Jan.-Feb., 1934
P R E S T O - T I M ES
Convention? Will the rule of alternation between New
York and Chicago continue or will Chicago again
have the honor of being host to the 1934 convention?
WILL P. DANIEL SAYS THE RUSH FOR
SECOND HAND PIANOS WILL
LEAD TO DEMAND FOR
NEW INSTRUMENTS
"Hats off" to the advertising solicitors in radio
broadcasting for the magnitude of the contracts they
make with sponsors, some of which involve rather
staggering sums of outlay for talent, equipment, in-
cidentals and the like. How these sponsors can be
brought to such outlays is one of the mysteries of
miracles in advertising.
It was the pleasure of a representative of Presto-
Times to visit recently with one of the notable rep-
resentatives of the music dealer industry of the middle
south, Mr. Will P. Daniel, president of the Daniel
Music Company, Owensboro, Kentucky.
Mr. Daniel is a man of wide experience in music
and the music industries and one conversing with
him for any length of time will be convinced that he
is in the presence of a man "who knows." Mr. Dan : el
says that while there has been a fair trade in pianos
generally he sees that the second hand business has
rather monopolized the stage. Some people get the
idea that the second-hand piano made a few years ago
is better than the instruments made today. This,
coupled with the necessity of spending as little as
possible, has made the second hand piano business
a leading feature, if not the leading feature of most
music houses. "However," said Mr. Daniel, "it proves
that people are now wanting pianos more than they
did even three or four years ago and though we can
only sell used pianos now it means that, without a
doubt, new pianos will again come into their own and
that just as soon as the country settles down once
more to a sound and constructive policy which will
allow the common people the opportunity of making
a living that they are entitled to, the piano trade will
come into the limelight."
The daily papers referred some time ago to charges
made by Grigsby-Grunow against Zenith Radio Com-
pany for interfering with Grigsby-Grunow operations.
"It was alleged," the paper says, "that a letter to
Zenith salesmen advised them to solicit the dealer
business of the Grigsby-Grunow Company."
Well, what of that. Isn't it all right to solicit busi-
ness of competing houses?
F. P. Little, piano tuner, Galesburg, Illinois, placed
a want advertisement in his local paper for "good
used pianos" and out of a score or more of replies
there was only one or two desirable instruments of-
fered. The others were "old as the hills," as he puts
it and not worth trying to resell. All of them had
been badly neglected, moth eaten, and sounding
boards and hridges damaged.
INQUIRIES ON PIANOS AND PIANO NAMES
Presto-Times receives many requests by mail and
some by telephone calls asking for information about
pianos; the quality and standing of pianos of today,
that is production of today as well as instruments of
long ago. Recently inquiries by phone have inquired
about pianos formerly made; instruments the manu-
facturers of which have failed or otherwise discon-
tinued business. The name "Cable" has been inquired
about; the name "Cable" as associated with the cor-
porate names, Cable Piano Company, Hobart M.
Cable, Cable & Sons and Cable-Nelson. An inquirer
on this said he was aware that the Cable Piano Com-
pany is still actively engaged in business but various
representations had been made to him associating
other Cable names with the Chicago house. An in-
quiry 011 "Everett" referred to the early manufacturer
of an Everett piano and even said that a testimonial
given to the Everett piano by the eminent pianist and
orchestral conductor, Ossip Gabrilowitch, and the repu-
tation of the piano on the concert stage had been re-
ferred to in connection with the present day Everett,
now made at South Haven, Michigan.
A persistent inquiry has been made concerning the
Bush & Lane piano. One inquirer said he had been
shown a favorable estimate on the Bush & Lane prod-
uct contained in the Buyers' Guide. We informed this
inquirer that the record shown to him was in some
earlier issue of the Buyers' Guide, one at least three
or four years ago. Later on he again phoned and
said that he had demanded of the salesman who was
endeavoring to sell him a Bush & Lane grand to let
him take a copy of the Buyers' Guide from which he
read, whereupon he discovered that an old issue had
been used.
This inquirer was informed that what was said of
Bush & Lane a few years ago would not be a proper
record at the present day nor for the past two or
three years, since the house of Bush & Lane had gone
into bankruptcy and discontinued piano making. The
proposition on the piano offered this party seemed
to have emanated from a special second-hand sales-
room in Chicago or suburbs and it is evident that
back numbers of the Presto Buyers' Guide are being
used to make sales of instruments of this class and
those turned out subsequent to the date of the Buyers'
Guide used to make sales.
FIFTH GENERATION OF THE HOUSE
OF STEINWAY LOOMS UP
At the last annual gathering at luncheon, in keep-
ing with the custom of a quarter of a century, the
executives and some of the employees of the house
of Steinway & Sons celebrated an important occasion
in Steinway history, for this was the first time that
members of the fifth generation of Steinway & Sons
had been present at any similar gathering, namely:
three sons of President Theodore E. Steinway—
Theodore D., Henry and John; the son of Charles
F. M. Steinway, secretary—Charles F. G.; and William
Vietor, son of F. A. Vietor, director.
These names represent the fourth and fifth gen-
erations of the Steinway family.
In the industrial history of the world the house
of Steinway & Sons adds to its distinguished and un-
equalled record the fact that this great institution is,
with the activity of the fourth generation and the
looming up of the fifth generation, all in one family,
the most notable and outstanding record of any in-
dustry.
HOW THE MORRIS MUSIC HOUSE
ATTRACTS NEW BUSINESS
Music trade activities at Marietta, Ohio, are kept
very much alive by the push, vim, vigor and vitality
shown by Uncle George Morris whose place of busi-
ness, and it is a real full fledged place of business, is
located opposite the B. & O. Depot, on Second Street.
Mr. Morris took a two weeks' vacation recently and
since his return home he has more than kept apace
with every industry in Marietta.
Not content with the pianos and general musical
instruments alone. Uncle George recently took part
in sponsoring a millinery and music store combination
carried on as the "Dorothy Lu Hat Shop," where a
grand opening occurred on February 17th. The piano
section of the business found many new customers
and some good sales resulted. Mr. Morris is much
pleased with this piano selling novelty and finds that
it brings him many new prospects and some new
business.
PIANO SCARCITY
There is a scarcity of several models in second-
hand and repossessed pianos. In fact, almost no
pianos at all of the most salable models, such as small
uprights and certain styles of small grands. Just
try to get together a dozen or so of these instruments
and you will find that this scarcity prevails very
acutely. A dealer came to Chicago from the West
recently to make up a carload of used instruments.
He was able to get barely a third of what he required
and then to fill the balance of the car he was obliged
to secure new instruments at the best bargains he
could make in order to fill the car and reduce his
pro-rata of freight rates. After he had purchased
these new instruments and completed this job, he con-
cluded that he would make more money on the new
instruments he bought than to fool away his time
trying to hook up on second-hands. If anyone wants
to prove the correctness of this assertion on scarcity
of pianos, let him get together a few good selling
styles and he will appreciate the situation. Another
wise suggestion is that it is well for dealers to plan
now for their future supplies. Many factories are to-
day unable to make shipments and it looks very much
like a shortage of new pianos is in sight.
NO AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN FOR
KOHLER & CHASE
Although it has been announced that George Q.
Chase, owner of the Kohler & Chase Piano business.
San Francisco, had again started in the piano busi-
ness at his former location, 26 O'Farrell Street,
nevertheless Mr. Chase's principal business is financing
commercial paper and industries. Kohler & Chase
did open for piano business but only in a very small
and modest way and particularly for the disposal of
certain stock on hand. Mr. Chase himself is paying
no attention to the piano business and certainly no
aggressive campaign is anticipated.
CERTAINLY A GREAT MUSIC HOUSE
The Adams-Bennett Music Company, Wichita.
Kansas, of which Mr. M. K. Bennett is the general
manager, asserts itself to be "Kansas' Largest Music
House." This is certainly a great establishment; six
floors, fifteen departments, ten leading piano agencies,
five famous lines of radios, followed by sheet music,
band instruments and a special line of electrical goods.
BALDWIN
DISTINCTIVE PIANO RECITALS
Two remarkable piano concert engagements this
season have attracted unusual attention. One of these,
the two-piano concert by Ossip Gabrilowitch and
Harold Bauer, playing the Steinway and the Bald-
win pianos, respectively. It is unusual that a two-piano
concert, where both pianos are used on the same pro-
gram and for each number on the program, is brought
to the public as was done in these Gabrilowitch-Bauer
recitals.
RUTH SLENCZYMSKI
The other piano recital tour which is considerably
out of the ordinary has been the appearance this
season of the distinguished child prodigy, Ruth
Slenczymski, a child so small and short in stature
that the Baldwin grand she uses had to be so con-
structed, so much lowered, as to enable her to reach
the pedals of the instrument.
This little girl has now traveled the length and
breadth of the country playing in recitals, concerts
and with orchestras and has come to be known as
the one most likened unto Mozart, who, when a child
of about the same age as Ruth, traveled over Europe,
but all records indicate that that genius did nothing
more wonderful, performed no greater feats or did
greater accomplishments on his little harpsichord than
does this prototype of that prodigy of a hundred and
fifty years ago.
Everywhere, all over the country, the newspapers
have glorified her performances and some of them
have stepped a little beyond the rule of musical criti-
cism to laud the piano she uses in these performances,
and here is what she herself says of this piano:
"I love to play the Baldwin because of its easy
touch and its richness and quality of tone."
Hardly a representative newspaper of the country
and certainly not any of them of the important musi-
cal centers have failed to print criticisms and to give
great space to her performances. One extract alone, a
clipping from the new York Herald-Tribune, is typi-
cal of the hundreds of other criticisms and comments
on her playing. Here is the clipping:
An eight-year-old girl who had not wasted her
youth today was lifted from the rank of children piano
players and placed among the top flight of concert
pianists. She made her debut last night at Town Hall,
and created a sensation. Critics hailed her as a genius.
The child, Ruth Slenczymski, faced a full-sized con-
cert grand that was so large in comparison with her
height she had to sit on the edge of the bench.
Several other pianists of national and international
renown particularly three who have been on musical
tours throughout the United States this season: Jose
lturbi, Josef Lhevinne, and Harold Bauer, have kept
the Baldwin piano in the minds and in the favor of
musical people in their wide concertizing and have
helped to make not only their own names household
words with the musical profession and the rank and
file of musical people generally but have helped to
sustain the prestige of the piano they use.
Sn JHemortam
ROBERT H. COMSTOCK
The death is announced of Robert H. Comstock.
president of the Comstock, Cheney & Company, Ivory-
ton, who passed away at his home in that little vil-
lage in honor of the industry of which he was the
head. Mr. Comstock was in his eighty-first year and
had lived in Ivoryton all his life.
The business from which the Comstock, Cheney
& Company evolved was a small ivory comb making
establishment, coupled with the sale of ivory. From
this the house of Comstock, Cheney & Company, as
it exists today, was formed. Mr. Comstock, resolv-
ing to understand the practical side of the piano sup-
ply business which his father had established entered
the factory as a workman and became familiar with
every detail from the ivory tusk to the finished piano
key. He knew every machine and each operation.
In fact, it was said of him that he knew more about
the manufacture of ivory piano keys and piano actions
than any other man in the world. Although he suc-
ceeded the late George A. Cheney as president in
1901 he had always maintained a personal manage-
ment of the manufacturing end. Mr. Comstock was
a very prominent citizen of Ivoryton and his loss is
deplored throughout that communitv.
EDWIN J. JARRETT
Ed. Jarrett, familiarly known among his friends as
"Ted," who passed away at the Stamford, Con-
necticut, hospital, recently was a gentleman beloved
by many and whose friends were legion among all
lines of the piano trade and industry. "Ted" had
been a sufferer with a fatal disease for a long while
and had known for several months of the incurable
malady that had taken hold of him, but he was ever
cheerful and the same faithful friend to his friends.
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