Nov.-Dec, 1934
PRESTO-TI MES
As for accompaniments for concert work and with
the orchestra, the piano does its part."
"Pianos of quality," he continues, "are an asset to
civilization. I am not talking about the cheap piano,
Importance of Piano Accordion Trade
the instrument that may make you think of a side-
show of a circus, but of the instrument of value and
14 E piano accordion business has musical quality." Mr. Stackley says that he is "in
become an important feature in the the music business to stay, because there is no better
music trade of the United States as field for selling operations than the sale of pianos and
it long has been in Europe and thi- instruments of music."
Colonial countries. This is par-
ticularly striking at this time since STARR IN THE SOUTHWEST; ACTIVE WORK
the instrument is not now regarded
IN GOOD TERRITORY
The Starr Piano Company has an aggressive rep-
as a strictly professional one for
use mainly by specialists but is now a favorite instru- resentative in the Southwest in the person of E. J.
ment for the family, a medium of musical expression Pringle whose territory embraces the Virginias, the
for the home. It is even regarded as an instrument Carolinas, Georgia and part of Tennessee.
This gentleman has been doing effective work of
well adapted to take the place of the reed organ of
bygone days for it meets the requirements for music late in establishing various agencies in his territory,
in the parlor, the studio, the fireside, social and club several of which are opening up with strong bids for
gatherings—wherever music is used, by whatever Starr piano sales in their localities.
class, gay or solemn, religious or secular. And, too,
These Starr piano activities confirm reports that
performance on the accordion leads to other musical have come to Presto-Times of late about the new
requirements, especially to the piano and grand organ line of the Starr piano and the Starr-made product, a
playing.
line of sellers that the Messrs. Gennett brothers have
In some instances the piano accordion has been been very busy for some months past getting them
featured by music houses to the exclusion of other ready for this season's trade. In a word, the Starr
departments, realizing the splendid profit from sales, Company is evidently making a determined push for
and that it is a line of business which brings about trade.
Another Starr representative in the Southwest ter-
valuable contacts that help tremendously to popularize
ritory, Mr. Richard S. Hill, is doing effective work for
a business.
Various music merchants have put on exhibitions tht big factory at Richmond. Mr. Hill's headquarters
and contests that have attracted marked attention. at the present time are at Boynton, Florida. He is
The Wurlitzer houses, for instance, have made numer- an experienced piano man and for a long time w-as
ous public accordion exhibitions and not long ago connected with the Packard Piano Company at Fort
the Wurlitzer branch at Cleveland, Ohio, brought out Wayne, Indiana. Well equipped for taking care of
a display of accordion performances that brought to- and developing a good piano trade, Mr. Hill is prov-
gether music lovers all around Cleveland and it^ ing himself well able to carry on.
suburbs. The performers and contestants represented
various degrees of proficiency who showed their skill
MAY CONTINUE REGATTA LAURELS
in largely attended concerts of piano accordion music—
Phil
Starck. head of the Starck Piano House, Chi-
solos, duets, quartets and various forms of ensemble
cago, who was one of the winners in regatta races at
piano accordion playing.
Lake Geneva, Wis., last summer, stands in a fair way
Most of the Wurlitzer stores, for instance, and prac- to continue his success and possibly to eclipse all of
tically all of them located in metropolitan centers, his former water regatta competitors in a proposed
have trained teachers and today thousands of students ice sailing race this winter on Lake Geneva, to which
are studying the accordion under the tutelage of these his many friends say: "All right! Hurray for Phil!"
teachers, some taking advantage of private lessons
while others attend the regular classes at the Wur-
The Uark Orchestra Roll Company. De Kalb, 111.,
litzer stores. Thus it is that Wurlitzer by this system
of class instruction is popularizing the instrument as keep the music roll business "humming." Their No-
vember-December bulletin shows many new and at-
a favorite for home use.
tractive rolls.
The Wurlitzer piano accordion factory at De Kalb,
111., forms a section of one of the most important
piano factories of the world. It is a division of the
Wurlitzer business that has grown almost by "leaps
and bounds." For instance somewhat over a year
ago a dealer of wide experience and observation
visited their factory at De Kalb and pronounced it the
most complete establishment in all essentials for
superior accordion construction that he had ever
visited either in Europe or America. Recently this
party wrote for further information and was advised
something like this:
of
That since his visit a year ago business at the De
Kalb plant had greatly expanded so that at the present
time it is employing upwards of a hundred workers,
producing an output that will run to a formidable
figure in piano accordion production in 1934. Mr.
Manufactured by
Fary, who dictated that letter, went on to say that
"today in our twenty-eight stores we are teaching
close to live thousand students to play the accordion.
The piano accordion department of our stores is prob-
ably the most profitable and these stores carry a great
New Location
line of all kiivds of musical instruments. For this
33 WEST 57TH STREET
reason we believe that we can say in all truthfulness
NEW YORK, N. Y.
that we know something about the making and selling
of accordions. We can also assure you that we know
our instruments require less service than any other
of the many instruments that our stores have han-
dled in the past and this embraces all the standard
makes."
(To be continued)
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEREST-
ING BUSINESS
HARDMAN -
92 YEARS
Absolute Reliability
HARDMAN, PECK & CO.
WINSTON-SALEM'S LATEST
J. R. Stackley, senior member of the recently estab-
lished J. R. Stackley Piano Company, Winston-Salem,
N. C , has had a long and interesting experience in
the piano business. For several years he conducted
special sales. At the outbreak of the World War he
served abroad and on his return home went back into
the piano business, this year opening under his own
name as already announced. Mr. Stackley is an
optimist, believing that there is always business for
the active worker, and therefore he always knows
that there is business ahead and business to be had
by the active worker. Mr. Stackley remarked to a
Presto-Times correspondent recently that "there is
trade enough for all of us if we go after it, for no
home is complete without the piano, and churches,
schools and broadcasting stations must have pianos."
"The radio," he says, "will never replace the piano,
because piano music is more complete and more
popular than any other music coming over the radio.
STORY
C LARK
1
Qrand and Upright
PIANOS
Manufactured by
f
i
<
STORY &. CLARK PIANO COMPANY
Established 1857
Executive Headquarters: 175 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
Factory: Grand Haven, Michigan
IN MEMORIUM
WILLIAM TONK
The late William Tonk was born in Berlin, Ger-
many, and was a child when his family located in
Chicago where he received his school education. After
he had finished school he went to work for the music
house of Julius Bauer & Company where he remained
until he and his brother, Charles J., established the
firm of William Tonk & Brother in New York City.
They built up a targe business as wholesalers of
musical merchandise, small goods, band instruments,
etc., at 26 Warren street, that city.
Later on the firm separated, Charles J. Tonk estab-
lishing the music business in Chicago now carried on
as Tonk Bros. Company. William Tonk engaged in
piano manufacturing and carried on an extensive
business, manufacturing the Tonk piano.
An entire change in this business took place some
ten years ago when William Tonk retired and the
business came under the management of his son,
Ernest G. Tonk, now known as the Tonk Piano Com-
pany, 509 West Fifth avenue, New York.
William Tonk was widely known, respected and
beloved in the trade. He served for two years as
secretary of the Piano Manufacturers' Association and
was prominent in other ways and in music trade con-
vention work. He is the author of the book "Memoirs
of a Manufacturer," a publication of intense interest.
Mr. Tonk was one of the three prominent Tonk broth-
ers who have been so prominently associated with the
music industries and trade of this country, the two
others being Max Tonk, who established the Tonk
Manufacturing Company, Chicago, and Charles J.
Tonk, who established the Tonk Bros. Company,
Chicago, both prominent and great wholesale music
houses of the present time.
* * *
H. C. DICKINSON
The startling news of the death of H. C. Dickinson
was 'phoned from Baldwin headquarters, Cincinnati,
to Manager L. C. Wagner of the Chicago branch
house Saturday morning last, announcing the pass-
ing of this beloved character the night before, Friday,
Dec. 14, at his newly established home, 3529 Pine
Tree drive, Miami Beach, Fla. Mr. Dickinson left
Chicago several weeks ago in good health and physical
condition and had been much interested in his new-
home at Miami Beach, giving up his late residence
at 5555 Everett avenue, Chicago.
Mr. Dickinson was a unique figure in the trade.
He engaged with D, H. Baldwin of Cincinnati im-
mediately upon leaving school and a short time there-
after was sent to Chicago to take charge of a reed
organ factory which D. H. Baldwin & Co. had pur-
chased and from which factory the famous Hamilton
reed organs were made and which was the nucleus
of the Hamilton piano and the factories later estab-
lished at Chicago Heights, 111. Mr. Dickinson had
been associated with only this one music house and
in only this line of business during his entire trade
career of about fifty years. He had long been vice-
president of The Baldwin Piano Company and one
of the directors of that corporation and resident gen-
eral manager of the Baldwin branch house at Chicago
since it was established.
The deceased was a beloved music trade man, one
to whom the endearing term "salt of the earth" was
a fitting sobriquet.
It is stated that the funeral of Mr. Dickinson will
take place at Cincinnati, probably on Tuesday, Dec.
18. The deceased is survived by his widow and two
daughters, Mrs. George W. Lawrence of Cincinnati
and Mr. George A. Barton, Kansas City. A meeting
of the Piano and Organ Association is to be called for
a memorial service and passing of resolutions, to be
held on Monday, Dec. 17, where the music trade is
asked to gather to pay its respects to a cherisheil
member of the fraternity.
* * *
The death of William H. McKinley takes from our
midst a prominent member of the music publishing
fraternity and the head of an aggressive concern, the
McKinley Music Co.. located at 1501 East 55th street,
Chicago.
* * *
Charles F. Ivers, whose death at the age of 78 is
announced at Fairhaven, Mass., was a son of the
late William H. Ivers, one of the founders of the
Ivers & Pond Piano Co. He was president of Ivers
& Pond Piano Co. for many years.
* * *
Edwin Bechstein, who passed away some weeks ago
at Berchtes Garten, his home near Berlin, Germany,
was the eldest son of the late Carl Bechstein, the
founder of the house of Bechstein, who died in 1900,
and succeeded as head of the house of Bechstein.
It will be remembered that the Paris, St. Petersburg
and London branch houses of C. Bechstein were closed
in the early days of the World War but the London
house was reopened a few years after the close of
the war and is now one of the prominent piano con-
cerns of Great Britain and is still in charge of Max
Lindlar, who has been manager of Bechstein in Lon-
don for about forty years.
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