Presto

December IS, 1929
PRESTO-TIMES
Mr. White, "although its possibilities seem almost
endless.
"In the first place, we are using it to study the con-
struction of pianos and other musical instruments in
order to improve them. You need only watch the
waves formed on the screen to notice that when I
strike successive keys on this piano, though I strike Tells Listeners that Most of the Nine Coun-
each with approximately the same force, some notes
tries He Visited Last Year Are Five
produce distinctly larger waves than others. This
Years Behind on Radio, but
means that those particular notes produce louder
Up on Pianos.
sounds than the rest due to some peculiarity in the
construction. Your eye can see it although, if you
An
unusually
large
attendance marked the noon-
are not a musician, your ear may not detect the dif-
day
luncheon
meeting
of
the Piano Club of Chicago
ference.
on December 2. The chief attraction was the an-
"Another application of this instrument is to help nouncement that Paul B. Klugh, vice-president of
the student improve his technique. The sound waves Zenith Radio Corporation, was to be speaker of the
produced by the touch of a master pianist differ from day, and Mr. Klugh certainly was at his best, both
those produced when the same keys are struck by an as to the information he furnished and his eloquent
unskilled hand.
delivery. Mr. Klugh was presented by Henry Hewitt
"Master musicians are also interested in studying of the M. Schulz Company, who said: "Mr. Klugh,
the details of their own technique. For example, one a past president of this club, needs no introduction
well-known pianist has learned by osiso sound-wave here—I rather commend him for your attention."
photographs that he can produce a single note with
Mr. Klugh said he didn't feel like an outsider. If
at least 18 different gradations, each individual both
in tone color and loudness. He can thus determine his auditors expected an inspirational talk, he was all
the actual difference between his 'cantabile' and his out of that. He started in the piano business in 1893,
accompanimental notes, between his 'forte' and his and had used up all his inspirational talks selling
pianos later. He reviewed the early history of the
'fortissimo, 1 and so on."
club, telling of the days when it met at the Welling-
Mr. White's chief interest lies in the improving of
ton Hotel and w T as kept alive by one of the most
wire for musical instruments, since the American beloved members of the piano trade, the late James
Steel & Wire Company is a large producer of wires F. Broderick. Later it met at the Stratford Hotel,
for pianos and other instruments.
and in rooms of its own at another location. Men
who attended its meetings included Col. E. S. Con-
way, P. J. Healy, George P. bent, Edward Lyman
Bill, Sr.; John C. and Harry Freund, Editor Toms
and William L. Bush, always with a fund of good
stories and other sorts of entertainment.
The speaker remembered that when he engaged in
Stanley & Sons Take Hold of Pipe Organ Agency the piano business the Steinways and the Knabes
for the Wolverine State.
were still cataloguing square pianos. Later he had
seen
the phonograph arise, run a career and fall back.
Stanley & Sons are distributors for the state of
Michigan of the celebrated Seeburg pipe and mortu- And then had arisen the radio, "or Raddio," said Mr.
ary organs that have been finding such great favor Klugh, "a pronunciation which caused a distinguished
in the funeral homes throughout the United States. candidate to lose the recent election."
Radio had made Mr. Klugh so busy, he said, that
Charles Stanley's headquarters will be at Grand he goes to New York oftener than to Chicago's Loop
Haven for the coming year, until more central head- in the daytime, and he asserted that "we haven't
quarters in the state can be found. A number of
scratched the surface and the mystery of it yet. The
these organs have been sold recently to funeral homes mystery of it is so overwhelming that none of us can
of the state of Michigan. Among them are:
understand it."
Balbirnie Funeral Mansion, Muskegon; Hyatt's
Broadcasting, he said, was costing over $75,000,000
Funeral Home, Bay City; Gorsline and Runciman, a year. Nearly $100,000,000 a year of entertainment
Lansing; Burton Spring, Grand Rapids; Farmer, that anybody with a radio set could tune in upon at a
Pontiac; Weatherby, Jackson, and several others.
cost of a cent an hour. And he added: "It doesn't
Mr. Stanley's son, Charles A., is manager of organ cost a cent more to do it with a good set than a poor
one." (Laughter.)
sales for the Seeburg Corporation, Chicago.
Mr. Klugh referred to his visits to nine countries
last year. Taking cigars in one's satchel into France
NOTED PIANIST PASSES AWAY.
or any one of those countries, such as France, Czecho-
The Associated Press reported that Michele Espos- slovakia, Italy, is regarded as a criminal act.
ito, noted pianist and composer, aged 64 years, died
"The radio situation over there is pathetic," said
on November 26 at Florence, Italy.
Mr. Klugh. "They are five years behind. They use
PAUL KLUGH ADDRESSES
PIANO CLUB OF CHICAGO
MICHIGAN DISTRIBUTORS
FOR SEEBURG ORGANS
WHEN
ll\l
DOUBT
old sets that we had discarded five years ago. Be-
lieve it or not, gentlemen, but in New York city I
stood on Fifth avenue recently and saw a crowd of
fifty persons gathered around an automobile where a
radio such as was thrown out as obsolete by manu-
facturers five years ago was playing inside the ma-
chine."
Continuing about Europe, Mr. Klugh said: "Gen-
tlemen, you think you know of poverty in this coun-
try, but you never saw such abject poverty as I saw
in Italy where families live in holes in the wall. You
wouldn't put a dog in such quarters. The poverty is
astounding to American eyes in Italy, Czecho-Slo-
vakia, Austria and other places I visited. They are
too poor to buy pianos or radio."
In England, radio stands better, Mr. Klugh said.
They are only two years behind there. They are still
in the peak of phonograph selling in England and
they gather about the phonograph, or gramophone, as
they call it, and play record after record.
As for pianos, all European dealers advertise and
sell them as lively as ever. In fact, according to Mr.
Klugh, the piano is the most beloved instrument
among Europeans of any of the devices for pro-
ducing music.
Mr. Klugh himself admitted that despite the suc-
cess he had made with radio, he got the greatest
pleasure of his life these days by playing his piano,
the instrument that beats anything else as a music
producer in the world.
Among those in attendance at the meeting were
Jay Grinnell, president of Grinnell Bros., Detroit, and
E. W. Grinnell of the same house, and Dr. J. Lewis
Browne, director of music of the Chicago Public
Schools.
The death of I. N. Rice was reported through tele-
grams sent to Presto-Times and the secretary of the
club was instructed to prepare a letter of condolence
to send to the bereaved family at Los Angeles.
LOOMIS' CHICAGO EXPERIENCE.
A New Yorker who visits Chicago only occasionally
during the year, almost had his fear of being held up
while there realized, on the night of December 9.
Delbert L. Loomis. secretary of the National Asso-
ciation of Music Merchants, was awaiting with Carl
I). Kinsey, manager of the Chicago Musical College,
the arrival of Mrs. Kinsey, with whom they were
planning to see the opera. While they were seated
in Mr. Kinsey's office they were unaware that a high-
wayman had emerged from an alley just after Mrs.
Kinsey had entered the building at 64 East Van Buren
street, poked a gun into the ribs of Mr. Kinsey's
chauffeur, entered the car, and forced the chauffeur
to drive west. After the stickup man had made the
chauffeur drive to the northwest side of Chicago, he
forced him to get out. Then the robber drove the
car away. According to Mr. Loomis, the next day
the car, a brown seven-passenger Stutz limousine,
was still missing.
REFER
TO
Presto Buyers' Guide
1930 EDITION NOW IN PREPARATION
ADAM SCHAAF, Inc.
HALLET & DAVIS PIANO CO.
P!AEO?' NG
GRANDS AND UPRIGHTS
Established Reputation and Quality Since 1873
FACTORY
OFFICES
4343 Fifth Avenue
& SALESROOMS
319-321 So. Wabash Ave.,
Corner of Kostner Avenue
New Adam Schaaf Building
CHICAGO, ILL.
XH E
Established 1831—Boston
FACTORIES - - NEW YORK CITY
Executive Offices and Wholesale Warerooms
% East 3tth St. (at 5th Ave.)
New York City
CO MSTOCK, C H E NET Y
& CO.
IVORVTON, CONN
IVORY CUTTERS SINCE 1834
MANUFACTURERS OF
Grand Keys, Actions and Hammers, Upright Keys
Actions and Hammer . Pipe Organ Keys
Piano Forte Ivory for Ihe Trade
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