PRESTO-TIMES
THE WHITE HOUSE MUSICALES
ANNUAL NATIONAL MUSIC WEEK MAY 5-11
The special musicales at the White House this
season which took place in connection with the State
and Diplomatic Dinners and Luncheons, were occa-
sions of unusual interest and through the courtesy
of Mr. Henry Junge of Steinway & Sons to whom
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt entrusted the relevant
details of carrying out these musicales. Presto-Times is
enahled to publish the particulars of the events which
occurred in the months of January, February and
March.
There were two grand State Dinners given in Janu-
ary, the Vice-President's Dinner, January 8, and the
Diplomatic Dinner, January 24. February 7th oc-
curred the dinner to the Chief Justice and the Su-
preme Court and February 19th the Speaker's Dinner,
all followed by musicales of special import. Those
taking part at these musicales embraced leading
artists: Madame Elizabeth Schumann, Madame Ninon
Vallin, sopranos; Ernest Hutchinson, Coenraad V.
Bos, Pierre Darck and Louis Calve, pianists; Rene
Leroy, rlute; the Vienna Choir Boys (Wiener Saen-
gerknaben); La Argentina, dancer; and Rector Josef
Schnitt. dean, participated in the state dinner
musicales.
The after luncheon musicales through February
and March embraced likewise an array of leading
lights from musical and artistic groups of the day.
These were:
February 20—
Miss Mollie A. Best, character sketches.
Miss Biauca Aldini, soprano.
Mr. Harry M. Gilbert, at the piano.
February 26—
Miss Iva Roberts, Kentucky balladist.
Mr. Jean Fardulli, baritone.
Mr. Louis A. Potter, at the piano.
February 27—
Miss Lucille Collette, violinist and pianist.
Madame Harriet Zell, soprano.
Mr. Frank Bibb, at the piano.
March 1—
Miss Beatrice Harrison, cellist.
Miss Vandy Cape, singing satires.
Mr. Sigmund Spaeth, musical satires.
Miss Margaret Harrison, at the piano.
Mr. Frederick Bristol, at the piano.
From the National Music Week Committee, 45 W.
45th street. New York, Presto-Times receives data
and notices of events to take place during the 12th
Annual National ATusic Week, May 5-11. It is being
particularly urged that the celebration be made a
medium for obtaining a greater public support—not
necessarily financial aid, but moral support—for what-
ever musical or other art projects or activities in a
given community may have been endangered in this
period of depression, or may need an added impetus.
The assistance of the local Music Week committees
is being enlisted in the matter of bridging the gap
between the schools and the functioning of school
music training in adult life—a problem which, in the
opinion of educators, represents a great waste of the
musical talents and aptitudes developed in the public
schools.
Under date of March 11, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt sent a letter from the White House to
C. M. Tremaine, Secretary of the National Music
Week Committee, to thank him for information given
about National Music Week activities. "I am glad,"
wrote the President, "this celebration is to be con-
tinued year by year, because music justly occupies a
very great place in the cultural life of the people of
our country. I have a deep conviction that people
who love music strive also for the best in other things.
I believe also that the celebration of Music Week
stimulates interest in music and that such a national
endeavor should be generally supported.
March 4—>
Miss Audray Roslyn, pianist.
Miss Maria Kurenko, soprano.
Miss Corinne Symons Homer, at the piano.
March 5—
Miss Florence Locke, diseuse.
Mr. Reinald Werrenrath, baritone,
Mr. Sol Sax, at the piano.
Lenten Matinees:
March 8—
Trade School Singers of Hampton Institute.
Dorothy Mainor. soprano.
R. Todd Duncan, baritone of Howard University.
Ernest Hays, at the piano.
William Allen, at the piano.
March 12—
Galli-Campi, soprano.
Robert Mac Gimsey, whistler.
Coenraad -V. Bos, at the piano.
March 18—
Ensemble of National Symphony Orchestra, Hans
Kindler, conductor.
Miss Elizabeth Hippie, soloist.
Mr. Junge informs Presto-Times that Mrs. Roose-
velt has under contemplation two additional musical
functions this season, the details of which have not
vet been released.
Woman In Music and Women in the
Music Business
The music trade field prides itself on a considerable
quota of women who are carrying on business either
in their own name or as proprietors or managers of
music establishments. Among them are: Mrs. C. A.
House, Wheeling, W. Va.: Mrs. W. A. Orm, Burling-
ton, Iowa; Mrs. Carrie Glass, Coshocton, Ohio; Mrs.
Zona Berg, Superior, Nebr.; Mrs. Earl Braman.
Superior, Wis.; Miss Mayme Zitzmann (Davidson
Company), Sioux City, Iowa; Miss Marie Schaeffer,
Des Plaines. 111.; Emma F. Ogle, Oxford Music and
Piano Studio, Indianapolis, Ind.; Mrs. Dorothy K.
Engel, Sterling, 111., and Mary Shodder, of M. and J.
C. Shosser, Essex, 111.; and more recently to have
joined the ladies fraternity of music dealers and man-
agers are: Mrs. George Winters and Mrs. Ruth
Donaldson. Pipestone. Minn.; Mrs. M. Corinna Mel-
ville, proprietor, Melville's for Music, Asheville, N.
C.; Mrs. Ivy Richardson, Kingman. Kans.; Mrs. N. L.
Boswell, Carthage, 111., and Mrs. C. L. Kob (Melody
Music Shop), Columbia, Mo.
NEWMAN BROS. WINDUP
The Newman Bros, failure, an assignment for the
benefit of creditors, etc.. filed several years ago, was
probably brought to a close recently by the sale of
the former Newman Bros, premises and the land
covered by the piano factory, located at Cox street,
close to Chicago avenue. But there is no good news
for the common creditors. The preferred claims,
lawyers' fees and other expenses absorb every penny
that will come from the sale of this property, which
sale was for $7,000, subject to a lot of taxes, so vale
Newman Bros.
ANOTHER NEARING THE END
The winding up of the Wm. Tonk & Bro., Inc.,
business which has been in the hands of J. George
Levy since the assignment five years ago has been
delayed for various causes, one being a suit at law
brought by the assignee against the Lester Piano
Company of Philadelphia which account seems to be
in a fair way of settlement inasmuch as the defendants
have offered to pay $5,000 net in settlement of the
action, which was pending in the United States Dis-
trict Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The time acceptance or refusal of this proposition was
set for April 1. With this revenue creditors will re-
ceive some amount of dividend.
March-April, 1935
HOW PIANO MAKERS
HAVE AIDED PADEREWSKI
FROM THE START
CHARLES STEINWAY'S DISCOVERY
OF THIS GENIUS IN LONDON
In Charles Phillips' "Biography of Ignace Jan
Paderewski," reference was made, that even from
Paderewski's boyhood days, among his friends and
acquaintances have been several piano makers and
when he was a mere boy, in his teens, a piano maker
of Warsaw, Kerntopf by name, sponsored him, when
the youth entered the Warsaw Conservatory.
Then later, although it was against rules to play
in public, Paderewski did so, which led to his ac-
quaintance with other European piano makers; first
Bechstein of Berlin, and then, when the young artist
was in Paris, the Erards were his friends.
In addition to this part of the biography, it is of
interest that Paderewski's main triumphs have been
of America, and thereby hangs an interesting story.
Charles Steinway, who later became President of
Steinway & Sons, heard Paderewski play in London,
and was so impressed that he arranged for an Ameri-
can tour, and advanced the artist one thousand pounds
(about $5,000), which amount relieved Paderewski at
the time of many financial obligations, even personal
pressing debts.
When William Steinway, then President of the
house of Steinway, received a lengthy letter from his
nephew, Charles, in London regarding the arrange-
ments that had been made for Paderewski's tour of
the United States, the great piano man said: "Well,
I am startled, but if Paderewski has so impressed our
unemotional Charles that he has advanced him $5,000
and made a contract for appearances in America, he
must be a wonderful pianist."
As a matter of record, it can be stated that the
Steinways guaranteed Paderewski a specified sum for
a certain number of concerts, and the receipts were
largely in excess of this amount, and Steinway & Sons
after deducting some of the expenses, handed Pad-
erewski a check for the balance, far in excess of the
guarantee, which they were not legally or morally
compelled to do.
Paderewski's visit to this country was preceded by
the most elaborate, skillful and widest publicity cam-
paign all over the United States that had ever been
launched for a pianist.
The unprecedented triumph of Ignace Jan Pad-
erewski in the United States and all over the world
has fully justified the splendid heralding of this tour-
nee, and the rest is history. Paderewski today is the
same lover of the Steinway piano and admirer of the
house of Steinway as when Charles gave him the op-
portunity to come to America.
Lanier & Billings, the Atlanta representatives for
the Baldwin line of pianos, find their new place at 56
Pryor street, N. E., far more commodious than their
Bearing the caption, "Always in tune." various former location where they are finely equipped for
newspapers have been publishing illustrations of an sales and everything in the way of piano service in-
invention by a Los Angeles man described as, "a cluding a well equipped repairing department. There
piano that never gets out of tune." The instrument are many Baldwin made pianos in and about Atlanta
has a five-octave piano keyboard and the tone is and Mr. T. C. Lanier of this firm can truthfully say
produced from alloy tubes instead of strings. Of
that the Baldwin line is exceptionally popular in
course such an instrument could not be classed as a Atlanta. The other members of this house are: H. T.
piano. It is merely one of many similar instruments Billings. E. C. Davis, Roy Plitt, and Robert Potter,
which use keys, hammers and sometimes a sounding all of whom have had wide experience in the piano
board so as to appear like the piano keyboard or business.
more probably the organ keyboard which was in use
long before the harpsichord and clavichord which
The E. B. Guild Music House, Topeka, Kans., is
preceded the piano of the present day. However,
tubes and even steel plates become clogged and en- now carrying on a musical extension service offering
crusted so that the pitch is charged and to be kept music study on various musical instruments to patrons
of the store. Lessons are given regularly. This in-
in unison with others must be filed and scraped.
novation has brought about much activity at the Guild
Music House and the Musical Exchange Service
TWO GREAT INSTRUMENTS AND A GREAT Company has become a marked success.
"ALWAYS IN TUNE," BUT?
ARTIST
A Lyon & Healy Steinway display advertisement
bearing the heading, "One fine instrument calls for
another," was exceedingly apropos for a Steinway
display advertisement at the time the eminent violinist.
Jascha Heifetz, was on concert tour in the West. The
text of this advertisement read: "The voice of Jascha
Heifetz' famous violin is invariably accompanied by
the equally famous voice of Steinway."
A FINE TRIBUTE TO A FINE PIANO
Here is what Victor Kolar. conductor of the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra, says of the Grinnell Bros,
piano: "Tn my opinion there are very few other makes
that can compare with the quality of the Grinnell
pianos."
F. T. White, who was associated for upwards of
twenty years with C. C. Harvey Company, Boston,
now going out of business, has joined Chickering, 146
Boylston street, that city, in charge of the radio de-
partment.
Publishers, composers, copyright owners and others
desiring announcement of new publications at the spe-
cial rates made by this paper, should submit a copy
of the compositions to be advertised for reviewers'
attention. Rates and all particulars will be furnished
upon application to
PRESTO-TIMES, Chicago
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/