14
July 15, 1929
PRESTO-TIMES
KNABE AND CHICKERINQ
IN SOU D PICTURES
Chosen Exclusively for Use by Metro-Gold-
wyn, Paramount-Lasky, Fox and Uni-
versal in Most Exacting Requirements.
every Straube instrument is a musical masterpiece of
most enduring quality.
For over 50 years the Straube has enjoyed a dis-
tinguished position in the piano field and the people
of this community take particular pride in the owner-
ship of an instrument possessing the high character
and musical excellence of the Straube."
LYON & HEALY PLAN FOR
SEVEN=STORY WAREHOUSE
With the advent of the sound picture, which is not
only changing the status and possibilities of the movie
world, but the machinery necessary for showing the
new talking pictures in the theaters throughout the In Its Drive for Outlying Business the Company Is
Putting in New Branch Stores.
world, the piano which is an integral part of sound
presentations, became a reproducing problem of in-
Establishment of additional branch stores, remodel-
creasing importance. The tone of the piano had also
to pass the "microphone test." The "voice" of the ing of the ground floor of their loop store at Wabash
piano must at once be true, melodious, rich, resonant, avenue and Jackson boulevard, Chicago, and the con-
and must blend with the voice of the artist. These struction of a new seven-story warehouse to replace
delicate nuances of tonal quality became progressively their present two-story warehouse are planned by
vital in the piano's new role, the very purpose of the Lyon & Healy as part of their expansion program,
microphone being to magnify those finer sound waves Raymond E. Durham, president of the concern, an-
nounced last week.
that often pass unheard by the human ear.
It is a significant tribute to the Knabe and the The two-story warehouse at Lake street and Ogden
Chickering that these two famous pianos were chosen avenue, Chicago, is being razed and a seven-story
to be exclusively used in the sound production of structure costing $200,000 is to be built by the Leonard
Construction company. It will front 150 feet on
Metro-Goldwyn, Paramount-Lasky, Fox and Uni- Ogden avenue and 120 feet on Lake street.
versal.
The main floor of Lyon & Healy's Loop store is
The telegram of Ben. Platt, president of the Platt also being remodeled to use the space formerly oc-
Music Company, Los Angeles, to George Urquhart, cupied by the Lyon & Healy concert hall for expan-
president, American Piano Company, tells its own sion of present departments.
story.
"In the face of a marked increase in the develop-
"The following deals were consummated today: ment of Chicago's outlying retail business centers,
.Five Chickering and five Knabe to Fox studios. One the time has come for the retailer to study how best
Knabe concert grand and one straight Chickering he can serve the neighborhoods," said Mr. Durham.
grand to Metro-Goldwyn. Two Knabe concert grands
"During the last few years we have established
and one straight Chickering to Paramount-Lasky seven branch stores in outlying districts and plan to
studios. One Knabe concert grand to Universal stu- open additional stores in the near future."
dios. These pianos were sold in competition with
most pianos on the market. Music directors of these
MUSIC AT BUILDING DEDICATION
studios declare themselves Knabe and Chickering
pianos are most suitable for talkie pictures. Sending
The dedication of the new Chicago Daily News
you large order today. Regards."
Building on July 8 was a musical as well as national
event. It took place in the open air on the Daily
News Plaza at the Memorial Fountain and the at-
tendance of invited guests included many dignitaries
of state, consuls to the United States, and editors,
craftsmen and progressive men and women generally.
Music by the Chicago Daily News Band, singing by
Irene Pavloska, of the Chicago Civic Opera Co., and
Famous Sonata Model in Italian Period Design Makes a concert program by the Chicago Daily News Con-
Interesting Window Display.
cert Orchestra were features. President Hoover
touched a button at 3:30 p. m. in Washington that set
Athens, Ga., can now boast of the fact that it has the great presses in the building in motion. Speeches
direct local representation for the famous Straube in person were made by Wm. Allen White, Rufus C.
piano through the James Music Co., of 151 Clayton Dawes and Walter A. Strong, publisher of the paper,
street. "
and by radio from Robert P. Lamont, Secretary of
In the initial presentation of the Straube piano to Commerce. The presses run off 630,000 copies of
the musically interested public, Mr. James has fea- the paper per hour. Only two names were mentioned
tured in his window display what is probably one of by the speakers as connected with the past history
of the institution—Melville Stone and Victor Law-
son. But there were others. For instance, Eugene
Field. The writer of this paragraph was a member
of the reportorial staff in 1887 and sat at the next
desk to Mr. Field, whose many eccentricities are well
remembered.
JAMES MUSIC CO., ATHENS,
GA., FEATURES STRAUBE GRAND
MEYER & WEBER ARE MOVING.
STRAUBE SONATA IN WINDOW.
Meyer & Weber, dealers in Stieff pianos, are mov-
ing today from 174 North Michigan avenue, Chicago,
to 230 North Michigan avenue. The new place is on
the mezzanine floor of the new Carbon and Carbide
Building, which has the reputation of being the finest
building in Chicago and is one of the tallest struc-
tures in the world, with its pinnacles tipped in "gold."
The shape of the space Meyer & Weber are to oc-
cupy is nearly square, an advantage in displaying
grand pianos. The great windows overlook Michigan
avenue, and the height being just a few feet above
the street level, makes these front windows most de-
sirable from which to watch the passage of any
parades. A short flight of marble steps lead up to
the store, and the view from the railing over the
grand entrance gives particular distinction to the
aristocratic setting of the place—a most desirable
place in which to exhibit fine instruments of music.
AMERICAN PHONOGRAPHS
CONSIDERED SUPERIOR
Reports from Antwerp Consul Show Belgian
Phonograph Demand Is
Increasing.
Consul General Marion Letcher, Antwerp, reports
that total imports of phonographs into Belgium in-
creased from 5,131 valued at $157,391 in 1927 to 9,206
valued at $283,925 in 1928, an increase in value of
over 80 per cent. In J928, the import statistics cred-
ited the United States with only 4 per cent of the
total as compared with 7 per cent in 1927. This small
and declining percentage is accounted for by the
increasing number of American branch factories, as-
sembly plants, and distributing agencies in Europe.
The competition for the sale of phonographs in this
market is keen and there are numerous makes and
types on sale. Machines that are imported from
Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United
States, as well as those of Belgium manufacture, are
found on the local market. The American machines
are considered superior to all other makes, but, being
more expensive, sales are restricted to a limited class
of purchasers. The British, French, German, and
Belgian phonographs compete mainly upon a price
basis. The demand for portable phonographs has
been increasing during the past year chiefly because
the prices are lower and because they are easily
moved. The demand for the higher-priced types of
phonographs is declining as the sale of radio sets,
which are becoming cheaper, increases.
NEW INCORPORATIONS
LaSalle Music & Jewelry Co., Inc., Columbus, O-,
250 shares, no par value; L. Silverstein, S. M. Silver-
stein, Leopold Silverstein.
Marion Music Company, Indianapolis; capital stock
of $10,000; objects, engage in the music business;
Forrest J. Wilking, Georgiana R. Wilking, Eugene
A. Wilking.
La Salle Music & Jewelry Co., Inc., Akron, O.,
250 shares no par value; L. Silverstein, S. M. Silver-
stein, Leopold Silverstein.
Kahler Thornburg, Inc., has been chartered to
deal in radios and accessories at 1901 Sylvania ave-
nue, Toledo, Ohio. The company has an authorized
capital of $25,000. Floyd J. Kahler, Elsie M. Thorn-
burgh and Dan H. McCullough are incorporators.
Art Speakers, Inc., 1912 S. Western avenue, Chi-
cago, 111. Capital, $10,000. Manufacture and deal in
speakers of all kinds, radios, cabinets, etc. Incorpo-
rators: Anton Ehrlich, Anton Balham, Francis J.
Lubien. Correspondent: H. M. Ehrlich, 180 W.
Washington street.
Incorporation papers have been issued at Colum-
bus, Ohio, to the Vocaphone Talking Equipment Cor-
poration of St. Marys, Ohio. D. Armstrong, D.
Deitsch and L. Springer are the incorporators and
capital stock is listed at $10,000. The company will
make and distribute sound and talking equipment for
small motion picture theaters.
Green Novelty and Music Company, Evansville,
Ind., capital stock of $10,000; objects, buying, own-
ing, selling, leasing and renting radios, pianos,
phonographs. Incorporators, John V. Green, May
Green and Albert Breedlove.
HEARD "AT THE BALDWIN"
Ivan Ivantzoff, Russian baritone, and Leon Tumar-
kin, Russian pianist, were the featured artists on the
"At the Baldwin" radio program Sunday, July 7, over
WJZ and associated NBC stations.
Both of these artists left Russia because of the
revolution. Ivantzoff made his debut in opera in
Petrograd in 1911 and became leading baritone for
the Petrograd Imperial Theater in 1917, but left two
years later when conditions in his country became
unbearable. He fled to Bulgaria where he was regis-
seur of the National Theater of Sofia for one year.
Then followed operatic engagements in Paris " and
Spain. In 1924 he came to America and was imme-
diately engaged by the Philadelphia Civic Opera,
BALDWIN STORE, BELLEVILLE, ILL.
where he has appeared every season since. From
Formal announcement has been made that the 1925 he had been a pillar of the Washington Opera
Company. Leon Tumarkin, the pianist, was "dis-
Baldwin Piano Company would establish a permanent
store at Belleville, 111., in the Herzler Building at 215 covered" by the sponsors of the Baldwin hour. At
West Main street. The store is in charge of T. B. the outbreak of the revolution, the Tumarkins, a
wealthy Russian family, lost their property and mi-
and J. T. Middleton. Three weeks ago the Baldwin
grated to the United States. Young Leon went to
Company opened a store there with the purpose of
conducting a sale of pianos. The results of the sale the New England Conservatory of Music, won several
have proven so satisfactory to the company that it scholarships and finished his training under Alexander
Siloti, teacher of Rachmaninoff.
was decided to permanently locate in Belleville.
the most written about and most talked about grand
pianos in the United States, the Sonata Model Straube
Grand Piano.
This instrument is known as "the smallest FULL
SCALE grand piano in the world.'' It contains the
invention known as the Duplex Overstrung Scale,
permitting a string length about one foot longer than
would ordinary piano construction. The unusual rich-
ness and volume of tone which this instrument con-
tains, so interested the people of Athens that Mr.
James saw fit to place it in his window where every-
one could see it.
The particular design shown in the illustration is
that of the Italian Period and furnished in walnut
finish, with bench to match.
Mr. James has been active in the selling of pianos
for many years and enjoys a very favorable reputa-
tion in the South. When interviewed recently, Mr.
James stated:
Jean Gerardy, Belgian cellist, who toured the
"We feature the Straube, because it is one of the L T nited States with Godowsky and Ysaye in 1913-1914,
world's finest pianos. While the Sonata Model of
died in Europe on the 4th of July. He was born in
course attracts a great deal of attention, nevertheless Liege in 1878,
More than 60,000 persons visited the recent radio
festival in Melbourne, Australia. Most prominent
displays were the American, Netherlands and Aus-
tralian.
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