16
September, 1931
P R E S T O-T I M E S
THE INTERNATIONAL PIANO OF TODAY
Under the caption which heads this article, "The
International Steinway," in the interesting little pub-
lication sent out by Steinway & Sons, "The Stein-
way News Letter," appears the article signed by
"F. A. V.," herewith reproduced:
There are trade marked articles well-known in a
particular country, there are others famous through-
out the world. There are few indeed which are con-
sidered the best wherever civilized man has pene-
trated. Overwhelming evidence points to the fact
that it is universal opinion, in the United States and
in every civilized country in the world that the Stein-
way is the best piano.
The great artists of the world choose it as their
instrument, the best conservatories, universities,
schools, radio stations, hotels, theaters, steamship
lines have everywhere adopted the Steinway piano.
It is interesting to note that sales have been made
to the Royal Family in Japan and that as recently
as last September we shipped a Steinway to Japan
for the Imperial household. On the other hand, com-
mercial Japan also recognizes the superiority of the
Steinway. The Nippon Yusen Kaisha Steamship
Line ordered six specially designed Steinway pianos
for their three luxurious steamers: Chichibu Maru,
Hakawa Maru, Heian Maru. All the great radio
stations in Japan are supplied with Steinway pianos,
namely, the stations at Tokio, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukoka,
Hiroshima, Kumamote, Nagowa, Sendai, and Sap-
poro.
It is noteworthy that in all these sales in Japan the
pianos were selected because of their great depth of
tone, their durability and their beauty of design.
There is no playing which tests the action and ham-
mers of a piano to such a degree as that done in the
radio station; no other climate than that of the steam-
ship demands greater durability of construction and
resistance to the constant changes of temperature and
moisture content of the air.
In one jump we turn from Japan to England, where
we find that the British Broadcasting Co. has selected
the Steinway piano after conducting exhaustive tests
with many other prominent makes. The accompany-
ing illustration show one of the four beautiful instru-
ments sold to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Co.,
Ltd., for their new steamer, "The Empress of Brit-
ain," one of the most luxurious passenger steamers
in the world. Besides the Canadian Pacific SS. Co.,
Ltd., have supplied their steamers, the Empress of
Scotland, Duchess of Bedford, Duchess of Athol,
Duchess of Richmond and Duchess of York with
Steinway pianos, all of them in special design.
Thus, Great Britain again recognizes the superiority
of the Steinway in tone, action and beauty of case
design.
We turn from Great Britain to Germany and there
again we find that the German Steamship Lines, the
"North German Lloyd" and the "Hamburg American
Line" equip their steamers with Steinways. The great
broadcasting stations and musical conservatories are
using the Steinway as standard equipment.
In this connection we might say that 192 instru-
ments have been bought by German schools and con-
servatories as well as radio stations within the last
two years. In Hamburg the public schools below
high school grade have bought 76 Steinway grands:
the city owned theater three instruments; the uni-
versity one; the seminary four; the high school five
instruments, and the Nordische Broadcasting Station,
also of Hamburg, is supplied with Steinway concert
grands. Thirty prominent German cities are included
in our list of customers of the past few years, all
the pianos going into educational institutions or
broadcasting stations.
Steinway is a world institution. Where music is
played Steinway is a household word. Through the
policy of making Steinway prices as low as consist-
ent with artistic piano building Steinways are found
not only in the homes and studios of great artists,
the White House, palaces of Emperors and Kings and
other heads of governments, in conservatories, uni-
versities, radio stations, steamship lines, hotels, pub-
lic and private schools, theaters, but also in the tens
of thousands of homes throughout the world.
Thinking people have found the Steinway the best,
and, because of its lasting qualities, the least expen-
sive of all pianos throughout the world.
F. A. V.
REWARD SURE TO COME.
John J. (iilynn, of the Mathushek & Son Piano
Co., 14 E. 39th street, New York, in writing to a
Chicago friend says: "We see indications of renewed
life in business and I believe that the ones who stick
to their knitting will be rewarded by and by."
Another good word conies from H. Edgar French,
president of the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co.,
New Castle, Ind., who under date of August 26 says:
"There is a perceptible increase in business, indicat-
ing that there will be more pianos sold this fall than
last year."
RECENT FOREIGN DISTRIBUTORS
FOR CAPEHART HOME LINE
Automatics Are Popular Abroad
The universal appeal of music to all countries is
clearly denned and today the export market has made
itself felt in all radio lines. In fact, Department of
Commerce statistics show an increasing volume of
sales in export trade covering radio, radio accessories
and automatic phonograph-radio combinations.
Widespread interest in the Capehart line of auto-
matic phonograph-radio combinations is shown by
recent appointments of new foreign distributors cov-
ering "400 Series" instruments as follows according
to word from the Capehart export department:
Gavieu & Cie, Paris, France.
Hupfield directie Duwaer & Naessen, Amsterdam,
Holland.
Paul Moreaux Company, Antwerp, Belgium.
The Aeolian Company, London, England.
Onkar Muli Jati, Calcutta, India.
The King of Siam will soon enjoy Capehart music
in the royal palace at Bangkok as an order for a new
Capehart "400 Series" instrument was placed with
The Gramophone Shop, New York City, on the occa-
sion of one of the king's visits to New York.
The popularity of the Capehart in foreign countries
as well as in the United States lies in the fact that
these new instruments play either 10-inch or 12-inch
records or both sizes intermixed and play them in
their proper sequence.
The foreign buyer has an inherent love for the
operas and symphonies and the Capehart is the only
instrument which plays these fine recordings in either
size, in proper sequence—first one side of the record
and then immediately reversing it for the playing of
the other side. It is fully automatic and continues
to play and turn its own records without attention,
giving continuous reproduction for as long as desired.
THE SCHUMANN PIANO CO.'S
CONTRIBUTION TO IMPROVED
PIANO CONSTRUCTION
The new process of construction recently devel-
oped in the Schumann piano, made by the Schumann
Piano Co., Rockford, 111., which has been to some
extent made public, has now been thoroughly tried
out and proven a success beyond all possibility of
doubt. The new construction is centered in the
bridge of the piano and the patent just granted am-
plifies fully the improvements that are shown in the
new Schumann bridge construction, wherein the
bridge pins are eliminated, allowing greater freedom
of the sounding board in amplification of vibration.
The Schumann Piano Co. in making announcement
of the advancement in piano construction say that
the device offers in piano building a distinct advance-
ment and a contribution to the trade which assures
greater and better tone volume and durability than
has ever been attained in piano construction hereto-
fore. They continue in their description of the in-
strument and say "This new piano comes at a time
when every dealer is feeling the need of something
to stimulate buying interest, as well as salesman en-
thusiasm. All of us who sell pianos have wished
many times that there might be something created
in the piano business, in keeping with the improve-
ments in other industries. The result of the new prin-
ciple embodied in the Schumann piano is a greatly
increased tone for the length of string and still more
greatly increased sensitiveness and response, due to
the fact that there is a more direct contact between
string and sounding board."
A pianist and critic who recently gave a good deal
of time to the examination of this new Schumann
product writes: "The instrument I played and ex-
amined was a five feet three inch model. It gives
a volume and sonority equal to what is usually ex-
pected of larger models. It is quite within the bounds
of possibility that this new bridge construction may
revolutionize piano building of the future. This piano
ought to stand up longer than those embodying the
lateral tension feature. It has a tone quality that can
only be described as supersensitiveness. It takes
every shade from the finger. Its range of volume is
quite unusual, giving an extremely delicate pianissimo
which at the same time is even and dependable, com-
bined with a fortissimo of the utmost vigor, espe-
cially the bass."
The piano has been examined by many musicians
and by scientists and the results of all tests have
been exceedingly favorable for the new invention,
the patent on which has been approved covering eight
claims set forth in the application.
The death is announced of Joseph Benedict, who
for many years was in the music business at Gales-
burg, 111. Mr. Benedict was 85 years of age and one
of the oldest active music dealers in the United
States.
CLARK ORCHESTRA ROLL
NOVELTIES
The list of Clark music rolls for September is very
inviting and shows a special list of Mexican and
Spanish rolls.
From "The Coin Slot," published by the Clark
Orchestra Roll Co., DeKalb, 111., we take the follow-
ing interesting story concerning the automatic piano
and organ of today.
"The Coin Slot" starts its article with a preface
quoting a letter received by the Clark Orchestra Roll
Co. from the manager of the Kalamazoo Automatic
Music Co., Kalamazoo, Mich., in which that gentle-
man, Mr. James Underwood, says: "We, too, believe
the pianos are coming back. Our experience has been
that if we can get the location owner to let us install
the piano the public will play it."
The editorial then continues: "Today, more than
ever, amusement house proprietors are interested in
securing music for their patrons. They realize that
music increases their business; that it not only brings
them returns from the player itself but that customers,
stimulated by rhythm, will spend their money more
freely for other things the proprietor has to sell. In
other words, an automatic piano will ring the cash
register oftener and more merrily. Mr. Underwood
has analyzed the situation correctly and is profiting
by his own experience.
"The Seeburg Automatic Piano & Pipe Organ Co.
of Los Angeles are inspired with the hope to hear
that the electric player is rapidly coming to the front
and relegating the automatic phonograph to the back
room. Here's what they say:
" 'Your inspiring articles that are in your usual
music roll bulletins each month in regards to the
electric piano coming back into its own, are very en-
couraging indeed.'
"So positive is the California Seeburg Music Co.
that the electric piano is once more in the dividend-
paying class that they are overhauling all of their
players at once so that no time will be lost in cashing
in on the returning popularity of the electric piano.
Listen to their own words:
" 'We are in receipt of the August bulletin of Clark
music rolls which we always look forward to the first
of each month. Want to commend you in giving the
operators of electric pianos throughout the country a
new inspiration in the way of placing the articles in
your monthly bulletins in which you state the electric
pianos are coming back. This has inspired us to the
point where we are pulling in all our pianos and
giving them a thorough overhauling, refinishing, tun-
ing, etc' "
Mr. A. D. Baillie of the Hawaii Music Co., Hono-
lulu, was in Chicago a day or two last month en
route to New York and thence to England and Scot-
land. Mr. Baillie says that the piano business and the
general music trade in the Hawaiis has been fairly
good for the past year and the prospects are excellent
for future trade; "in fact," he says, "we are prob-
ably better off with our consistent business from
month to month than you are here in the States. We
expect normal trade conditions to prevail from now
on.
Are You
Satisfied?
Every day leading
music merchants are in-
quiring about SCHULZ
COLONY G R A N D S
and a s k i n g us to
PROVE that they are
the best constructed
and e a s i e s t selling
small grands on the
market.
We'll be glad to tell
you why.
M. SCHULZ CO.
711 Milwaukee Ave.,
Chicago. 111.
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