Music Trade Review

THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
16
TRADE
IN
THE
Prominent Houses in the Music Trade.
LYON AND HEALY.
No. 3.
W
TRADE CHAT.
WEST.
OUR PERIPATETIC EDITOR IN CHICAGO.
HEN I began this series of articles, I fully expected, before I reached
my fourth instalment, to have finished with Chicago, and to have
been by this time treating of trade in other large Western cities ; but here I
am, at the third article. I have only written about four of the large Chicago
firms, and "still there's more to follow." When I have finished the large
Chicago firms, there will still be the smaller dealers, the music schools, the
conservatories, the concert halls, the music teachers, besides the general con-
dition of trade in the West, to be talked about.
I must say this for Chicago: It contains some of the frankest, freest, best-
hearted people in the country. If they take to a man there, they do it with
their whole souls; and although I knew that THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE
REVIEW had won a splendid name among them, and that it was eagerly read,
I was not prepared for the warm interest which every person that I met in
the trade or profession manifested in me, and in the welfare of my paper.
They made a genuine " boom " for it, and said that they did it to show their
appreciation of good, honest work.
This may seem to savor somewhat of "taffy" to the ordinary reader,
and it would have been " taffy " indeed had not the Chicago trade and pro-
fession proved by their acts that they meant what they said.
The 6 reat thoroughfare for the music trade in Chicago is State street.
I know of but one large house that is not situated on this street, and that is
Julius Bauer's. Mr. Bauer's establishment is on Wabash avenue, which runs
parallel with State, and he is about one block distant from the other large
houses. On State street are congregated W. W. Kimball, the Hoot & Sons'
Music Co., Pelton, Pomeroy & Cross (all of whom I have spoken of at length
before), lyon & Healy (to whom I devote attention further on), and many
others.
December 5th, 1880.
S. BEAINARD'S SONS.—S. Brainard's Sons sold 18 Chickering Upright
pianos from their Cleveland warerooms from Nov. 1st to 25th. The new
series of "Dollar Music-books," published by this firm, is having an im-
mense sale, and the publishers are greatly behind their orders for them.
They have just issued a new, complete general catalogue of all their sheet-
music publications to date. It contains nearly 15,000 different subjects, and
is the largest (with one exception) in the United States, if not in the world.
STECK.—Messrs. Denton & Cottier, of Buffalo, have become the agents
of the Steck piano.
SOHMER.—The new firm of Kuhn & Riegelman, in Buffalo, sold three
Sohmer pianos last week.
CATALOGUE.—Messrs. Hardman, Dowling & Peck indulge in a new rose-
colored catalogue, and we trust that the tint may be indicative of that of
their future progress.
HARD.—The piano trade will read with feelings of terror the statement
in Hardman, Dowling & Peck's new catalogue that " The future of the
piano trade belongs to the Hardman Uprights."
BRADBURY.—There has been trouble in Clyde, New York, over a "Brad-
bury " piano sold by a dealer named Granger. This dealer represented that
it was a genuine " F. G. Smith-Bradbury " piano, whereas it was only a
" Joseph P. Hale-Bradbury " piano, made by Mr. Hale when he owned the
name of "Bradbury," having trade-marked it in Washington. Mr. F. G.
Smith, upon whom the getmine Bradbury mantel has fallen, purchased Mr.
Hale's trade-mark, though why he should have done so, if he had a just claim
upon the name in the first place, we are unable to see. Those were the days
in which Messrs. Hale and Smith used to abuse one another dreadfully.
SCARCITY OF PIANO-MAKERS.—One of the best evidences of general ac-
tivity of business in the manufacture of pianos is the demand for piano-
makers. Manufacturers in this and other cities are continually advertising
for workmen.
SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLAR ORGAN.—According to a local paper, a sixty
thousand dollar organ is to be put up in the new St. Luke's Church at Le-
banon, Penna. We wonder which will cost the most, the organ, or the
church.
EDWARD MCCAMMON.—Mr. Edward McCammon, of Albany, N.Y., has lately
been granted a patent for securing the action of an upright piano to t h e
iron plate. Messrs. Steinway & Son, of New York, held a patent for secur-
LYON A HEALY.
ing the action to the pin block; and as securing the action to the iron plate,
An immense depot for the western and north-western distribution of or to the pin block, are the only ways in which it can be done, all manufac-
music, musical instruments, and musical merchandise, is that of Lyon & turers of upright pianos will have to use one of these patents, for which the
Healy, at the corner of Monroe and State streets. Both gentlemen are old above firms can demand royalty.
hands at the music business, and Mr. Lyon is especially conversant there-
MECHANICAL ORGUINETTE CO.—The Mechanical Orguinette Co., of 831
with, having been with Oliver Ditson, in Boston, years ago.
this city, have just completed a new automatic musical instru-
Tins firm are dealers in, and manufacturers of all kinds of musical goods, Broadway,
T
and they are also general agents for the north-west for the Steinway piano, ment, w hich they call a "Combination Organ." This instrument is played
and the Burdett reed organ, the Mechanical Orguinette, and Oliver Ditson by the action of the feet on pedals without touching the keys, and by means
& Co's. publications. They deal in such large quantities of pianos, organs, of the ordinary perforated sheet; but, in addition, it can be played upon
and music that they are able to sell to wholesale buyers at exceedingly low with the hands as an ordinary reed organ, or by means of the hands and the
rates, at prices that the manufacturers and publishers would not go below. perforated sheet used simultaneously. It is the most compact and easily
adjusted of any automatic instrument we have heretofore seen.
Messrs. Lyon & Healy also have the famous little " Lyon & Healy "
piano, constructed upon certain principles devised by Mr. Lyon. This
SOHMER & Co.—Messrs. Sohmer & Co. have received letters from Dr. F.
piano is a seven-octave upright, having extra felt hammers. Its scale Berge, and from Prof. A. F. Wernecke expressing their high appreciation of
was drawn by Mr. Lyon, and it contains his patent resonator sounding- the Sohmer Upright Piano, which they recently performed on at the Church
board, and patent spring music desk. Once when I was at Messrs. Lyon & Fair of St. Francis Xavier in this city.
Healy's store, I found that Mr. Lyon had himself sold eighteen of these re-
CELLULOID.—Messrs. Anderson & Behning, respectively President and
markable little instruments in three days. Mr. Lyon has recently been in
Boston, where he has established an agency for the sale of this piano in the Vice-President of the Celluloid Piano Key Co., have just returned from the
East with Oliver Ditson & Co., who have taken fifty of them. The piano West. They took in Chicago during their trip, and, it is said, they had a
has manifestly good qualities, and can be put at a moderate price, which will good time there. They found a strong sentiment in favor of celluloid for
commend it to a large class of buyers. It stands splendidly, Mr. Lyon says, piano and organ keys.
and under ordinary circumstances does not need tuning more than once or
PAPER KNOBS.—Paper stop-knobs are the latest in the way of devices
twice a year. I made an excursion all through Lyon & Healy's building, for cheapening
the cost of constructing reed organs. Beatty, of Wash-
and was surprised at the stock of music and instruments they carried. The ington, N. J., uses
them on those remarkable fifty-one-dollar and fifty-nine-
store is large even for Chicago. The basement is devoted to the wholesale
and-seven-tenths-of-a-cent
organs of his.
book department, the first floor to the retail and sheet music business ; on
the second floor are the piano and organ warerooms, in which, during my
visit, there was a fine assortment of Steinway pianos of all sorts and descrip-
AMERICAN INVENTIONS CRITICISED.
tions, besides a full line of Burdett organs; the third floor is devoted to
baud instruments and miscellaneous musical merchandise which they either
R. A. H. HASTINGS has patented (No. 232,209) in New York, a folding
import directly from abroad or manufacture themselves, and of which they
piano. The MUSICAL CRITIC says:—"Mr. Hastings swings the key-
probably carry a larger stock than any house in this country; on the fourth board front, music-rest, and panel on centres, so that the whole, when
floor is the department for manufacturing and repairing band instruments, not in use, can be turned over into a recess made in the case. A center-plate
and part of this floor is devoted to the storing of surplus stock in bulk.
and brake are provided to steady the keyboard in its movement, and a
lock to secure it in the recess."
INTERESTING REMARKS TO COME.
A patent to double up a horizontal or square piano was taken out by Mr.
Alfred Nicholson Wornum, in 1862. We are not aware whether a patent has
In the next number of T H E MUSICAL CRITIC & TRADE REVIEW I shall been granted in England for a folding keyboard, but pianos made ou this plan
give an account of interesting experiences and interviews with the houses of are no't unknown here. A small pianette, by M. Bord, of Paris, with the
Storey & Camp, and Reeds & Sons, which will offer profitable reading.
keyboard, is, or was recently, on view at Steinway Hall, London,
'
C. A. W. folding
where it was, however, little appreciated.
(To be Continued.)
Another double-action piano has been patented (No. 232,346) in America.
According to the MUSICAL CRITIC, "Mr. Abraham Felldin, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
JOHNSON AND SON.—Messrs. Johnson and Son, of Westfield, Mass., were uses a single key to operate two hammers, which strike two separate scales
the makers of the two-manual organ opened in the Synagogue, New Haven, of strings—a scale being placed on each side of the upright piano-frame.
Conn., on Sunday, Nov. 7th. We have not had an opportunity of hearing To do this and also to secure the juxtaposition of two strings of the same
this organ—but a local paper says that " the instrument is a credit to the tone, plates are connected together at a suitable distance to enclose between
builders ;" and we have heard ronia. ks from New Haven musicians to the same them the sounding-board. The scale is made ascending from left to right on
effect.
one side, and the reverse on the other. There are two actions, by which either
THE BRIDGEPORT ORGAN CO.—The Bridgeport Organ Co. report business scale ma'y be separately played upon,T)r both scales may be coupled, so as to
fairly active in their line, but not quite so much so as a month before the be operated from a single keyboard. In this way novel but sound effects
presidential election. The election as usual has had a quieting effect upon may be produced."
This appears to be precisely the " double unison " or " double octave "
trade generally, although there are abundant signs that before the close of
the year there will be a very active business. The Bridgeport Organ Co. piano of Henry William Viner, patented in England in 1860, and recently
have one of the finest manufacturing sites in the country, and it seems referred to by us. The chief difference seems to be that Viner's patent
strange that Mr. Patterson does not avail himself of the splendid chance for referred to a grand and Mr. Felldin's to an upright.—London and Provincial
Music Trades Revieic.
an advertisement, which the front of his big factory offers.
M