Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
IN
LONDON.
f\ Supplementary Cetter.
BARNETT, SAMUELS & CO.—THE " C O T T A G E "
ORGAN—MR. W. H. LESTER—THE BRIDGE-
PORT ORGAN CO.—PATEY & WILLIS,
MUSIC PUBLISHERS—ENOCH & SONS
—MR. W. W. A. ELKIN—WYATT'S
TRUMPET—WEEKS & CO.
AND C. F. SHUMMY—
BREITKOPF & HARTEL—AUGENER & CO.
(
I|>EFORE leaving London for home I enjoyed
3 ^ an interesting interview with Mr. Max
Samuels, of Barnett, Samuels & Co., Worship
street, the British agents for the Chicago Cot-
tage Organ Co. Mr. Samuels assured the writer
that they were more than satisfied with the in-
struments of that pushing Chicago house. They
answered the demands of their trade, and gave
perfect satisfaction to dealers and purchasers.
Mr. Samuels gave some facts to show the in-
crease in the sales of '' Cottage '' organs within
the past year, and ended by reiterating a very
flattering opinion of these instruments, and of
the intelligence and reliable character of the
firm producing them. As I have remarked in
my letters from abroad, some members of the
trade on the other side assert that American
• organ imports are on the decline, and that the
popularity of the instrument is waning fast. In
fact that view is coming to be very generally
iheld. Barnett, Samuels & Co., however, like
tthe majority of those houses that represent
American organ firms, report a different condi-
tion of things as regards the " Cottage." Since
they assumed the agency a few years ago the
demand has grown steadily.
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I was rather surprised to learn that Mr. W. H.
Lester, who has charge of the London branch of
the Bridgeport Organ Co., at 240 Harrow Road,
paid New York a visit last spring. The success
of the '' Bridgeport'' in Great Britain is well
authenticated, but Mr. Lester manifests a de-
cided reluctance—yet a genial and pleasant sort
of reluctance—to talk on these matters. Though
the son of a clever London journalist, and un-
usually intelligent and genial, Mr. Lester has
evidently a rather indifferent opinion of the
meaning and the mission of the American music
trade press. He, however, has been always
frank and outspoken on these points to the
writer. I attempted on two occasions to show
him the advantages to be gained from a just
recognition of well-conducted and honorable
trade journals, and succeeded in impressing him
in many ways, but he still holds to the old and
. conservative policy of not desiring personal pub-
licity through the press for business purposes,
; and he also adheres to the belief that it is not
always wisdom to shout out one's success to the
world. Meanwhile, one cannot help respecting
'Mr. Lester's opinions, his manner and face ex-
press such perfect honesty and gentlemanly
sincerity.
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Mr. Lester's impressions of what he saW of
America were very complimentary and kindly
in tone. He and Mrs. Lester spent some time
in Bridgeport as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. J.
N. Paterson, of the Bridgeport Organ Co., and
under the guidance of the former were shown
nearly everything of interest in New York and
around. A visit to Niagara was the chief event
in the way of sight-seeing. One thing in par-
ticular struck Mr. Lester, and it was the com-
plete absence of a class of individual he expected
<
to find on this side, that individual of " the sharp
faced Yankee " description. He discovered that
in appearance, dress and manners the people in
the places visited differ little from his own peo-
ple in and around London. I confessed, too,
that the "Uncle Sam " and "Jonathan " types
were not at all typical of the residents of the
States. In fact, they are seldom seen. The
nearest approach the writer ever saw to the
familiar Jonathan type turned out on investiga-
tion to be a Galway Irishman with a thick
dialect. It is scarcely necessary to add that the
activity of the various industries, particularly
those of piano and organ manufacturing, struck
Mr. Lester very forcibly. On the whole, he de-
parted from these shores with a higher opinion
of the country, its institutions and people, and
he looks forward to another trip in the future
with pleasurable anticipations.
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Patey & Willis, music publishers of 44 Great
Marlboro street, brought out several excellent
concert ballads during August and Septem-
ber, by such composers as Tito Mattei, Michael
Watson, Blumenthal, and De Koven. "Hope
and Trust," by Blumenthal, is remarkably fine
work, in that composer's best style. Madame
Hope Glenn is singing it. It is an impressive
ballad in 12-8 time, full of strength and dignity.
De Koven's " Twilight Grey," is a rather me-
chanical and strained effusion. It is being sung,
however, thanks to the popularity of that clever
American composer, and to his name.
I also visited Enoch & Sons, whose fine estab-
lishment is not far from Patey & Willis, and
from their polite manager, Mr. W. W. A. Elkin,
ascertained that they were expecting the New
York agency, which is conducted by Mr. Max-
well in THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW building,
to turn out a profitable adjunct in the near
future. Enoch & Sons control the " Litolff"
editions in London. Their catalogues of vocal
and instrumental music contain a vast number
of works by the best composers. They published
the first "hits " of Milton Wellings, and have
always held him by special arrangement. All
his noted songs, from "Some Day" upward,
have been published by Enoch & Sons. They
also number Odoardi Barri, Frederick Cowen,
Scott Gatty, Lawrence Kellie, W. H. Hutchin-
son, W. C. Levey, Pinsuti, Madame Sainton
Dolby, Berthold Tours, J. L. Roekel, and the
name of the late Alfred Cellier on their distin-
guished list of song composers.
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Mr. W. Wyatt, a London inventor, has accom-
plished a feat which military band and orches-
tral conductors will hail with pleasure. He has
perfected the slide trumpet, and produced an in-
strument complete in compass and capable of
beautiful solo effects. The compass of the ordi-
nary trombone is attained in seven positions of
the slide, but Wyatt's trumpet combines the
chromatic scale and the compass of the instru-
ment in five positions, through an ingenious ar-
rangement of the slides. I had the pleasure of
examining Mr. Wyatt's invention while in Lon-
don, and feel certain that its appearance marks
a new era for the trumpet in orchestration and
military band instrumentation.
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Mr. Weekes, of Weekes & Co., music publishers
of 14 Hanover street, Regent street, informed me
that they made a connection with Clayton F.
Shummy, of 174-176 Wabash avenue, Chicago,
not long ago. Mr. Shummy will represent them
in the United States. The publications of
Weekes & Co. are of a general nature, includ-
ing music for choirs, singing classes, choral so-
cieties, and schools, in addition to orchestral,
vocal, and instrumental catalogues. They con-
trol an established and prosperous business. In
25l
turn they act as agents for the Shummy publi-
cations.
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Breitkopf & Hartel have an important Lon-
don branch on Great Marlborough street, No.
54, close by the establishments of Erard, Metzler
& Co. and other prominent instrument and pub-
lishing houses. I called upon their manager,
Mr. Jesing, with the compliments of THE MUSIC
TRADE REVIEW, and was shown round the
place with much politeness. Mr. Jesing thought
that the opening of the American connection in
New York was a very wise move. He said that
their business in Great Britain was growing
from year to year, among other things of a gen-
eral nature, and was, on the whole, disposed to
be very agreeable, although disturbed while at-
tending to some very pressing business matters.
They represent a German piano house, by the
way, and do quite a little in that direction.
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Augener & Co., 86 Newgate street, publishers
of the Musical Record, an established and able
monthly of educational character, are bringing
out a great many original works this season,
and are displaying much ability. They are
represented on this side by Schirmer & Co.
Their general catalogue is voluminous and
somewhat like that of Edwin Ashdown in the
quality of the contents.
DANIEL SPILLANE.
NEW YORK, October 27th.
FOSTER & Co's music store at Batavia, N. Y.,
has been closed, and the manager has returned
to Rochester, N. Y., where he will take charge
of Haines Bros, music store.
A SWEDE band has been organized at Du
Bois, Pa. The instruments have been ordered
from Kirk Bros. Mr. O. H. Brady has been en-
gaged as instructor.
THE old post-office of Waterville, Me., is to
be remodeled for a music store to be occupied by
Carlton & Dinsmore, musical dealers.
IT is said that a music factory is to be erected
at Muskegon, Mich.
FRANCIS EITELMAN, German musician, who
shot himself in Central Park, October 24th, be-
cause he was out of employment, and was de-
serted by his children, is still alive. There is
little hope entertained for his recovery.
MR. JAMES P. COOK, of the firm of Thomas
Hunt & Co., shipchandlers, Salem, Mass., who
died October 22d, was in 1851 a prominent piano
manufacturer.
HARRY COLEMAN, who purchased the inter-
est of the Missenharter band instrument factory
in this city, removed the entire plant to Philadel-
phia, Friday, October 21st. Mr. Coleman will
now manufacture the Missenharter instruments,
and the standard of excellence attained by them
will be maintained by the new manufacturer.
Music rack for musical instrument cases, No.
484,481, J. A. Weser.
Pianoforte, No. 484,403, J. W. Brackett. Pi-
ano pedal, No. 484,500, W. H. Ivers. Veneer
cutting machine, No. 484,623, E. Adler.
Banjo, No. 484,222, D. T. Moore.
Apparatus for writing music, No. 484,262, A.
Tessare.