Presto

Jan.-Feb., 1933
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
1 Year
$1.00. 6 Months
60 cents
CHICAGO, JAN.-FEB., 1933
NATIONAL ASS'N
PLANS FOR '33
CONVENTION
not for all the instruments ordered. In his order for
the Steinway pianos Mr. Rothafel wrote a glowing
tribute to the fame and the superiority of the Stein-
way. Conflicting rumors have been extant as to Mr.
Rothafel's activities in Radio City, but it is hoped
that after his return from his present vacation trip
to Europe he will again be in good health and resume
his former energies and activities.
In the February bulletin issued to members of the
National Association of Music Merchants, the Execu-
tive Office of the Association asked the members for
an expression of opinion regarding the date and place
of the 1933 Convention. It was pointed out that it
is expected the Century of Progress Exposition will
open in Chicago June 1st and the suggestion was
made that a date early in June would be a desirable
time for holding the convention.
Further announcement regarding the setup of the
meetings and plans for social events in connection
with the 1933 convention will be announced later. It
is believed that the Exposition in Chicago will be of
such interest that a very large number of members of
the Association will desire to visit Chicago during the
summer, in any event, and that they will be glad of
an opportunity to attend convention meetings of
their Association at the same time. Communications
received by the Executive Office, as well as personal
interviews with visiting officers of the Association
who called at the Executive Offices in February indi-
cate hearty endorsement of the plan.
Many favorable responses have been received from
musical merchandise wholesalers whose volume of
distribution probably represents between 85 and 90
per cent of the total volume in this branch of the
music industry. There is, therefore, every indication
that a trade practice conference will be held under
the auspices of the Federal Trade Commission. There
are indications that there will be nearly, if not entire-
ly, 100 per cent representation at the conference.
Although no time and place have been decided upon
for the conference, several suggestions have been
made, one being that the conference might take place
in Chicago at the time of the Music Merchants' Con-
vention, which has been tentatively set as June 5
and 6. If this plan were followed, it would probably
be necessary to add one day to the convention, mak-
ing a three days' session. Another suggestion has
been that the meeting should be held in New York
on some date this spring.
VERY FEW SECOND HAND GRANDS TO BE
HAD TO SELL AGAIN
THE PIANO AND ELECTRIC PIANO
SITUATION AT RADIO CITY
The Radio City project in New York, known as
the Rockefeller Theater Center, has been very widely
exploited through the press, while the musical papers
have featured the venture in the attention to be given
to music and to musical instruments.
The story of the pianos ordered has caused com-
ment and speculation, particularly by reason of the
announcement that a lot of Bechsteins which, as the
story goes, had been tentatively arranged for by Mr.
Rothafel (Roxy) on his trip to Europe last summer,
were to be tried out. The sum and substance of the
Bechstein order seems to be that two or three Bech-
stein electrically devised instruments were received in
New York for Radio City. These specially constructed
Bechsteins are notable because of their novelty as a
piano keyboard instrument, being fitted out to con-
tain the patents of John Hays Hammond, Jr.. whose
patents have been demonstrated at various intervals
since the original model shown in 1925 at Mr. Ham-
mond's laboratory in Gloucester, Mass. Nothing was
done, it seems, toward building Hammond equipped
instruments in America, but in Germany the Bech-
steins at their Berlin factory arranged to incorporate
the Hammond idea along with several others of for-
eign design and began building the new machine.
When Mr. Rothafel was in Germany he understood
•that these instruments would be an attractive nov-
elty. The instruments received from Bechstein are,
therefore, the result of Mr. Rothafel's negotiations.
But there seems to have been a hitch in the pur-
chase of regular pianos for concert use in the audi-
toriums of this great playhouse, for which some fif-
teen or more Steinway pianos were ordered, prior to
the opening. This order for pianos for the use of
artists was not, apparently, carried out, or, at least,
Recently the manager of an important music house
informed Presto-Times that he wanted to purchase
a carload or more small grand pianos from about 5 ft.
2 in. to 5 ft. 8 or 9 in. They stated that they could
procure such a lot of pianos easily in the East but
preferred to secure them in Chicago or vicinity, par-
ticularly in order to save freight charges. It seemed
as if there would be several music houses that would
be able to supply such a demand, but it was found
that no Chicago music house had that number of
available grands to sell and further, that there is an
acute shortage of good second-hands or repossessed
instruments at the piano manufacturing centers in
the Chicago territory.
The W. W. Kimball Company not only do not
have any grands for sale, but they do not have enough
to meet their own demands in their retail trade. In
fact, they carried an advertisement in a daily paper
recently for "Second-Hand Grands Wanted." Prac-
tically the same conditions exist with the Cable Piano
Company, Lyon & Healy, Wurlitzer and the Baldwin
Piano Company. The Baldwin Company have been
trying to supply the demands of their dealers for good
second-hand grands. In fact, they say they have a
place for every good second-hand grand they can get.
Here are some responses to requests for second-
hand grands from several western factories:
The Starr Piano Company, with immense factories,
were unable to supply any second-hand grands at
all, saying:
"We haven't had any second-hand grands for sale
for a long time; in fact, have been out trying to buy
them ourselves, but we do not find there is any supply
to be had in any part of this country. We want to
buy second-hand grands."
It would seem that the Straube Piano Company,
with a reported supply of unused instruments on hand
might have a lot of grands, but President E. R. Jacob-
son said that he could not get together more than a
half dozen. Mr. Jacobson adds a highly significant
statement in his reply to our inquiry, saying:
"We have noticed that this cleaning up condition is
going on in other lines as well as the piano business
and some people say the cleaning up is near at hand,
all of which will have a tendency to correct condi-
tions when buying begins. Our hope is that it will
not be long before the surplus stocks of new as well
as old instruments will be absorbed and the present
conditions be a thing of the past."
Mr. Burke, general sales manager of Story & Clark
Piano Company, said he might contribute three or
four small used grands to make up a carload, but the
cleaning up process which he has been waging for
the past year has had its effect in depleting the old
stock, both new and second-hand. Mr. Burke did
one job over which he is particularly elated. This
was to transform several hundred player pianos to
very satisfactory "regular" uprights, more than 75
per cent of which have already been sold. "The Story
& Clark Piano Company," says Mr. Burke, "is one of
the concerns in the trade that will enter the new era
of piano manufacturing with a well-nigh perfect slate
on new product."
PADEREWSKI ON TOUR
On the first cover appears the latest photograph of
Paderewski; Paderewski, the great, kindly furnished by
Steinway & Sons on Presto-Times request for the
latest uhotograph obtainable of the great genius of
the piano and great man of the world.
Mr. Paderewski's tour is being conducted by L. F.
Fitzgerald, late of Chicago, where he was connected
with the Artists' Service of the National Broadcast-
ing Company. After the Paderewski season Mr. Fitz-
gerald will be stationed in the same department of the
NBC in New York. The Paderewski date at Chicago
is March 12 at the Auditorium.
Fifteenth of Publication Month
THE
EXPOSITION TEMPLE OF
MUSIC
The Chicago Piano and Organ Association Endorsed
and Aided the Movement
Chicago and outlying districts were very active in
the movement for erecting the Temple of Music on the
grounds of the Century of Progress Exposition as
sponsored by Chicago Friends of Music, Inc. Prac-
tically all of the notable clubs and other organiza-
tions of Chicago and suburbs join early in this project
for building a Temple of Music where great musical
performances may be held.
The Friends of Music, now having this entire
financing in charge, is calling upon the public every-
where for aid in the way of membership subscrip-
tions, to meet the estimated cost of $100,000 for the
building.
The Chicago Piano & Organ Association has en-
dorsed the movement and the association members
and the association as a unit was doing all in its power
to forward the interests and aid the Friends of Music
organization in the work. In fact, the annual meet-
ing of the association was heralded as a Century of
Progress gathering in aid of placing a Temple of
Music on the Exposition grounds, where Frederick
Stock, director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
and Dr. Allan D. Albert were the guests of honor.
L. C. Wagner, president of the association, said that
the association would give hearty support.
Whatever may be the fate of the Temple of Music,
and to speak plainly its fate hangs in the balance, the
friends in the music industry have joined in helping
the movement and given moral and financial support.
However, not much over $25,000 all told has so far
been subscribed.
CHICAGO P. & O. ASS'N ACCEPTS
INVITATION TO VISIT CENTURY OF
PROGRESS GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
The February meeting of the Chicago Piano & Or-
gan Association for Tuesday, February 21st, includes
luncheon at the Administration Building at the Cen-
tury of Progress followed by an officially conducted
visit through the buildings and grounds and, of course,
ought to be an exceedingly interesting event.
Inasmuch as this meeting will be held at the Ad-
ministration Building, where the luncheon is to be
served, and the gathering is mainly an acceptance of
the Exposition officials' invitation to visit the grounds
and buildings it is probable that very little, if any,
business will be conducted or reports of committees
be made, although the Temple of Music Building
Committee may be asked to report on their progress,
the music trades and industries having responded
quite liberally in purchase of tickets for the building
project, which they hope will go through as planned.
SAXOPHONE GIVES WAY TO CASH
Heretofore burglars breaking into music stores pre-
ferred horns to ready money, but at Waterloo, Iowa,
a few days ago, currency took preference over the
saxophone, the ordinary burglar's favorite instrument,
when sixty dollars in greenbacks and silver was taken
from the C. G. Conn branch store at that place, leav-
ing the poor old saxophone to weep and mourn by
itself.
From the Weaver Piano Company, Inc., York, Pa.,
we are in receipt of descriptive matter with illustrations
of a new instrument for use in piano class instruction
and which is known as the Ross Multiple Piano. The
announcement of this invention refers to it as being
the only justified means for personal training and de-
velopment of piano students receiving lessons in
group. The instrument and the principle of its use is
the invention of Mr. E. Wilson Ross, an instructor
in piano and pipe organ in the State Teachers' Col-
lege at Mansfield, Pa. Mr. Ross, as well as many
other teachers of his acquaintance has used his in-
vention for several years past, so that it has been
completely tried out.
The Weaver Piano Company has taken over the
manufacture of these instruments and will be the
outlet of supply.
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