Music Trade Review
Issue: 1886 Vol. 10 N. 9 - Page 10
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'3 6
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
TRADERS' BUILDING,
CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 1886.
MESSRS. B I L L & CARR :
'
GENTS : The strikes, the election and warm weather
during the past month has ha
there are a few leading houses that seem to be always
busy, such as Lyon & Healy, B. Shoninger Co. and
W. W. Kimball Co.
The wholesale trade is booming. The only trouble
is to get the goods to fill orders.
The piano manufacturers here, C. A. Smith & Co.
and W. H. Bush & Co., are running full time, and
they are doing their best to fill orders. The last-
named firm will have out their new catalogue in a
few days.
R. W. Blake, manager of the Sterling Co., was here
last week, and reports their wholesale business way
beyond his expectations.
The Wheelock and the Bradbury branch houses,
lately opened here, are getting along nicely.
Geo. W. Lyon is East, selecting a stock of Stein-
ways for the holidays.
The W. W. Kimball Co. have twelve pianos on their
way, making them at their organ factory.
The B. Shoninger Co. branch house has met a won-
derful success since they opened here some six
months ago. Their BOW styles 6 and 7 pianos
are among the mo^t popular instruments in the mar-
ket. They are sold as fast as they are received. Mr.
Joseph Shoninger takes care of the wholesale trade
and Mr. Antonio de Anguera, so long and favorably
known as the leading salesman in Chicago, has
charge of the retail. With two such men at the helm
the great success of the Shoninger Chicago house is
easily explained.
A new organ company has just been incorporated,
November 30, called the Singer Organ Co., Chicago-
Capital stock $10,000. Inorporators are Robert M.
Moore, Frederick W. Singer and J. S. Moore.
C. C. Colby and W. H. Duncan, of the firm of
Christie & Co., was in town last Wednesday, as was
also Mr. Charle3 Docker, Ernest Knabe and Geo.
Steck.
The following dealers have been in town purchasing
good in the last two weeks : M. Dralet, St. Anne, 111.;
R. L. Harrold, Fowler, Ind.; L. W. Schaffner, Ft-
Dodge, la.; D. F. Smith, West Liberty, l a . ; E. H"
Waller, Muskegon, Mich.; Miss M. L. Edgerton,
Neenah, Wis.; F. Young, of Mellon & Co., Amboy,
111., and a number more.
Nothing yet settled about the Chickering agency.
There are plenty rumors, but nothing more.
Yours truly,
OWEN.
NEWMAN BROTHERS.
W
E were somewhat surprised upon a visit to the
factory of Newman Brothers, at 38 and 40
So. Canal Street, Chicago, to see the amount
of business they were doing.
The policy of this concern has always been a con-
servative one, and the trade at large are not aware
of the number of organs they are manufacturing.
Their factory is a large one, containing four floors,
heated throughout with hot air, the only one we be-
lieve heated in this way in Chicago. It is well
adapted for the manufacturing of organs and has a
capacity of 75 organs per week, which number the
firm intend to soon manufacture.
The Newman organ has many excellent qualities
not found in other makes.such as the patent pipe coup-
ler swell. This swell is capable of softening the tone
without reducing in any degree the carrying power.
The tone in all their organs is remarkably sweet and
clear, and the cases are handsome in design. They
make a large number of styles and the dealer is hard
to please if they cannot suit him.
The firm is composed of three brothers, Gus.,
Charles and John Newman, all of whom are practi-
cal workmen, having received their training at the
factories of Burdett and Ft. Wayne. Gus. has
charge of the tuning department and overlooks the
organs before they leave the factory, so as to see that
they are perfect. Charles attends to the financial
department and John holds the situation of general
superintendent of the factory.
The firm has decided to introduce its goods
largely into the East, and for that reason have made
arrangements with Jack Haynes, whereby he' will
control the wholesale trade in the New England and
Middle States and the Continent of Europe. We con-
gratulate the house upon their good fortune in se-
curing such an able representative as General East-
ern Manager, There is no person in the trade who
has a larger acquaintance nor none who will work
harder in behaJf of their organs than Mr. Haynes
will. The Eastern office is at 58 West 22d Street and
we would suggest to the Eastern dealers to corres-
pond with Mr. Haynes.
violin. But the summit of mental obliquity seems
to have been achieved by the jury in the gold medal
diploma awarded to Messrs. Paterson «fc Sons for'' the
general excellence of their exhibit." Let us hasten
to say that Messrs. Paterson undoubtedly richly
merited the highest diploma. But the question re-
mains, To whom was it given ? Messrs. Paterson
exhibited pianos by Steinway & Sons, of New York ;
C. Bechstein, of Berlin ; Neumeyer, of Berlin ; Kaim,
of Kircheim; Dorner, of Stuttgart; Forster, of
Lobau; Collard & Collard, of London; Metzler &
Co., of London; G. Rogers & Sons, of London, and
B. Squire & Son, of London ; besides organs by the
Mason & Hamlln Organ Co., Eatey Organ Co. and
the Brooklyn Organ Co. It would be interesting to
NOTHING FRAUDULENT ABOUT THIS.
know whether each of those several firms was, in
the opinion of the Edinburgh jury, entitled on pre-
CHICAGO, I I I . , Jan. 4, 1882.
cisely equal terms to the thirteenth part of a gold
To MESSRS STEINWA & SONS, NEW YOUK :
medal diploma. If not it is certain that a proper
DEAR SIKS : Allow me to express to jou the, great selection should have been made among the thirteen
satisfaction and pleasure that I h;ive experienced firms, each of whom, we assume, is now entitled to
from the use of your famous pianos, which you have display (for what it is worth) the gold medal diploma
placed at my disposal during t'lie concert tour now in (or an honest thirteeth part of it) which was awarded
course of progress in the United States.
to this justly celebrated firm of Scottish dealera^or
During my artistic career in the art centres of the "the general excellence of their exhibit." p h e
world, I nave used the pianos of nearly all celebrated grouping is unfair, for more than one exhibit»5 of
manufacturers, but none of them can be compared articles of far less importance has a gold
to yours -none possess to such a maivelous degree diploma all to himself.
that spmpathetio poetic and singing tone quality
The trade must look this exhibition matter straight
which distinguishes the Stein way as peerless among in the face. We cannot afford to boycott these local
them all. Before returning to Europe. I shall select exhibitions. The Liverpool show has been visited
and purchase one of your grand pianos for Craig-y-nos by three millions of people, and the Edinburgh Ex-
Castle, my residence in South Wales.
hibition by over two millions. The value of these
Respectfully yours,
local fairs as a mart is, therefore, incontestable. Nor
ADELINA PATTI.
do we wish that the local dealers should be deprived
ol the privilege of showing London goods at their
own stands. Where a retail firm are sole local agents
A WARNING AS TO EXHIBITIONS.
for a particular piano or organ it is only fair and just
that they should be allowed to exhibit it. But man-
E announced last month certain details of the
ufacturers should take care that only first-rate sam-
exhibitions projected next year at Man-
ples of the various grades of goods should be shown.
chester, Saltaire, Adelaide and Newcastie-
It is nonsense to take a piano that may have been in
on-Tyne, and during the following year in Glas
gow and elsewhere. We have more than once stock for months and exhibit it side by aide with
strongly recommended manufacturers to exhibit, some of the best specimens of British or foreign in-
but have warned the trade against competing, at dustry made expressly for the show.- London and
these local exhibitions. Any medal gained is not Provincial Music Trade Review.
worth the trouble and the expense, while the failure
to secure a high award necessarily injures the goods
THE NEW ENGLAND AND GILBERT
in the locality. The authorities of the Liverpool
PIANOS IN NEW YORK.
exhibition have taken care that the latter event shall
not happen. Indeed, the prize list will be read with
much amusement by the trade. It seems that out
N May last, Mr. Thomas F. Scanlan, the head of
of twenty-three exhibitors in the British section no
the New England and Gilbert piano factory,
less than twenty-one have received awards. The
opened a branch oilice in this city, and Mr. W. A.
only exhibits not thus honored are a violin and an Kimberly took the management of it. The success
apparatus for turning over leaves of music Every- of this move has been almost phenomenal and it is to
thing else has received some award or other, prob- a great degree, owing to the earnest efforts and busi-
ably on the plan adopted in boarding-schools for nesslike methods of Mr. Kimberly, who has been
young.ladies, where, if the pupil has not deserved obliged to enlarge his ware-rooms, which he has
any other medal, she gains a prize for " punctual done by taking the entire ground floor of his present
attendance." In other sections the direct bonafldes quarters. The additional space taken will enable
of the jury has been challenged. A large manufact- him to carry a stock of 75 or more pianos.
urer has written to the chairman of the jury commis-
sion declining to receive the three medals awarded
to him, partly owing to the indiscriminate way in
KIND WORDS.
which the medals have been distributed, partly be-
cause one firm " have been awarded a gold medal for
WE AUE trying our best to please all, the same as
goods they do not make or exhibit on their stand,"
you are with your paper, which seems to grow brigher
and partly because " we are in receipt of a letter
every issue.
Yours truly.
from one of the jurymen who adjudicated in our sec-
GEO. W. CARTER.
tion, containing a list of goods to the value of about
£10 wh ch he wishes us to send him in compensation
for his labors in securing the gold medal for us."
WM. C. TAYLOR, of Springfield, Mass., has taken
If the last charge be true, it is hoped some public the agency of the Kroeger pianos
steps will be taken in the matter. Happily none of
C. C. COLBY, J R . , has been making an extensive
these charges can be advanced against the jury on
musical instruments, save the lavish manner in which trip through New York State in the interest of the
Christie piano.
they have showered awards on the exhibitors.
The Edinburgh awards are still more peculiar, and
THETeloubetOi'gan Company, of Bloomfield, N. J.,
are calculated to annoy exhibitors to even a greater is out with a novel and attractive catalogue.
extent than the wholesale distribution of so-called
honors at Liverpool. At Edinburgh no medals are
given, but only diplomas for them. The awards
appear to have been framed mainly with a view to
'• local interests." One of the greatest firms of Lon-
don piano-forte manufacturers, who have gained the
A THOROUGHLY experienced, active
highest honors at the London Exhibitions of 1862
and 1885, at the great Paris Exhibition and elsewhere, and reliable head clerk lor music and
have been subjected to the indignity of a silver small instruments. Address, giving age
a war> I. One of the most popular of American organs and reterences.
has no award at all. The Edinburgh soul does not
appear to soar far above a bagpipe or an imitation
11. G. HOLLEKBEBG.
W
I
WANTED
'3 6
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
TRADERS' BUILDING,
CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 1886.
MESSRS. B I L L & CARR :
'
GENTS : The strikes, the election and warm weather
during the past month has ha
there are a few leading houses that seem to be always
busy, such as Lyon & Healy, B. Shoninger Co. and
W. W. Kimball Co.
The wholesale trade is booming. The only trouble
is to get the goods to fill orders.
The piano manufacturers here, C. A. Smith & Co.
and W. H. Bush & Co., are running full time, and
they are doing their best to fill orders. The last-
named firm will have out their new catalogue in a
few days.
R. W. Blake, manager of the Sterling Co., was here
last week, and reports their wholesale business way
beyond his expectations.
The Wheelock and the Bradbury branch houses,
lately opened here, are getting along nicely.
Geo. W. Lyon is East, selecting a stock of Stein-
ways for the holidays.
The W. W. Kimball Co. have twelve pianos on their
way, making them at their organ factory.
The B. Shoninger Co. branch house has met a won-
derful success since they opened here some six
months ago. Their BOW styles 6 and 7 pianos
are among the mo^t popular instruments in the mar-
ket. They are sold as fast as they are received. Mr.
Joseph Shoninger takes care of the wholesale trade
and Mr. Antonio de Anguera, so long and favorably
known as the leading salesman in Chicago, has
charge of the retail. With two such men at the helm
the great success of the Shoninger Chicago house is
easily explained.
A new organ company has just been incorporated,
November 30, called the Singer Organ Co., Chicago-
Capital stock $10,000. Inorporators are Robert M.
Moore, Frederick W. Singer and J. S. Moore.
C. C. Colby and W. H. Duncan, of the firm of
Christie & Co., was in town last Wednesday, as was
also Mr. Charle3 Docker, Ernest Knabe and Geo.
Steck.
The following dealers have been in town purchasing
good in the last two weeks : M. Dralet, St. Anne, 111.;
R. L. Harrold, Fowler, Ind.; L. W. Schaffner, Ft-
Dodge, la.; D. F. Smith, West Liberty, l a . ; E. H"
Waller, Muskegon, Mich.; Miss M. L. Edgerton,
Neenah, Wis.; F. Young, of Mellon & Co., Amboy,
111., and a number more.
Nothing yet settled about the Chickering agency.
There are plenty rumors, but nothing more.
Yours truly,
OWEN.
NEWMAN BROTHERS.
W
E were somewhat surprised upon a visit to the
factory of Newman Brothers, at 38 and 40
So. Canal Street, Chicago, to see the amount
of business they were doing.
The policy of this concern has always been a con-
servative one, and the trade at large are not aware
of the number of organs they are manufacturing.
Their factory is a large one, containing four floors,
heated throughout with hot air, the only one we be-
lieve heated in this way in Chicago. It is well
adapted for the manufacturing of organs and has a
capacity of 75 organs per week, which number the
firm intend to soon manufacture.
The Newman organ has many excellent qualities
not found in other makes.such as the patent pipe coup-
ler swell. This swell is capable of softening the tone
without reducing in any degree the carrying power.
The tone in all their organs is remarkably sweet and
clear, and the cases are handsome in design. They
make a large number of styles and the dealer is hard
to please if they cannot suit him.
The firm is composed of three brothers, Gus.,
Charles and John Newman, all of whom are practi-
cal workmen, having received their training at the
factories of Burdett and Ft. Wayne. Gus. has
charge of the tuning department and overlooks the
organs before they leave the factory, so as to see that
they are perfect. Charles attends to the financial
department and John holds the situation of general
superintendent of the factory.
The firm has decided to introduce its goods
largely into the East, and for that reason have made
arrangements with Jack Haynes, whereby he' will
control the wholesale trade in the New England and
Middle States and the Continent of Europe. We con-
gratulate the house upon their good fortune in se-
curing such an able representative as General East-
ern Manager, There is no person in the trade who
has a larger acquaintance nor none who will work
harder in behaJf of their organs than Mr. Haynes
will. The Eastern office is at 58 West 22d Street and
we would suggest to the Eastern dealers to corres-
pond with Mr. Haynes.
violin. But the summit of mental obliquity seems
to have been achieved by the jury in the gold medal
diploma awarded to Messrs. Paterson «fc Sons for'' the
general excellence of their exhibit." Let us hasten
to say that Messrs. Paterson undoubtedly richly
merited the highest diploma. But the question re-
mains, To whom was it given ? Messrs. Paterson
exhibited pianos by Steinway & Sons, of New York ;
C. Bechstein, of Berlin ; Neumeyer, of Berlin ; Kaim,
of Kircheim; Dorner, of Stuttgart; Forster, of
Lobau; Collard & Collard, of London; Metzler &
Co., of London; G. Rogers & Sons, of London, and
B. Squire & Son, of London ; besides organs by the
Mason & Hamlln Organ Co., Eatey Organ Co. and
the Brooklyn Organ Co. It would be interesting to
NOTHING FRAUDULENT ABOUT THIS.
know whether each of those several firms was, in
the opinion of the Edinburgh jury, entitled on pre-
CHICAGO, I I I . , Jan. 4, 1882.
cisely equal terms to the thirteenth part of a gold
To MESSRS STEINWA & SONS, NEW YOUK :
medal diploma. If not it is certain that a proper
DEAR SIKS : Allow me to express to jou the, great selection should have been made among the thirteen
satisfaction and pleasure that I h;ive experienced firms, each of whom, we assume, is now entitled to
from the use of your famous pianos, which you have display (for what it is worth) the gold medal diploma
placed at my disposal during t'lie concert tour now in (or an honest thirteeth part of it) which was awarded
course of progress in the United States.
to this justly celebrated firm of Scottish dealera^or
During my artistic career in the art centres of the "the general excellence of their exhibit." p h e
world, I nave used the pianos of nearly all celebrated grouping is unfair, for more than one exhibit»5 of
manufacturers, but none of them can be compared articles of far less importance has a gold
to yours -none possess to such a maivelous degree diploma all to himself.
that spmpathetio poetic and singing tone quality
The trade must look this exhibition matter straight
which distinguishes the Stein way as peerless among in the face. We cannot afford to boycott these local
them all. Before returning to Europe. I shall select exhibitions. The Liverpool show has been visited
and purchase one of your grand pianos for Craig-y-nos by three millions of people, and the Edinburgh Ex-
Castle, my residence in South Wales.
hibition by over two millions. The value of these
Respectfully yours,
local fairs as a mart is, therefore, incontestable. Nor
ADELINA PATTI.
do we wish that the local dealers should be deprived
ol the privilege of showing London goods at their
own stands. Where a retail firm are sole local agents
A WARNING AS TO EXHIBITIONS.
for a particular piano or organ it is only fair and just
that they should be allowed to exhibit it. But man-
E announced last month certain details of the
ufacturers should take care that only first-rate sam-
exhibitions projected next year at Man-
ples of the various grades of goods should be shown.
chester, Saltaire, Adelaide and Newcastie-
It is nonsense to take a piano that may have been in
on-Tyne, and during the following year in Glas
gow and elsewhere. We have more than once stock for months and exhibit it side by aide with
strongly recommended manufacturers to exhibit, some of the best specimens of British or foreign in-
but have warned the trade against competing, at dustry made expressly for the show.- London and
these local exhibitions. Any medal gained is not Provincial Music Trade Review.
worth the trouble and the expense, while the failure
to secure a high award necessarily injures the goods
THE NEW ENGLAND AND GILBERT
in the locality. The authorities of the Liverpool
PIANOS IN NEW YORK.
exhibition have taken care that the latter event shall
not happen. Indeed, the prize list will be read with
much amusement by the trade. It seems that out
N May last, Mr. Thomas F. Scanlan, the head of
of twenty-three exhibitors in the British section no
the New England and Gilbert piano factory,
less than twenty-one have received awards. The
opened a branch oilice in this city, and Mr. W. A.
only exhibits not thus honored are a violin and an Kimberly took the management of it. The success
apparatus for turning over leaves of music Every- of this move has been almost phenomenal and it is to
thing else has received some award or other, prob- a great degree, owing to the earnest efforts and busi-
ably on the plan adopted in boarding-schools for nesslike methods of Mr. Kimberly, who has been
young.ladies, where, if the pupil has not deserved obliged to enlarge his ware-rooms, which he has
any other medal, she gains a prize for " punctual done by taking the entire ground floor of his present
attendance." In other sections the direct bonafldes quarters. The additional space taken will enable
of the jury has been challenged. A large manufact- him to carry a stock of 75 or more pianos.
urer has written to the chairman of the jury commis-
sion declining to receive the three medals awarded
to him, partly owing to the indiscriminate way in
KIND WORDS.
which the medals have been distributed, partly be-
cause one firm " have been awarded a gold medal for
WE AUE trying our best to please all, the same as
goods they do not make or exhibit on their stand,"
you are with your paper, which seems to grow brigher
and partly because " we are in receipt of a letter
every issue.
Yours truly.
from one of the jurymen who adjudicated in our sec-
GEO. W. CARTER.
tion, containing a list of goods to the value of about
£10 wh ch he wishes us to send him in compensation
for his labors in securing the gold medal for us."
WM. C. TAYLOR, of Springfield, Mass., has taken
If the last charge be true, it is hoped some public the agency of the Kroeger pianos
steps will be taken in the matter. Happily none of
C. C. COLBY, J R . , has been making an extensive
these charges can be advanced against the jury on
musical instruments, save the lavish manner in which trip through New York State in the interest of the
Christie piano.
they have showered awards on the exhibitors.
The Edinburgh awards are still more peculiar, and
THETeloubetOi'gan Company, of Bloomfield, N. J.,
are calculated to annoy exhibitors to even a greater is out with a novel and attractive catalogue.
extent than the wholesale distribution of so-called
honors at Liverpool. At Edinburgh no medals are
given, but only diplomas for them. The awards
appear to have been framed mainly with a view to
'• local interests." One of the greatest firms of Lon-
don piano-forte manufacturers, who have gained the
A THOROUGHLY experienced, active
highest honors at the London Exhibitions of 1862
and 1885, at the great Paris Exhibition and elsewhere, and reliable head clerk lor music and
have been subjected to the indignity of a silver small instruments. Address, giving age
a war> I. One of the most popular of American organs and reterences.
has no award at all. The Edinburgh soul does not
appear to soar far above a bagpipe or an imitation
11. G. HOLLEKBEBG.
W
I
WANTED
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