Novein her, 1931
PRESTO-TIMES
8
ISSUED THE
FIFTEENTH IN EACH
MONTH
F R A N K D. A B B O T T
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
Publishers
417 So. Dearborn St.
Chicago, III.
The American Music Trade Journal
Editor
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 0234.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago, 111., under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $1.25 a year; 6 months, 75 cents; foreign,
$3.00. Payable in advance. No extra charge in United
States possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for adver-
tising on application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if of
general interest to the music trade will be paid for at
space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen in the
smaller cities are the best occasional correspondents, and
their assistance is invited.
Payment Is not accepted for matter printed in the edi-
torial or news columns of Presto-Times.
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of produc-
tion will be charged if of commercial character or other
than strictly news interest.
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quested that their subjects and senders be carefully Indi-
cated.
Forms close at noon three days preceding date of pub-
lication. Latest news matter and telegraphic communica-
tions should be in not later than 11 o'clock on that day.
Advertising copy should be in hand four days before pub-
lication day to insure preferred position. Full page dis-
play copy should be in hand three days preceding publi-
cation day. Want advertisements for current issue, to
insure classification, should be in three days in advance
of publication.
Address all .-ommunlcations for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street. Chicago, III.
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press at 11 a. m
three days preceding publication day. Any news trans-
piring after that hour cannot be expected In the current
issue. Nothing received at the office that is not strictly
news of importance can have attention after 9 a. m. of
that date. If they concern the interests of manufactur-
ers or dealers such items will appear the. issue following.
CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER, 1931
Daily newspapers use music and musical instruments extensively as subjects of illus-
trations and cartoons and it is a noteworthy fact to which our attention is repeatedly drawn,
that the piano is most commonly used by the cartoonist. Occasionally a horn or drum will
appear, but it seems the keyboard of the piano and organ lend to the purpose more readily than
any other instrument; perhaps it is because the artists know that it is the most popular in
the minds and hearts of the public.
* * * *
If the radio public were to absorb even a small part of the passion that seems to emanate
from
the crack-brained crooners that daily and nightly monopolize "our" air. America would
A considerable number of favorable omens as to
returning prosperity come to light from time to t'me.
soon become the most emotional nation on earth. The feeling and pathos, the charm, are fast
Seme of the big corporat'ons are returning to divi-
disappearing from the nightly repetition of ballyhoo that is constantly fed to a public that
dend paying and others have decided not to cut any
apparently does not realize its power to dictate rather than accept the offerings of adver-
further in dividends, and now comes the Radio Cor-
tisers who are more concerned with the attention they get than with the quality of the enter-
poration of America with the statement that their pre-
ferred stock A and B dividends will be covered. This
tainment they offer. This constant repetition, broken occasionally by an advertising talk that
all sounds good and it is hoped that it is an omen
usually annoys rather than interests, is driving people away from the radio as a means of
for better times, and the remark of former governor
entertainment or education; and, if the radio is to retain its popularity, the government must
cf Illinois Joseph W. Fifer, that prosperity will come
take a firmer hand with the brodacasters.
bouncing back Ike a rubber ball," has a good ring.
(
And, think of a new trade pap^r being launched, "The
* * * *
Business Journalist," a trade paper for trade papers
and house magazines, which appears this month.
Nerve is required to start a trade paper unless the
proprietors are pretty nearly downright sure of better
times.
The manager of one of the largest musical instrument houses in the country recently
reported that piano sales are rising again, which statement was probably responsible for arti-
cles that have appeared in several newspapers, "Is the Piano Coming Hack?" The report that
piano sales are increasing is well founded, but to the best of our knowledge it is not neces-
Years ago when Thomas A. Edison was at the sary for the piano to "come back," for it never truly left us.
height of renown and Platt Gibbs was an active
Speaking of the piano's former popularity, when did the piano lose its popularity? When
hustler in Chicago Piano Row, one of Platt's favorite
the phonograph and other machines for the automatic generation of music became common,
expressions was to make reference to Mr. Edison as
many people believed that the piano industry had been dealt a staggering blow and that it
"my great fellow townsman," the honor of being a
native of Milan, Ohio, near Norwalk, which is the
would eventually become passe as far as being the standard musical instrument of the aver-
birthplace of Mr. Edison.
age American home. Evidently this proved to be an erroneous conclusion as did the opinion,
which was held by many, that the radio would displace the desire and need for the ability to
Among the many wonderful eulogies written to play an instrument. Of course, such a reaction was not forthcoming. The piano is unrivaled
Thomas Edison, it is surprising that more time and
as a medium for familiarizing people with the elements of harmony as well as representing
space were not devoted to extolling his important
the ultimate in self-expression.
contributions to the realm of music and to his deep
love of music. The music industry is particularly
indebted to Edison for the phonograph, which was
the forerunner of, and indirectly responsible for, many
other inventions. He was also responsible for many
improvements upon the radio that make our modern
broadcasting possible.
As a lover of music, Edison will never be forgot-
ten. When, a few years ago, he was asked what
selection he would prefer to hear if he had but
twenty-four hours to live, replied that he would
choose Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony as his favor-
ite. Just as he would have wished, many of his
favorite melodies were played at the funeral services,
a final tribute to one of the greatest benefactors the
world has ever known.
The evolution and profitable advancement of canned music may have retarded slightly
the progress of musical art in this country, but the individual cultivation of the art, for its
own sake, will never be effectively dampened. Musical enthusiasm which can only be satis-
fied by personal practice and accomplishment, and which is most effectually satisfied on the
piano, will never die. The piano business is improving along with other industries, yes, but
the piano need not come back, for it never truly left.
* * * *
Speaking of what a musical instrument should be, especially a piano, that it should be
musical in reality as well as musical in name, a correspondent of Presto-Times writes: "Some
time hence, the piano trade will note the Steinway method and will couple the piano with
music."
This correspondent adds that it is admitted by many that there is no money in the piano
The Humorist of London says: "According to a business today. "Nevertheless," he says, "Chas. H. Ditson left a net estate of almost seven
manufacturer of musical instruments, wood for mak-
million dollars. BUT HE SOLD MUSIC. Well, as Koko said to Nanki Poo, 'you will not
ing violins is kept for 20 years. The trouble is that
see them (the fireworks), but they will be there,' " which our correspondent interprets to
it is then used for making violins."
mean that many in the trade today may not live to see the piano trade exhibit that much
Probably the London funny paper should have
sense of the eternal fitness of things.
ended the paragraph with the word "fiddles."
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