Presto

14
PRESTO-TIMES
orations at the latter city about August 1, there will
be eleven companies in Elkhart that manufacture mu-
sical instruments, and employing nearly 3,000 persons.
The Andrews Music Co., Charlotte, N. C, offers a
player-piano for solving "the famous 7 problem."
Kclley Music Co., 710 Cherry street, Chattanooga,
Tenn., is selling Straube pianos.
The Outlet Co., Providence, R. I., is conducting a
sale of McPhail grand pianos.
C. A. House Music Co., Wheeling, W. Va., is fea-
turing the Brambach Baby Grand piano.
The Griffith Piano Co., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., features
the Steinway piano.
Watkins Bros., Inc., make this assertion: "Some
day someone may discover a gift that is dearer to the
heart of a woman than a beautiful grand piano—but
not yet."
The Charles E. Wells Music Co., Casper, Wyo.,
says: "Start the child now on the piano. You'll
never regret it."
The Straube Music Co., Estherville, Iowa, has
moved to the H. C. Brees building on East Lincoln
street, that city.
C. L. Clink, having recuperated from a severe ill-
ness, has gone back to work for the Lewis & Palmer
branch store at Rochelle, 111. Mr. Clink is one of
the best known piano tuners in that section.
Frank Denman has given up his salesrooms in the
Pease building at Richland Center, Wis., but will
continue the piano business and piano selling.
A dispatch from London says that Columbia Inter-
national, Ltd., now controls Columbia Phonograph
Co. of New York; Carl Lindstrom A. G. of Berlin
also through the latter, Transoceanic Trading Co. of
Africa.
The Strube Music House is now nicely located in
its new home in the Brees building at Estherville,
Iowa.
The Music Shop was one of three business concerns
that totaled a loss of $25,000 by a fire that swept
through a building 212-214 Mitchell street, Atlanta,
Ga., last month. The stock of the Music Shop, which
included a large number of radio sets and musical in-
struments, was badly damaged, if not totally ruined,
by water and smoke.
The B. K. Settergren piano factory on West Lan-
caster street, Bluffton, Ind., was the scene of a run of
the fire department of that town at 1 a. m. one morn-
ing last month. The automatic sprinkler system had
the fire under control as soon as the firemen got to
the plant. Only a pile of sawdust burned; there was
no loss and the plant went into full operation at the
usual hour that day.
GOLD PLATES FOR GIFT PIANOS
When a piano is bought as a gift either to an indi-
vidual or to a school or church, the purchaser fre-
quently wants it marked in some way. One very
successful method of doing this is to affix a small
gold plate to the fall-board. Such plates, measuring
about one inch high and one and seven-eighths inches
long can be bought from the Metal Arts Co. of
Rochester, N. Y.. for sixty cents each. The engrav-
ing of names and dates will add about seventy-five
cents to the cost.
BROWNELL UP THE LAKES.
Gurney R. Brownell, president of the Piano Club
of Chicago, left last Saturday on his two week's
cruise on the great lakes. He is sailing his Gypsy II.
He expects to make Charlevoix, Mich.,, his headquar-
ters, but during the rest of the summer he intends
to spend all his spare time aboard his little boat.
"Brownie," as his friends fondly call him when admir-
ing him, intends to acquire a thorough coat of tan
while out in the sun.
OTTO LINK IN THE U. S. A.
A postal card written aboard the Lloydschnelldamp-
fer Columbus by Otto Link, president of the big
drum factory at Weissenfels, Germany, as the steam-
ship was approaching New York, has been received
by one of his friends in Chicago. Mr. Link is now
in New York and is expected in Chicago this week
or some time within this month.
GIBBONS & STONE NO LONGER AT IT.
The firm of Gibbons & Stone, Inc., manufacturers
of the Gibbons & Stone, Inc., pianos for many years
at Rochester, N. Y., has entirely discontinued. Their
plant was sold to the Levis Music House some time
ago, but the old manufacturing firm quit making
pianos.
A BIT O' SCOTCH.
Ever hear about the Scotchman that folded up a
dollar bill and crammed it into an automatic electric
piano? Neither did (or will) we.
July, 1930
time I entered their employ; Mr. Healy was in charge
of finance and Mr. Lyon in charge of sales. I had
many interesting experiences during this time. Mr.
Lyon asked me one day to entertain a young man
who proved to be Walter Damrosch. I had a pass
to hear Patti sing in the old Central Music Hall,
So Says E. F. Lapham, Former Piano Man, located on the present site of Marshall Field & Co.
store. Reginald DeKoven came in one day and
Who Gives Reminiscences and Speaks
asked me if 1 had time to hear his latest compo-
of Today's Tendencies.
sition, as he would like my opinion of it. He sat
The story of the life of any individual or of the down at a piano and played the score of "Robin
sequential facts growing out of his start toward a Hood" for me from his original manuscript. I sold
business career is more than a biography, more than Steinway pianos to many prominent people during
this period. E. H. Gary, a judge at the time, but
a fiction, because it bristles with fact and reality.
A biography would be tiresome, but a few scintil- later famous as president of the United States Steel
lating incidents in the life of any piano man always Co.; also Eugene Field; G. A. P. Healy, the painter;
make good copy for the press. When E. F. Lapham, Harold McCormick and his wife he had just mar-
former piano man of Chicago, was asked last week ried, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller. Geo. B.
to give some of his early experiences in the business Grosvenor, later my partner for many years, came to
Lyon & Healy from Dubuque, Iowa, and we were
he said:
"At the age of 16 I had gone from Ohio to visit continuously together from that time on for the
a brother-in-law in Kansas, who was a large cattle next thirty-eight years. In those days the social life
owner and on whose ranch I had many happy hours of Chicago was centered around 18th and Prairie
riding with the cowboys. One day my brother-in-law avenue and Ashland boulevard on the West Side.
said to me. "Now is your opportunity to see a big About 1890 Lyon & Healy dissolved partnership, the
city as I am taking a train of cattle to Kansas City, old company being incorporated, Mr. Lyon with-
a big city of 40,000 at that time. I was told to look drawing from the firm and taking the Steinway
agency, organizing the firm of Lyon, Potter & Co.,
over the city while he was selling his cattle.
located at 174 South Wabash avenue, Mr. Grosvenor
Gets His First Music-Store Job.
and I accompanying Mr. Lyon in the new company.
"Walking down Main street I saw a sign, "Decker In those days I knew personally Wm. Steinway, Wm.
Brothers, Pianos," which store was a branch of Story Knabe. Rufus Block of the Sterling Co., J. A. Vose,
& Camp of St. Louis, and the name W. W. Lapham and Calvin Whitney, all powers in the trade at that
was on the street sign. Being curious to see the time.
man with my name, I called at the upstairs ware-
His Most Embarrassing Moment.
rooms. Introducing myself I found a kindly elderly
During this period I had what I called my most
man who after a brief visit said, "Why not come
to work for me?" My first experience in the music embarrassing moment when Paderewski, in buying
trade was made at that time, as I accepted his offer a piano from me, asked me to play it for him. Later
and the same day made my first sale of a piano to my on, Steinway Hall was built and occupied by our
firm. This was just before the World's Fair. Those
brother-in-law?
"The other music houses there at that time were were happy days. About 1890 Mr. Lyon died and
Conover Bros., Geo. Swope and the J. W. Jenkins Lyon, Potter Co. was liquidated and passed out of
Store, which consisted of one room with a show-case existence, Lyon & Healy regaining the Steinway and
of small musical instruments, and on the floor several Mr. Grosvenor and I organizing the firm of Gros-
pianos. The store was heated by a base-burner stove. venor, Lapham & Co.. selling the A. B. Chase piano,
John Jenkins, the head of the present large establish- then well-known but afterwards being made famous
ment, was a boy of my own age and we were very by us. We continuously sold this piano in our ware-
good friends. We frequently sat by the stove, John rooms in the Fine Arts Building for over a quarter
strumming a guitar, while we were singing some of of a century. We made sales to many famous Chi-
cago citizens; John G. Shedd, president of Marshall
the popular songs of that day.
Field & Co., the Julius Rosenwald family, and the
Goes to Fargo.
public schools of Chicago. About this period the
"After some months I went to Fargo, N. D., to automobile came into general use and I saw the
take charge of a large iron works. After two years decline of the piano business.
I resigned intending to go to Pittsburgh in the
Discriminating Purchasers from Now On.
iron industry, but as there were no through trains
at that time and having a day to lie over in St. Paul,
"In the past the piano had been the center of all
I called at several music stores, not having anything social activities in the home, but with the arrival of
else to do. These stores were Dyer & Howard, the automobile everybody had to be on wheels, so
Nathan Ford, and the Kimball Store managed by a that the old social home life began disappearing. The
man named Whiting, as I recall. In conversation at fact become more prominent with the arrival of small
each store they ascertained that I had had some apartments, hotel life, and the radio, and I resigned
previous musical position and each house made a from my firm and entered the investment banking
proposition to work for it.
field, connecting with Dangler, Lapham & Co.. where
Goes on the Road.
I am now happy. We are now passing through an
As a result I engaged to travel for the Nathan evolution in all kinds of business, it being a time of
Ford store which represented the Knabe. I traveled elimination and the survival of the strong financially.
for two years and then accepted a position with the The future purchasers of pianos will be a discrim-
Dyer store in Minneapolis. In the meanwhile I had inating public who have a real love for music in their
returned to my native state in Ohio and married an hearts that they feel they must give expression to. I
old sweetheart. One night my wife and I attended can see a pronounced demand and love of better
the opera and, as it happened, Ed. Baliff, who trav- music, and the dizzy age of jazz we have just passed
eled for the small goods department of Lyon & Healy, through I believe will soon be a thing of the past."
sat in front of us. In our conversation, he informed
me that there was a vacancy on the piano floor of
Lyon & Healy. The next morning I took a train
for Chicago and walked in a perfect stranger and got
the position in Chicago. That was in 1886. The
same day I called at Lyon & Healy I had to wait
to interview the firm and, having some time to kill,
J. Lawrence Alnutt of the Alnutt Music Co., Sa-
I wandered into the Church Music Co. store, located
on Wabash avenue. No one was on the first floor, vannah. Ga., is one piano man who believes in radio
but hearing tuning going on upstairs I went up and advertising and has obtained some practical results
found a very pleasant gentleman tuning and from from the use of radio promoting the sale of Grand
that day to this A. M. Wright and I have been friends. pianos.
In the last few "weeks, during the very hottest
Later on he was president of Mason & Hamlin, but
is now retired with a winter home in St. Petersburg. weather in Savannah, Ga., young Mr. Alnutt has re-
ported several sales of Wurlitzer Grand pianos.
Fla.
Mr. Alnutt says:
Recalls the Kimball Hat Story.
"As our business is as much promoting the study
At this time the Kimball store was located at
Adams and State streets. - . ^ was about that time of music and the piano, as the sale of the instru-
that they told the story of Mr. Kimball. who was a ments themselves are often asked the question: 'Arc
very sanctimonious gentleman and quite a joker, you people studying the piano as much now as in the
having walked one day into the Dunlap Hat Store, past?' This question is probably prompted by the
located in the old Palmer House, and asked if they fact that the radio and the phonograph furnish such
gave a discount to the clergy. He tried on a silk a large part of the musical entertainment in the home
hat, which everyone wore to business in those days, today, but it is only natural that the people who in
and said: "I think my congregation will like it; if the past have been deprived of the pleasures and ad-
they don't, then they can go to hell." It was a little later vantages of a musical education should seek some
that a customer walked into the Kimball store and means to satisfy their longing for music. This idea
asked to see an ancient lyre. Mr. Kimball met the has also been fed by a few shallow minded people
question by saying, "We are just out, but if you will who thought it was smart to make fun of those who
go to Lyon & Healy and ask for Geo. W. Lyon, you were-making a real effort to improve their minds
and do something worthwhile for themselves and give
will find one."
"Lyon & Healy was a private partnership at the pleasure to those with whom they come in contact.''
THE AGE OF JAZZ
WILL SOON BE PAST
SELLING WURLITZERS
DURING HOTTEST WEATHER
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