February, 1931
PRESTO-TIMES
ISSUED THE
FIFTEENTH IN EACH
MONTH
The American Music Trade Journal
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Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the tion
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CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY, 1931
A big fight is being put up in New York by most
WHAT THE BIG PANJANDRUMS FAILED TO SEE COMING
of the 15,000 music teachers of that city against the
zoning ban based on a law which prohibits the carry-
One of the philosophical wits of the piano trade in the East, who occasionally, incognito,
ing on of any business, trade or industry in a resi-
dential district. The battle was precipitated when
furnishes Presto-Times with some thundering good ideas for trade comment, says in his latest
Wagner S. Kelly was convicted of "conducting a
letter:
business" by giving music lessons in a residential
"That is a fine editorial (page 8) in your January issue. It says a large mouthful, and it
district. Yeatman Griffith, one of the prominent teach-
ers of music in New York, said: "It is ridiculous to
says it with sufficient point to make it carry heft.
class the profession of music teaching as a business.
"Isn't it funny that the big Panjandrums of the piano trade could not see this thing before
If such action is upheld, it will be an outrage on a
it
came
to pass? Back in 1910 I fought against the idea of making the piano secondary to
citizen or taxpayer in any profession. I think imme-
diate action should be taken to bring this to a head.
the player, but the tide set in too strongly, and one could not get a listener to any exposition
If the Court of Appeals interprets this as the law, then
of the theory that the piano was basic and must be maintained as such."
I am compelled by necessity to break the law, and
Another humorous piano trade philosopher—although those who know him well would
I certainly have no desire to be classed as a crimi-
nal."
hardly suspect it—is C. M. Tremaine, who said at a recent musical gathering:
* * * *
"For a good many years the entire force of piano publicity was directed towards teaching
The seven members of the Board of Education at
the
public
not to play the piano. Propaganda for the player piano, then just coming into pop-
New York who solemnly voted after mature consid-
ularity, was directed along the lines that it was better to learn to appreciate expert playing
eration to have the "old and useless" piano in Public
School 14, located at 225 East 27th street, "dismantled
as reproduced by the player piano than to go through the painful drudgery of lessons—only
without delay" doomed the instrument to make an-
to produce, eventually, results that were not as good as those ready at hand in the player
other use of it, for it was decided to turn the derelict
rolls. The emphasis was entirely upon appreciation instead of personal production. Eventually,
over to shopwork classes where boys who have a
penchant for that sort of thing may take it apart
after years of such propaganda and the spending of millions of dollars, the public came to
"to see what makes it play."
believe not only that it was not necessary to learn to play the piano in order to enjoy piano
* * * *
music, but that appreciation was actually a higher form of culture. Then came radio, and
In a recent country-wide survey made by the Arnold
found a ready made public. It provided exactly the same sort of entertainment as the player
Research Service for the Parents' Magazine, New
piano
and in a more varied and attractive form. No wonder the player piano went almost
York, it was disclosed that women with growing chil-
dren are the greatest buyers of household merchan-
out of business and the demand for pianos fell off."
dise. Investigations in 5,358 homes in 83 different
* * * *
communities show that such women make 57.5 per
cent of such purchases, and that in purchases of pianos
PERPETUITY OF THE PIANO
women in that classification do 44.8 per cent of the
buying.
Many musical instruments come and go, but the violin, the piano and the organ seem to
* * * *
Eight state governors have recently accepted mem- be the great stand-bys. Many novelties have been introduced from time to time, such as tech-
bership in the Honorary Committee of Governors for
nicons, double key-boards and other devices that are now things of the past. The technicou
National Music Week, headed by President Hoover
was a gymnastic device for developing the hands and fingers for piano playing. What a satis-
as honorary chairman and including thec hief execu-
faction it is to know that the piano remains the king of keyboard instruments, not excepting
tives of almost all the states. These newly enrolled
the organ, as Mr. Klugh said in his talk at the Piano and Organ Association banquet at the
governors are: Harry G. Leslie, Indiana; Harry M.
Woodring, Kansas; John G. Winant, New Hampshire;
Union League Club last month. Like the great classical compositions that can not be super-
O. Max Gardner, North Carolina; Julius L. Meier,
seded by modern composers, the piano perpetuates itself indefinitely, unfailing, continuous,
Oregon; Warren E. Green, South Dakota; Stanley C.
Wilson, Vermont, and Philip F. La Follette, Wis- reliable.
consin. This governmental endorsement has given
a marked impetus to the Music Week movement, par-
ticularly through the governor's proclamation or pub-
lic statement on the Music Week, which action was
THEO. PRESSER CO. BUYS DITSON'S
HISTORIC PIANO ON DISPLAY
taken last year in 27 states. In addition, leading state
A piano considered to be the first ever built in
The report that the Oliver Ditson Co. of Boston and
organizations have notified the National Music Week
New York has sold its'music publishing interests to Germany and also the first work of Johann Zumpe in
Committee, 45 West 45th street, New York city, that
1763 at Hamburg has been on display at the Young
they will take an active part in promoting the eighth the Theodore Presser Co. of Philadelphia has been
& Chaffee store, 122-128 Ottawa avenue, N. W.. Grand
confirmed by Dr. James Francis Cooke, president of
annual National Music Week, May 3-9.
Rapids, Mich. It has- natural keys black and its
the Philadelphia music publishing house.
Sj(
Jf
Sfi
Jf!
sharps white. It was brought to America in 1825
The
purchase,
according
to
Dr.
Cooke,
includes
all
Here is a sure indication that better times have
by Rev. Daniel Krantz, Evangelical minister, who set-
set in the United States. Commenting on the increase the stock in ,trade, copyrights, plates as well as the tled in Winesburg, O. Later the piano became the
goodwill
and
name
of
the
Ditson
company,
but
does
in investment holdings of United States Steel common
property of Krantz' nephew. J. C. Loss, who in turn
stock, Wall street, according to the New York Times, not include the business in musical instruments, radios, handed it down to its present owner, E. R. Laughead,
phonographs,
etc.,
which
is
retained
by
the
former
has just "noted with interest that Scotland, whose in-
Toledo, Ohio. The piano was exhibited at the Inter-
habitants are rated as among the world's shrewdest owners and will be conducted by them under the name national exposition in Pittsburgh in 1926.
Ditson
Distributors.
Inc.,
at
179
Tremont
street,
Bos-
investors, has enlarged their holdings to the extent of
five shares. The total holdings of Scotchmen, in ton.
A BUSY NEW YORK FELT HOUSE
"The Ditson retail stores in New York and Boston,"
other words, have been increased from 2,809 to 2,814
Manufacturers of pianos, tuners, supply men, repair
shares since the last quarter of 1929." It is hoped that the statement continues, "were closed two weeks ago
William Thomson, the piano man of Glasgow, was and the Theodore Presser Co. will operate the Ditson men and others are always interested to hear any-
thing about the house of Philip W. Oetting & Son,
music publishing interests from its Boston address."
one of the shrewd investors among the five shares.
The Oliver Ditson Co. is the oldest music publish- Inc., 213 East Nineteenth street. New York. Well,
-t + * *
ing
house in America and possesses one of the largest this house is still hard at it at the old stand—ready
There seems to be no end to second-hand pianos.
at all times to satisfy customers in their Various de-
catalogues.
It dates back to. 1783.
From scores of country daily and weekly papers come
iijands for felts, or other supplies in their line. Mr.
advertisements of second-hand pianos, and it is to
Oetting is taking an optimistic prospective view of
be assumed that very few of these are slightly-used
The San Antonio Music Co., 316 West Commerce the rest of the year and he is in a position to know
reconditioned instruments. The advertising of many street, San Antonio, Texas, is proud of its agency for from his wide dealings with piano manufacturers that
dealers, in short, seem to make the new pianos cf
the Kimball piano, saying: "The one conspicuously the end of the piano industry is at least several hun-
less importance than the old ones.
fine piano in the world, priced inexpensively."
dreds of vears in the future.
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