Music Trade Review

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MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Jro
THE RETURN OF MR. STEINWAY.
The
return of Mr. WILLIAM STEINWAY
from
Europe, an incident of which I could only make
passing mention in the last issue of the Music TKADE
REVIEW, is an event which affords an opportunity
for more extended remark.
The demonstration made by the workmen was, I
take it, from what I know of Mr. STEINWAY'S charac-
ter, more pleasing to him as a mark of esteem to the
were, to let a lady (and good looking) pine in this dis-
consolate manner for five or six hours, I really think
I ought to talk to her.
What do you think? What would you do under
the circumstances?
Well, that is just what I did do.
If I was writing a neat little essay, instead of a trade
article, I would like to tell of the queer characters I
meet when traveling. They touch my sense of the
comical keenly, except, as is often the case, when I
meet specimens of the genus hog. Where is it such
people get loose from? And why are they allowed to
roam about at will?
I met a spendid specimen of the hog at the TIFT
HOUSE, in Buffalo, a few days ago. He was a large
man with a back beard, long black hair, and a large
nose, or rather, snout. The waiter, as waiters us-
ually do at hotels, brought him his soup and fish to-
gether. He of the snout began to drink his soup,
varying the performance, which was accompanied
with a sound that sounded like s-c-h-1-o-o-p, by
reaching out to his plate of fish and shoveling great
portions of it into his mouth with his knife. It was
bad enough to sit opposite and watch him do this,
but when he used, every few seconds, this same
knife that had conveyed the fish to his mouth, to take
butter from the general butter dish for small pieces
of bread he was eating with his soup, I felt that
there were circumstances where homicide would be
justifiable.
Messrs. R. W. TANNER & SON, of Albany, inform
me that business is remarkably good with them, and
they know from that that it must be good with the
music trade generally, as they furnish so much of its
hardware. They will shortly increase their facil-
ities.
Messrs. TANNER & SON swear by the Music TRADE
REVIEW, and say their advertisement in it has paid
them well.
I wanted to have a talk with Mr. C. E. WENDELL,
but he and I managed to miss each other several
times.
Mr. WENDELL of MARSHALL & WENDELL, Albany,
told me that he could only say that business was
excellent.
Mr. E.MCCAMMON, Albany, was out of town. He
is traveling west for orders, and his book-keeper said
was doing well.
Mr. A. H. SIMMONS said he found trade brisker
than it had been in a long time.
The KENMORE, in Albany, is a good hotel, and you
will make no mistake in trying it, although it is not
as pretentious as the DELAVAN.
I cannot for the life of me understand why the
JOHNSON BROS., who keep the restaurants in the
large cities along the line of the NEW YORK CENTRAL
AND HUDSON RIVER RAILROAD, should charge ten
cents for a bottle of lager in Poughkeepsie and
Albany and five cents in Syracuse.
The depot platform of the NEW YORK CENTRAL, at
Syracuse, ought to be better lighted. I saw a gen-
morning, just as my breakfast had been placed be- tleman badly hurt there the other night, when the
fore me, a respectable looking young man took his handles of a heavy baggage hand-truck struck him a
place at the table opposite me, and having clear- severe blow in the stomach. He was pretty badly
ed out his nasal passages in a loud manner, pro- laid out, and for all I know, may have received seri-
ous internal injuries.
ceeded to spit calmly upon the dining-room floor.
MALCOLM LOVE, of Waterloo, N. Y., says that the
What luxury there is in traveling now-a-days.
house of STEINWAY & SONS, of which he is the dis- With the exception of the drawing-room car and
NEW YORK CENTRAL does all in its power to build up
tinguished head, than as a tribute to him personally. sleeping-car porter, who is generally quite well- manufacturers along its route, by putting down its
But whichever way one regards it, it was a fitting behaved and polite, but to whom I always owe a freight rates to the lowest possible point. He says
quarter of a dollar, though I cannot tell why, at he can lay down an organ in Milwaukee or St. Louis
testimonial to a house and a man which have shown the end of the trip ; journeying over our leading roads for one dollar and sixty cents. Cheap enough.
one of the most remarkable instances of progress in is a pleasure, not a bore. Speaking of the porter, it
The music trade in Auburn, N. Y., is in a rather
the history of the music trade of the world.
has always been an inscrutable mystery to me why stagnant condition now-a-days, according to the
The firm of STEINWAY & SONS have always been I should be expected to pay somebody else's hired rather doleful account given by Mr. VAN LEAR.
servant for unblacking my shoes and whacking me
I did not see Mr. BURGESS, of Auburn, although I
progressive. They have never been laggards in the four or five times in the back with a whiek broom.
called on him several times. He was always out
race for honor and advancement. They have been a If I have a decent polish on my shoes when I come selling pianos and organs about the country.
benefit to the music trade in many ways, and not a on the car, the porter sets himself to work with an
The recent cyclone that struck in from the Atlantic
few members of that trade, both manufacturers and ardor, that would be admirable if devoted to the ex- ocean, struck me in Buffalo. Mr. KURTZMANN was
termination of female suffragists, spiritualists, faith in New York, Mr. KNOLL out of town, Mr. KUHN did
dealers, will, without hesitation, agree to this.
healers, or some such other good work, and pro- show up, etc.. etc.
From what I hear, there will be three gold medals ceeds to remove all traces of my "patent leather
CHARLES AVERY WELLES.
given by the jury on musical instruments at the Lon- shine," substituting therefore a sort of stove-polish
don Exposition, and one of them will come to STEIN- that is worse than a coating of red Jersey mud.
AN HONEST TRIBUTE.
Is it to be a "kicker" to write in this way. Sup-
WAY & SONS. There will be no absolute first prize
N these days of competition, when so many men
over all competitors, and I am inclined to think this pose I should tell you the sort of breakfast I had at
the MATTESON HOUSE, the morning after my arrival
place the almighty dollar first and think the
plan of giving three gold medals to three of the lead-
in Chicago, a breakfast that was so stomach and soul
golden end justifies deceptive practices of every
ing houses is a good one. I trust that jealousies, satisfying, that I left it almost untasted, packed my nature, OMe is apt to wonder that honesty has airy
"which lead to bitter warfare between manufacturers, valise and went straight for the LELAND HOUSE. AS existence whatever. Every branch of business is in-
a well-known member of the music trade said once vaded by cheap, unreliable imitations. Veneered
will be avoided by this plan.
If Messrs. STEINWAY & SONS receive one of these to me, the MATTESON HOUSE is not a hotel, it is only productions lie side by side with the genuine, honest-
an overgrown boarding house. He was right.
all-through article; and it does seem, at times, as
gold medals, no one will offer them heartier con-
But I was glad to see the TIFT HOUSE, in Buffalo, though reputable dealers and manufacturers would
gratulations than the Music TRADE REVIEW.
regenerated. Messrs. STAFFORD & Co., who for the be compelled by the force of circumstances to lower
Three cheers for the American piano manufactur- the last few years have kept the MANSION HOUSE, in their standards of excellence. And in many instances
ers, anyhow!
that city, and made it very popular with travelers, this very end has resulted ; but not in every instance.
have taken the TIFT and are going to make a fine Take it with the Hazelton Bros.' pianos. There is
CHARLES AVEBY WELLES.
hotel of it, and there was great room for improve- cheap, loud-mouthed competition everywhere, yet
the standard of these instruments has never been
ment.
lowered. No matter what other imitators saw fit to
SHORT RAMBLES.
Messrs. STAFFORD & Co. have hardly had time as do; no matter if other manufacturers sacrificed
yet to make all the improvements they propose, but quality and reputation to inordinate greed, the man-
without doubt, when they have carried out their de- ufacturers of these noble pianos kept on improving
NO. i l l .
signs, Buffalo will no longer be a terror to those and making the Hazelton better and still better.
obliged to stay in it for twenty-four hours.
A LITTLE WAY WEST.
What is the result ? Simply this: The Hazelton
But here, I started to write this on the train be- stands for all that is honest and reliable in piano me-
HE person who cannot pick and choose his time
tween Cleveland and Chicago, but the good looking chanism. One looks for perfection in the Hazelton,
is rarely blessed, when chance sends him
has needed so much entertainment in the way of con- and finds it. No one ever was deceived in it. Like
through the country during this the most gorge- versation, for, of course, I was obliged to reply when
a gold coin—it passes current, for its face value,
ous season of the year. As I write this on the draw- she spoke to me first, and now I find that I am con-
everywhere and with everybody.
ing-room car, withing an hour's time of Elkhart, tinuing this article in Chicago.
These are the pianos sold by the Whitney & Holmes
Indiana, and with a very good-looking young woman
I don't think I ever enjoyed a journoy more than I Organ Co., a company that deals in and sells only the
opposite me, I am inclined to think that I never saw
richer or more perfect autumn foliage. It is a mon- did that from Albany to Syracuse. I happened to best. The manager will not keep, or offer, a piano of
otonous country at best, but now its forests are get one of the best of the NEW YORK CENTRAL'S unreliable manufacture. The reputation of his house
flaming with rich shades of orange and scarlet, that trains, and it was a genuine pleasure to lay off for compels him to deal with houses of like reputation ;
several hours in the buffet car taking my smoke and and therefore it is, that when an instrument of relia-
take away much of the misery of the Hat fields.
The young lady referred to above, is watching me reading the illustrated and daily papers, with which ble and unquestioned merit is desired, the Whitney
& Holmes Organ Co. is at once consulted and com-
intently, and I am sure she thinks I am an artist the car was abundantly supplied.
And now, having indulged in this little preliminary missioned to supply it. Such a name and record
making a sketch of her. She has settled herself in a
becoming attitude and looks dreadfully lonely. I chat, let me get down to business and talk about the honors a firm, and The Journal is glad that such a
company does business in Quincy.— Quincy Journal.
am afraid It is not quite right, not charitable, as it trade.
At the FOREST CITY HOUSE, in Cleveland, this
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