the Municipal School of Music and
represents the Chickering, Erard, Pleyel, Bechstein,
Bluthener pianos and the Autopiano. His store is
equipped with halls for concerts and provides accom-
modation for the meetings of musical societies.
A new feature in radio broadcasting will soon be
inaugurated by the New York Division of the Na-
tional Assoc'at'ion of Piano Tuners, Inc., in conjunc-
tion with the International Broadcasting Corporation
of New York. William C. Stonaker, vice-president
of the division, will be allowed a fifteen-minute sched-
ule over WOV every Saturday afternoon, for an
indefinite period, for a talk on the history, construc-
tion and care of the piano.
There is an assurance that Mr. Stonaker's talk
will interest thousands of people who will have the
opportunity of listening in, and that the series of talks
will have an admirable effect. A great many people
need only to be reminded that the pianos require
better care and that reminder will be broadcasted by
Mr. Stonaker, who gives him services as an educator
for piano owners absolutely free.
LIKES PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
A letter this week accompanying an order for a
1929 Presto Buyers' Guide, from O. W. Moran, 58
Gray street, Boston, discloses Mr. Moran's faith in
the accuracy and usefulness of the Guide. He has
used it each year for twenty-nine years and values
his library of Presto Buyers' Guides for their tech-
nical and historic merits. "The work verifies the
claim of the publishers in that its aim is to prove an
aid to retail buyers of pianos and piano dealers and
their salesmen,"' writes Mr. Moran.
NEW STETSON & CO. OFFICERS
N. Stetson & Company, representative of the Stein-
way piano and the Schumann piano, 1111 Chestnut
street, Philadelphia, held its annual meeting January
26, at which the following directors were re-elected
to serve during the ensuing year: Theodore E. Stein-
way, N. Stetson, Henry Ziegler, August von Ber-
nuth, Albert Sturcke, Luke H. Moore and Henry
Junge.
The officers elected for 1929 are: President, Au-
gust von Bernuth; vice president, N. Stetson; treas-
urer, N. Stetson; secretary, Henry Junge.
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