August 1, 1929
PREST0-TI M ES
TUNERS TO LEARN
FROM CHAS. F. STEIN
Chicago Manufacturer of Grands to Show
Tuners at Convention the Possibilities
of Tone.
been connected with two of the larger New York
piano manufacturers prior to going to Peekskill. Mr.
Petrocine's line of instruments includes the Krakauer.
Mathushek and Autopiano, Brunswick and Columb : a
phonographs and Spartan radio sets. Mr. Petrocine
has built up a fine reputation in Peekskill and is one
of the successful merchants in this city.
NEW AMPICO OWNERS;
RICH MAN, MOVIE STAR
New York Store Sells One for Salon of Irving
S. Bush's Yacht; One to Richard Dix.
A STEINWAY ANNIVERSARY.
July 1 of this year marked the 30th anniversary
Reports to the National Piano Tuners' Association
indicate that the coming convention of the tuners at of William R. Steinway's career as a member of the
the Hotel Sherman, Chicago, August 19 to 22, will house of Steinway & Sons. It was on July 1, 1899—
be unusually well attended, and the members who do thirty years ago—that Mr. Steinway made his debut
come will be well repaid by at least one feature ot the in the world-famed family business, entering the
convention program. The officers of the association Steinway factory at New York. He thus carried on
have invited Chas. Frederick Stein, maker of the the Steinway family tradition of learning the business
grand piano bearing his name, to illustrate to the "from the bottom up." After two years at the bench,
Mr. Steinway traveled the length and breadth of the
tuners the fine points of action regulation for grand
United States. Subsequently, from 1904 to 1906, he
pianos which are the results of his thirty-six years of
worked in the Steinway interests on the European
practical experience in building a high-grade piano.
Continent. The year 1907 found him in England, and
Mr. Stein will personally show in great detail how in 1908 he was back on the Continent again. In 1912
to get the utmost musical possibilities out of a grand
he became European general manager, and since 1921
action, and will show how he achieves his results. As he has been manager also of the London house,
lie put it:
which moved in November, 1924, from Steinway Hall,
"It is one thing to regulate an action so that it will Wigmore street, to the present beautiful premises in
meet with the approval of the average owner, but it is George street, W. 1. Mr. Steinway is one of the
quite another thing to meet the exacting demands of
seven living descendants of the founder who are
the professional pianist, and not all tuners or dealers actively engaged in the service of that great piano
have at present sufficient accurate knowledge of the house.
possibilities which are in a fine grand action, and on
which the professional pianist depends for those
PLATT BRANCH AT ALHAMBRA.
niceties of tone which not only proclaim him a great
artist, but make the reputation of the piano itself.
With souvenirs for all who attended and lights
"I intend to show the tuners, step-by-step, using playing on the front of the store in the evening, the
the parts of the grand actions, and the pianos them- Platt Music Company was host to approximately
selves, what can be done to make great music, as 3,000 persons at its formal opening July 13 of a
contrasted with what is often done and passed as branch store at Alhambra, Calif. Attending the open-
satisfactory. This talk is to be in simple language ing of the Alhambra store was Agnes Caryl Hill, who
which everyone can understand, and I will welcome played at the opening of the Platt Music Company
questions from those who hear me, because I intend in Los Angeles in 1908. Benjamin Platt, president,
to painstakingly explain every part and its bearing on spent several hours at the opening. He recalled how,
tone and touch. This is work of the highest usefulness 24 years ago. in a store 15x150 feet, selling sewing
to the entire trade, because even the amateur pianist machines exclusively, the company had expanded to
perceives at once the musical possibilities, and, of 10 stores handling pianos, radios and other musical
course, pianos are sold for their value as musical in- instruments, sewing machines being only a memory.
struments.
Mr. Platt relates that the original payroll of his
"When either a tuner, dealer or owner realizes the organization included just two men, himself and his
tone possibilities in the grand (and too few people un- partner. Today over 600 people are employed in
derstand the fundamental difference between a grand various capacities.
and upright action), they will become as enthusiastic,
I believe, over a grand piano as I am, and it is the
OLD UTICA FIRM PASSES.
dream of my life to make an instrument second to
none. For that reason I make nothing but grands
At the end of the bankrupt sale on July 29 the cen-
and give to each one the careful personal attention tury old music house of Buckingham & Moak Com-
that an artist in other lines gives to the productions pany passed permanently from the business life of
that bear his name."
Utica, N. Y. The store located at 119-121 Genesee
street had enjoyed over 100 years of business in that
SUCCESSFUL PEEKSKILL MERCHANT. city. The sale which ended July 29 was under the
Anthony Petrocine, the successful music merchant direction of Edward L. Smith as trustee.
of Peekskill, N. Y., will move about August 15 to a
WALES' GREATEST SINGER DIES.
handsome new wareroom at 117 North Division
street. The building is now being renovated and re-
David Davies, Wales' greatest singer, died on
decorated and will consist of two floors, giving ample July 13 at Pontypool, Wales, at the age of 81. For-
space for display of pianos, phonographs and radio gotten many years, he again emerged into promi-
sets and also a complete line of sheet music and musi- nence a year ago when he accepted the challenge of
cal merchandise. Mr. Petrocine has been engaged in John T. Davies, Welsh-American of Mineral Ridge,
the retail music business in Peekskill for the past Ohio, to a "singing contest." David Davies won and
fourteen years. He is an expert piano man, having his feat brought an invitation to sing before the king.
And Another Small Grand
Berthold Nouer, manager, Ampico Hall, New York,
reports the sale of two Knabe Ampico Grands, one
to a nationally known millionaire, Irving S. Bush,
Xew York; the other to a movie star of Hollywood,
Cal., Richard Dix.
The former was placed on board Mr. Bush's new
yacht the '"Coronet' which recently caused no little
stir in exclusive yachting circles in New York.
Richard Dix, Paramount star, joins the great Holly-
wood group of Ampico owners which includes nearly
one hundred movie idols; Douglas Fairbanks, Mary
Pickford, John Barrymore, Gloria Swanson, Charles
Chaplin, Conrad Nagel. Norma Talmadge, Lewis
Stone, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, Jack Holt, Jackie Coo-
gan, Monte Blue, Richard Barthlemes, "the singing
fool" Al Jolson, and many others.
The Knabe tone seems to weave its humanly sym-
pathetic spell over everybody in the movie world, for
with the Chickering, another piano of the famous
American Piano Company line, it has recently been
chosen to be used exclusively in the "talkie" produc-
tions of Metro-Goldwyn, Fox, Paramount-Lasky, and
Universal.
The order which was handled by the American
Piano Company's Los Angeles representative. The
Platt Music Company, included nine Knabe Grands
and seven Chickering Grands, of which four were
concert grands. Richard Dix, who finds relaxation
from his exacting work "on the lot" in playing the
piano, recently went to New York in connection with
the opening of his second all-talking picture at the
Paramount Theater, Times Square.
BUSH & LANE ACTIVITIES.
The Bush & Lane Piano Co., Holland, Mich., at its
directors' meeting last week decided to go in for
making radios extensively. The report sent in by
Manager Stephan shows that outstanding obligations
of the firm had been reduced one-half million dollars
through the sales of assets and better business. The
board of directors is now composed of W. H. Beach,
Chester L. Beach, V. R. Hungerford, Frank Dyke
and Henry Pelgrim. Advisory board: Chas. Kirchen,
B. P. Donnelly, Gerald J. Bosch and Manager E. P.
Stephan.
NEW FIANO DEPARTMENT.
The Grand Rapids Musical Institute, Grand Rapids,
Mich., announces the opening of a new piano depart-
ment under the personal instruction of John J. Kuyk,
a graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PIANO STORE TRADE INCREASE.
Rochester Musical Instrument Company, 29-33
South avenue, Rochester, N. Y., are making extensive
alterations to their piano department to take care of
the increasing bus : ness of the firm.
Style. R Grand.—4 feet,
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