Presto

October, 1931
P R E S T O - T I M E S
SUGGESTS MORE CARE IN ADDRESS-
ING MAIL MATTER
Word conies to Presto-Times office that mail mat-
ter addressed to the house of Steinway in London,
especially periodicals and circulars, is late in reaching
proper destination on account of incomplete marking
directions. Steinway & Sons, London, advise corre-
spondents that their London address is 1 and 2 George
street, corner Conduit street, London, W. 1. As the
London office observes: "There are just exactly
twenty-one George streets in this large village, so that
'corner of Conduit street' and 'London, W. I.,' are
absolutely essential in any address if the sender
wishes his mail matter to reach Steinway & Sons
without delav."
TELLS OF ADVANTAGES OF PIANO
INSTRUCTION
Presto-Times gave an extract in its September is. 1 -uc
from an article written by Professor William A.
Bentley, director of the Knox Conservatory of Music,
Galesburg, 111. We now make another quotation from
a recent article written by Mr. Bentley in which he
says:
"The education of our children deserves much
thought and consideration on the part of those in
charge. A child's own inclination should help some-
what in the course of study pursued, but the subtle
influence of music not only in children but in the case
of adults as well is so far-reaching that we do not
stop to consider what the study of music in childhood
might do in the whole life of an individual.
"We often hear older people regretting that they
could not have studied music in their youth, or re-
gretting that their parents did not insist that music
be a part of their child life, and make them practice.
In such cases the life has been deprived of the very
thing for which their nature craved, and the one out-
let for self-expression has been taken away from
them, their life made mechanical and uninteresting."
Professor Bentley is now enthusiastic in the matter
of piano class instruction in the public schools. He
was slow to endorse this method of piano instruction,
largely because of a misconception concerning class
instruction as promulgated through some of the music
charts used in class instruction.
WHERE THEY ARE: WHERE ARE
THEY?
The following names and addresses are herewith
given as corrections from the last issue of Presto-
Times and additional names which have been kindly
furnished by correspondents:
The name of Mr. Robert H. Waud, formerly su-
perintendent of the American Piano Co. factory at
Rochester, N. Y., whose name was given in the last
issue of Presto-Times as R. E. Wand, has a home at
2416 North Greenway drive, Coral Gables, Kla.
H. P. Veatch, referred to as a well-known piano
traveling man, is now connected with the piano de-
partment of Lyon & Healy.
Roy S. Dunn, whose address was requested, is now
associated with the Schumann Piano Co., having as-
sumed the position of the late C. B. Mclntosh.
The new address of Hermann Leonard, formerly
American Felt Ambassador and for many years witii
Alfred Dolge, is now care of Hotel Park Plaza, 77th
street. New York.
Joseph Barreuther inquired about was, when last
heard from, selling pianos in Yonkers, N. Y.
H. R. Bauer, formerly with W r eser Brothers, was,
when last heard from, a resident in Newark, N. J.
George H. Beverly's home is at New Rochelle, N.
Y., but his friends have not seen him of late in or
about that suburb of New York City.
Fred Coryell, as already mentioned in Presto-
Times, passed away some two or three years ago.
The home town of William Gullett is Rye, N. Y.
The address of E. P. MacDonald, formerly with
Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., is requested.
on the unemployment situation in our large cities
would be instantaneous. Nor would it work hardship
on the theaters- or interfere with anything they now
have or do. It would simply add a wonderfully line
attraction between shows which would probably
imbue them with new life. And once established,
managers would find plenty ol ways to effectively use
the orchestra.
May we not bring this suggestion to the attention,
not only of t.ie musicians, but labor leaders and legis-
lators, for consideration. For when the orchestra is
once more a component part of the theater—when
the thousands of unemployed musicians are back on
the job—and the thousands of jobs now held by
musicians are vacated for others to fill—it is safe
to predict that the unemployment situation in Amer-
ican cities will be so relieved that the swing of the
pendulum toward normalcy will be felt throughout
the length and breadth of the land -and the neces-
sity for the dole system materially lessened.
To this end let us then demand that theaters doing
a certain specified box office business, furnish us with
music made by visibly living men; men who are hold-
ing down a job.
(Signed)
A PLEA FOR LESS SO-CALLED "MA-
CHINE MADE" MUSIC
Has it occurred to you that America needs music?
That submerged as it is with its problems of irre-
sponsibility and idleness it needs music as never
before?
And it can have it. For America is musical.
Throughout its schools its children are making music
—good music. Student bands and orchestras are no
longer an innovation, but an established fact in char-
acter-building education.
Our schools and colleges are yearly turning out
hundreds of thousands of young men and women
with a sufficient knowledge of music and music ap-
preciation to enjoy the very best musical programs.
And we give them machine-made music, while thou-
sands of excellent musicians are walking the streets
looking for work of any kind—or holding a job that
rightfully belongs to somebody else.
Under the stress of the present economic condi-
tions, any suggestions for relief, however fantastic
on the surface of things, are worthy of investigation.
As a step in solving the unemployment situation—
why shouldn't every theater be required to use an
orchestra—as a few metropolitan theaters still do—
the number, of members to be determined by the
average box office receipts.
If all the musicians who were thrown out of work
by the inauguration of the talking movie were sud-
denly called back to the theater orchestra the effect
BROWNE GRFATON COLE.
HAPPY THOUGHT IN PIANO ADVERTISING
Sohmer ment to the New York papers the caption on which
is:
"Happy Child: He Can Speak in Music."
Then follows the text as herewith reproduced:
"He plays only the simplest melody—and not very
well, perhaps—but he is enchanted because he has
created something!
"Expressing himself in music is so much more
helpful and healing to the child (and grown-up, too)
than just listening to music. No child who learns to
love a piano will come to manhood emotionally empty.
"The piano is the basic instrument for musical cul-
ture. The Sohmer, now 60 years old, is as perfect an
instrument as the world has known. Today it costs
less than in a decade, and you may pay for it in three
vears."
ADVANCE SHOWING OF 1932 KNABE
MODELS
Ampico Hall, 1721 Euclid avenue, at Playhouse
square, Cleveland, Ohio, has announced special ex-
hibitions and advanced showing of the new 1 ( )32
models of Knabe p'anos and the Knabe companion
pianos. The J. & C. Fischer. Marshall & Wendell.
Haines Brothers, and Laffargue.
When in need of music rolls, or advice about them write to the experts who make the
CLARK ORCHESTRA ROLLS
for all standard 65-note rewind electric pianos and automatic pianos of all makes and
descriptions. Rolls for Goinolas and Orchestrions. Also Calliopes and Galliaphones.
"Always the latest and snappiest 9 '
When ordering, give style of instrument on which roll will be used.
CLARK ORCHESTRA R OLL COMPANY
DE KALB, ILL.
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