Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
316
LATER,
THE CENTENNIAL.
Saturday 12,30 a. m. At a meeting which separated
at this hour the following additional firms were repre-
OUR TRADE MANIFEST A LIVELY IN- sented:—George Steck & Co. Henry Haas & Co., Ma-
thushek & Son, R. M. Walters, Michaelis &. Zincke,
TEREST.
James & Holstrom, Gabler & Brother.
NOT TO BE OUTDONE BY OTHER INDUSTRIES.
The following business was transacted:—
Authority given to Harper Brothers to make a sketch
PARTICULARS GIVEN OF THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE
of
the float for Harper's Weekly.
MANUFACTURERS THIS MORNING AT A SPECIAL
Mr. Behning reported that of the subscriptions prom-
MEETING.
ised $1,705 had been collected.
HE fraternity of the pianoforte trade of New York
Resolved to accept plans as previously submitted.
city are to be highly commended upon the action
Resolved that the various piano firms march in alpha-
taken by them in regard to the forthcoming betical order.
Centennial festivities. Their efforts have been marked
Resolution offered by Mr. Bacon, viz.: that a large
by great unanimity, and there is every prospect that the banner, bearing the inscription " Piano Trade, New
deliberations of the committee will result in our great York, 1789-1889," precede the float, carried.
industry being admirably represented in the industrial
Executive Committee authorized to select banner
parade, which will form so important a part of the stu- carriers, and to furnish them with uniforms.
pendous national display.
Question whether marshals be mounted or on foot,
At a meeting held on Friday, the 12th inst., a special referred to committee.
meeting was convened, at which an organization for per-
Resolved that a committee of three be appointed by
fecting the necessary arrangements was formed. Mr. the chair to arrange for a piano trade dinner at the
William Steinway was elected president, and Mr. Fran- Fifth Avenue Hotel, tickets for same not to exceed
cis Bacon secretary; and the following gentlemen were $3.00.
appointed a committee for the collection of funds and to
Resolved that the committee be authorized to draw
fulfill the purposes of the meeting: Mr. William Stein- upon the chairman for an amount not exceeding $100,
way, Mr. Hugo Sohmer, Mr. Henry Behning, Sr., Mr_ for complimentary tickets and other expenses.
J. Burns Brown and Mr. Otto Wessell; Messrs. Henry
Appointed as committee: Francis Bacon, Albert Web-
Behning and J. Burns Brown being deputed to collect er and R. M. Walters.
subscriptions from the trade. The following houses
Dinner to take place as soon as practicable after the
were represented personally and by letter at the meet- Centennial. The committee will meet at once for the
ing: Behr Brothers & Co., Krakauer Brothers, Behning purpose of arranging date of dinner. Notice will be
& Sons, Sohmer & Co., Schmidt & Co., Hammacher, given through the trade press as to where tickets may
Schlemmer & Co., Win. Knabe & Co., Francis Bacon, be secured.
T. F. Kraemer & Co., George Bothner, Richard Ranft,
The thanks of the society were given to Henry Behn-
E. Bornhoeft, Hardman, Peck & Co., Kranich & Bach, ing, Sr., T. F. Kraemer and J. Burns Brown for their
A. Hahn, Huner&Co., Frederick Schuler, Wessell, Nick- services in obtaining subscriptions.
el & Gross, Albert Weber, Steinway & Sons, and the
Three thousand one hundred and eighty men of the
New England Piano Co.
music trade will be in line. There will be eighteen flags
The collectors have been most praiseworthily assid- and eight banners.
uous in their efforts. So far, upwards of $2,000 has been
It seems to us regrettable that more than a dozen of
promised by the undermentioned firms: Steinway & the most prominent piano makers of this city were ab-
Sons, Albert Weber, Sohmer & Co., G. Steck& Co.,Wm. sent from these meetings. The circumstance seems
Knabe & Co., Behning Sc Sons, Wessell, Nickel & Gross, greatly aggravated when we remember that many of
Francis Bacon, Behr Brothers & Co., George Bothner, this dozen were Americans by blood. Surely, on an oc-
T. F. Kraemer & Co., Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., casion of this kind, all jealousy and hard feeling should
Hardman, Peck & Co., Kranich & Bach, R. Ranft, Hun- be cast into oblivion. All of the firms should be united
er & Co., A, Hahn, E. Bornhoeft, Krakauer Brothers, as one man.
Frederick Schuler, Schmidt & Co., Wm. A . Pond & Co.,
At the last meeting the company were favored by Com-
Novello, Ewer & Co., G. W. Herbert, Michaelis & Zin- modore Wessell with a specimen of his splendid oratory.
cke, A. Brautigam and others.
He imparted the astounding information that George
No pains will be spared to make the display worthy Washington was dead. Further, he electrified the
of the trade and the great occasion. The exhibit will il- meeting by the announcement that but for Washington
lustrate the progress of the piano industry between A. D. having driven out the British the manufacturers would
1789 and A.D.1889, and will be of the most elaborate and not be there that night.
artistic character that the committee, in the fullness of
their wisdom and the exercise of their originality, can de-
sign. As it is of the essence of the undertaking that the
PAUL G. MEHLIN & SONS.
trade in its entirety, and not any particular firms, shall
be represented, everything in the nature of advertising
ON THE EVE OF ACTION.
will be rigidly excluded.
AUL G. MEHLIN & SONS, the celebrated piano-
The display will consist of a gigantic symbolical and
makers of 461, 463, 465 and 467 West Fortieth
allegorical float, illustrative of the advances made in the
street, N. Y., are rapidly getting into shape with
American piano industry during the century now clos-
ing. A spinet of the former period will be a prominent their new machinery, which will be ready for action ere
feature of the spectacle, which will also include pianos long. The machines are of the very latest and most im-
of various periods, particularly a grand and an up- proved patterns. They have been furnished by Mr. Pry-
right piano of the present day, the two latter construct- ibil, the famous maker of machinery for wood-work, who
ed on a very large scale. The whole will be surrounded has expended upon them his very best efforts. No other
by and interspersed with musical designs, and figures of piano-makers will be able to boast of finer machinery
Hayden, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, Liszt, Rubin- than that of Mehlin & Sons.
The factory, which is six stories high, and 100x75 ft.,
stein, Von Bulow and other great musicians and com-
posers will be gracefully grouped about the instiuments. has been entirely remodelled. Its rooms are lofty, airy
A golden mountain will form the background for the and well lighted. The brick-built dry rooms have a ceil-
following tableaux : The three Rhinedaughters, Sieg- ing of three inch fire proof material. The entire edi-
fried at the forge, striking sparks ol lightning with his fice has been handsomely painted. Everything is ready
blade; Lohengrin and Elsa; Wotan and Brunhilde, the for the practical application of the original ideas of
latter a good counterpart of Lillie Lehmann; Venus Mehlin & Sons. This application will not be long de-
resting on a couch of roses, and Tannhauser. The pro- layed, and as soon as it begins the vast structure will
scenium of a theatre on each of the four sides will teem with life, intelligence, and movement, to the end
show Faust, Mephisto and Marguerite, Racco and Le- that musical mankind may be made more musical still.
andre from " Fidelio," Don Juan, Lepurella and Donna
Anna, Freischuetz, Mar and Samuel. This chariot, 10
feet wide by 30 feet long, will be drawn by " Goetter-
SOMETHING SUITABLE FOR HER.
daemmerung" warriors. Badges and banners indicative
of the factories at which they are employed will be worn
Professor in Music—Now, Madame, what class of pi-
and carried by the workmen taking part in the procession
ano musi; do you wish to practice? Young Widow—
The display will undoubtedly be one of the most elab- Haven't you some piece that is played entirely on the
orate, artistic and thoroughly representative in the en- black keys? You know I am in mourning.—Chicago
Globe.
tire parade.
T
P
STORY OF THE TWO "STEADS."
W
ITHIN the last few days Joachim's admirers, as
all the world knows, have given him a Strad.,
bought for ,£1,000, and M. Meyer has been
presented with a Strad. which cost ^1,250, but no infor-
mation has been published to account for or to justify
these extravagant sums. We are far from saying that
for the finest specimens of Stradivarius four figures
would be out of the way; but we can hardly suppose that
either Joachim's or Meyer's committees had mastered
the pedigrees of these fiddles before they bought them,
or they certainly would not have bought them—
at those prices. For the future guidance of the public,
here is the story of Joachim's presentation fiddle.
The violin last belonged to Lady Lindsay. The back,
sides, and head are of great beauty, but the belly is
somewhat damaged. Several years ago Mr. Corsby, the
first Wardour street dealer, predecessor of Hart, tamp-
ered with the bottom sound hole, which he enlarged—
the man was a very Vandal. The instrument was after-
ward cleverly restored by Gand of Paris. It was bought
by C. J. Meier, and sold by him to Chanot for ,£180.
Chanot sold it to Lady Lindsay for between ^500
and .£600. Lady Lindsay sells it for ^1,000! This is
rather unaccountable, for neither in tone nor in preser-
vation will it take first rank, and a Strad. belonging to
Kiessewetter was rejected on that very account. Then
as Joachim has already three Strads. finer than this one.
it would have been better to have got him a Joseph
Guarnerius if a first-class Strad. could not be found.
Well, let us now come to Meyer's Strad. Here the leap
in price is still more phenomenal and still less account-
able. In Joachim's Strad. it was only from ^500 to
.£1,000; in Meyer's, it was from ^500 to .£1,250 ! The
price obtained by Richer of Berlin.
The violin is said to be one of a quartet made by
Stradivarius for George I., then Elector; but no violin
historian knows of it, nor has any one yet traced its
companions. It belonged to Molique, the late violinist,
and was offered not long ago to Carrodus, his pupil, for
,£500. It is said that Joachim, when he tried it, did not
think very highly of its tone; and indeed it is somewhat
worn, and has seen its best days, for it is a mistake to sup-
pose that a violin can always continue to be played upon
and go on ripening for ever. And now it is suddenly
run up from ,£500 to £1,250, the price of an exceptional
Strad.! It is just as well to place these facts without
comment on record for the instruction of the public at
large, for these violins may be in the market again any
day, and the comparative merits of all the Stradivari vi-
olins still extant are perfectly well known to connois-
seurs, who laugh in their sleeves at these little sensa-
tional transactions, but can't always afford to say what
they know about them.-—Verbum Sap.—Pall Mall Ga-
zette.
S. G. CHICKERING & CO.
THEIR FINE SPRING TRADE.—INCREASE OF MANUFAC-
TURING FACILITIES.—NEW CATALOGUE.
T
HE spring trade of S. G. Chickering & Co., the
Boston (Mass.) piano-makers, has opened aus-
piciously. They have on hand, and are in con-
stant receipt of, more orders than their present facilities
enable them to fill with anything like promptitude, and
have already started to increase their manufacturing
capacity. The trade done by this house during the
past two weeks was greater than that transacted by
them during any other period of two weeks occurring
since the establishment of their business. We were
favored with a perusal of the advance sheets of the new
catalogue about to be issued by Messrs. S. G. Chicker-
ing & Co., and feel justified in asserting that the forth-
coming work will be one of the finest of its kind ever
printed. Elsewhere in our columns will be found the
reasons given by this eminent and thoroughly trust-
worthy firm why music lovers will find it advantageous
to purchase the S. G. Ghickering piano.
E. L. CATLIN, New Haven, Conn., is agent for the
sale of Behr Bros. & Co's and the A. B. Chase pianos,
and the Sterling Company's pianos and organs.
Mr. RUFUS W. BLAKE has reluctantly declined to ac-
cept the position of manager of the new Sterling Opera
House, Derby, Conn. Mr. Blake's energies are entirely
engaged by the great and increasing business of the
Sterling Co., of which he is the honored head.