MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a Copy
1 Tear
$1.25
10 Months. . .$1.00
6 Months.. 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL, 1930
Issued
Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
THE MUSIC SUPERVISORS' GREAT CONVENTION
Presto=Times' Story of This Most Enthusiastic and Largely Attended=Conference, Where
Were Gathered Thousands of People Identified With the
Production of Music in All Its Branches
A GATHERING OF VAST IMPORT TO ALL DIVISIONS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRIES AND TRADES
X the attempt to give a kaleido-
scopic picture of the Music Super-
visors National Conference held at
the Stevens Hotel, Chicago, from
March 24 to 28 inclusive, the pic-
ture calls for a variety of sights,
scenes, incidents, performances,
talent, exhibits, characters, profes-
sions, speeches, dinners, diverse
ages, costumes, musical instru-
ments—all housed in one great hostelry and hemmed
in by the biggest blizzard that Chicago ever offered
to citizen or visitor.
Predominant elements in the great convention,
which numbered five or six thousand registrations,
were culture, grace and system—absolutely no con-
fusion. They were all there with earnestness of pur-
pose and they were from coast to coast and from the
Canadian border to the Rio Grande. Motion and
music characterized the assemblage. In the halls,
moving about one met young ladies and young men
carrying violins, saxophones, music books or sheet
music going to do their bit at some performances,
and their badges showed their membership in this or
that chorus, brass band or class in music in high
school or college.
Elderly persons, too, although fewer in number,
were there—those who might be supervisors, teachers
or leaders of band organizations. It was a semi-pro-
fessional multitude. Scattered here and there were
pianos and always in use with many regular hotel
guests listening in. On the demonstration floors (the
4th and 5th) many young people were rehearsing
solos, practicing for later performances. Again, there
were distinguished teachers actually giving some
stunt performances or showing what could be pro-
duced by a proper handling of one of the best horns,
a "wood-wind," pianos or even drums and cymbals
or tympana.
If one had been in search of a chorister, a chorus,
the personnel of a brass band, a teacher of music for
a school, a quartette, an octette, a sextette, or a
musical ensemble of any kind, he would have had no
trouble in finding what he sought in this crowd on
any one of, the days of the convention. As one man
remarked, it was "a semi-professional group, with the
pianos played and semi-played and accompanied by
singing in the halls and corridors." He added: "Too
bad there were not more piano manufacturers here
to view this great assemblage; it would have done
their hearts good to have seen how the music indus-
try is progressing in this latest angle of music trade
progress."
Aside from all this strictly musical part of the con-
vention were the displays on the fourth and fifth
floors of the hotel—"a mile of exhibits if spread out
in a straight line" as one enthusiast put it. It prob-
ably would have reached almost a half mile if extend-
ed room to room in a line. It was certainly a big
showing of the latest in small goods, musical devices,
aids in teaching and playing the various instruments
of music, as well as a presentation of text books,
advertisements of music schools, tours of Europe the
coming summer, and the introduction of many other
novelties.
Two Floors of Exhibits.
The exhibits were numerous and varied, including
small goods and musical merchandise, band instru-
ments, violins, devices to aid in teaching piano play-
ing and a great and multifarious diversity of the
appliances used by teachers of music. Dozens of
rooms on the 4th and 5th floors of the big hotel were
used for this purpose.
Many publishing houses had whole rooms devoted
to displays of books, sheet music, pamphlets contain-
ing articles written by music critics, works on teach-
ing music (mostly of modern production) and an occa-
sional classic from the old school.
Basal textbooks, drill charts, exercise cards and
accessories—works on harmony, hymnology and
musical appreciation were in the lists shown. Oper-
ettas and supplementary sheet music, reference books
and supplementary collections were part of the glutted
ana. Books of choruses, primers, normal music
courses, music phrase cards, modulators, pitch pipes,
manuals for intermediate grades, glee and chorus
books, were some of the featured exhibits or demon-
strations.
The Conn Exhibit.
C. G. Conn, Ltd., had a splendid display of the
instruments from its factories at Elkhart, Ind.
Every kind of instrument used in a band was here
and demonstrations were conducted regularly. The
Conn room w r as never idle and a good many orders
were taken.
Steinway Grands in Evidence.
The Steinway Grands in several of the large rooms
were loaned by Lyon & Healy. Expert musicians
found enjoyment in the self-expression of their abili-
ties in casually using these renowned pianos, which
responded to their loftiest moods.
Starr Piano Co.'s Exhibit.
The Starr Piano Co.'s exhibition room was the place
of headquarters for several of the better class of
musicians. Here were to be seen and tried, several
Cable Midget pianos which were placed in the corri-
dors and freely used.
Other Exhibits.
Other exhibitors included those of Allyn & Bacon,
Ihling-Everard Co., Atwater Kent Mfg. Co., Drys-
dale School Service, Finney Violin System—Finger
Flexer, Fisk Teachers' Agency, School Concert Series,
Alchin Publications, York Band Instrument Co.,
Wessell, Nickel & Gross, National Music League,
New York Band Instrument Co., S. & E. Selmer,
Inc., M. Witmark & Sons, Musical Leader, E. C.
Schirmer Music Co., 221 Columbus avenue, Boston,
Emil Ascher, Inc., New York; T. S. Denison & Co.,
J. W. Jenkins Sons Co., Rose Jungenickel, Keystone
View Co., Alfred Knopf, Inc., Gamble Hinged Music
Co., Fiddl-ette Exhibit, Carl Fischer, Inc., Henry L.
Alford organization, C. L. Barnhouse. Oskaloosa,
Iowa; Belwin, Inc., New York; Irving Berlin, Boston
Music Co., Buescher Band Instrument Co.; The Cable
Co., Chappell-Harms, Inc., Columbia Phonograph
Co., Chas. Crawford Co., Radio Music Co., Music
News, H. T. Fitzsimmons, Raymond A. Hoffman Co.,
Theodore Presser Co., Rubank, Inc., G. Schirmer,
Inc., C. A. Birchard & Co., Sam Fox Publishing Co.,
Hall & McCreary Co., Anne J. McDonough, E. T.
Root & Sons, A. P. Schmidt Co., University Exten-
sion Conservatory, Lorenz Publishing Co., Filmore
Music House, Heywood Institute of Universal Song,
Ginn & Co., J. S. Fearis & Bro., John Church Co.,
Curtis Class Piano Course, Oliver Ditson Co., G. A.
Grant-Schaefer, Williamstown, Mass.; H. W. Gray
Co., Grigsby-Grunow Co., Hall-Mack Co., Hall &
McCreary Co., Kay & Kay, Haywood Institute,
M. Hohmer, Inc., Frank Holton & Co., G. Ricordi
& Co., Win. Lewis & Son, Leedy Mfg. Co., Ludwig
Music Pub. Co.. Ludwig & Ludwig, Lyon & Healy,
showing music and school material; Majestic Radio,
RCA-Victor Co., Martin Band Inst. Co., J. A. Parks
Co., York, Neb.; Miessner Inst. of Music, Myers &
Carrington, Redwood City, Calif.; National Music Co.,
Oxford University Press, Pan-American Band In-
strument & Case Co., Harry Pedler & Co., J. W.
Pepper & Sons, Phi Mu Alpha-Sifonic Society, Shat-
tinger Music Co., Sims Song Slide Corp., Willis
Music Co., White Smith Pub. Co., Sims Visual Music
Co., Soprani, Inc., the Vega Co., the H. N. White Co.,
C. F. Toenniges Co., the Starr Piano Co., Stromberg-
Carlson, Clayton F. Summey Co.
Erskine Predicts Music Revival.
John Erskine, of the Juillard School of Music, New
York, was the guest speaker at the big banquet of
the Conference at the Stevens Hotel on the night of
March 27. He declared that the stage is set for a
remarkable revival and development of music in this
country, "provided adverse conditions do not cram or
stifle all this talent and cheat the national tempera-
ment of the culture which is its proper destiny." He
expressed his belief that the solution of the problem
lies with the music teacher working for the establish-
ment of state music centers, conducted by the best
music teachers in the state for the benefit of state
audiences and state talent. These music centers
should have an opera company and an orchestra, he
said, and should be properly housed. The speaker
declared that this country has a ridiculously insuffi-
cient outlet for musical expression. Germany has
seventy or eighty opera houses, and if we were to
add the opera houses of France, Italy, Belgium, Spain
and Austria we would have several hundred. The
speaker compared these with but two well-established
opera houses in this country—the Chicago Civic and
the Metropolitan of New York. "Most seasons of
opera elsewhere," he said, "are provided by a shuffling
around of those two companies."
New Officers Elected.
At the business meeting of the Music Supervisors'
National Conference on March 27 Russell V. Morgan,
director of music, Cleveland public schools, was
elected president of the conference. Mabelle Glenn,
of Kansas City, Mo., whose term as president had
just closed, was elected first vice-president, and Max I.
Krone, of Western Reserve University, Cleveland,
was elected second vice-president.
Interests String Class Teachers.
Fiddl-ette, Viola-ett^. Cello-ette and Base-ette in-
struments are classified under the general head of
Gamble "Ettc" instruments and the various kinds
were demonstrated at the convention by the Gamble
Hinged Music Co., of Chicago. They are small in-
struments designed to make the study and mastery of
stringed instruments more easy and fascinating.
The Helen Curtis Course.
Featured at the convention by Harris F. Roosa,
publisher of 817 North Dearborn street, Chicago, was
the Curtis Class piano course by Helen Curtis, direc-
tor of class piano methods at Bush Conservatory, of
Chicago, formerly supervisor of piano work in the
public schools of Kansas City, Mo.
Pedler's New Bass Clarinet.
One of the fine, new instruments, just out, that was
on display at the show was the all-metal bass clarinet
of Harry Pedler & Co., Inc., Elkhart, Ind. It attract-
ed much attention from clarinet performers. Indiana
band instruments were also displayed in this room.
Castanets and Juveniles.
There were all sorts of small instruments and
devices for interesting the young in music at this
show. Castanets were among the devices seen, and
little drums. The castanet has come down the ages
from the days of the prominence of Spanish and
Moorish dominance—a small affair consisting of two
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