Music Trade Review

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HE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
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inders. Hundreds of people have attempted
to break in on his profitable monopoly, but
the results of their efforts put an effectual
stop to their attempts. And so Mr. Leach-
man goes on enjoying the monopoly and
A MAN WHO HAS A MONOPOLY REAPS BIO
reaping the profits thereof.
PROFITS THEREOF
HOW HIS
"There are four other men in the East
WORK IS DONE.
that also do work for the phonograph, but
while they have to have a man to play the
T ) E R H A P S very few of the patrons who piano while they sing, another to make the
£
drop a nickel in* the slot and then wait announcement, another to change the cyl-
to hear the voice of the phonograph, ever inders, and a fourth to keep the machines in
think of the process by which the notes that order, Mr. Leachman is the entire show in
they hear are deposited in the little cabinet himself. Furthermore, he can give an un-
for reproduction at any time. It appears limited number of impersonations, while
that there is one singer who excels all others the other four men are limited to a few
in impressing perfect tones on the wax specialties each. Mr. Leachman is a nat-
cylinders. His name is Silas Leachman, ural mimic, and therein lies the secret of
and he lives at a lonely spot in the extreme his success. He sings ballads, negro melo-
northwestern part of Chicago, where he can dies, and Irish, Chinese and Dutch dialect
yell as much and as loud as he pleases, with- songs. He plays his own accompaniment
out disturbing any one and without being on the piano and takes care of the machines.
disturbed.
When he gets tired of singing, He prepares three 'records,' as the wax cyl-
which is usually at the end of about four inders are called, at one time. To do this
hours, he varies the proceedings by preach- three phonographs are placed near the piano
ing a negro sermon or by giving an imita- with the horns at one side pointing away
tion of an Irish wake, etc. He earns over from the keyboard at an angle of 45 de-
fifty dollars a day, without ever seeing one grees. The horns have to be placed very
of his auditors. These facts concerning carefully, for a fifth of an inch makes a
him we gather from The Daily Tribune, great difference in the tone the cylinders
Chicago, which tells us further as follows: will reproduce.
"Mr. Leachman sings for phonographs,
"When the horn? have been adjusted ex-
and, as he has a monopoly of the business
actly right Mr. Leachman seats himself at
in the West, he contrives to keep busy. He
the piano, and, turning his head away over
has better protection in his monopoly than
his right shoulder, begins to sing as loud
a copyright or an injunction or unlimited
as he can, and that is pretty loud, for he is
legal talent could afford. Nature gave him
a man of powerful physique, and has been
the peculiar qualities that enable him to re-
practising loud singing for four years. He
produce his voice perfectly on the wax cyl-
has been doing this work until his thro«t
How Phonographic
flusic is Made.
has become calloused so that he no longer
becomes exhausted after singing a short
time. As soon as he has finished one song;
he slips off the wax cylinders, puts on three
fresh ones without leaving his seat, and
goes right on singing until a passing train
compels him to stop for a short time. In
the four years he has been in the business
he has made nearly 250,000 records. So
great is the demand for them that he can-
not fill his orders.
It is such exceedingly
hard work that he cannot sing more than
four hours a day He gets 35 cents for
every cylinder he prepares. He has a rep-
ertoire of 420 pieces, and his work is put on
the market under a score of names. He has
a remarkable memory, and after once hear-
ing a song can not only repeat the words
and music correctly, but he can imitate
excellently the voice and expression of the
singer."
SOUTHERN NUMBER of THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW is a pretty, large 4to publication of
seventy-two pages.
It has a good deal
about the music trade in the different
Southern States, and a lot of pictures of
prominent dealers in various places. There
is a handsome large picture of Louis G'rnne-
wald, published as a supplement, and
smaller pictures of his sons.— N110 Or/cans
Picayune.
THE contest for the Christman upright
piano at the Odd Fellows' Home Fair, which
we referred to in these columns recently,
was decided in favor of Miss V. G. Dickin-
son, of 238 East One Hundred and Twenty-
sixth street, this city, at the Lenox Ly-
ceum April 29th.
Gain Knowledge
Of the u innards " of a piano by a little reading. You may have
been a dealer for many years, you may have been a tuner for a
like period, you may have played a little—maybe more; but is
it not well to get a little more practical knowledge?
Some-
thing; to bank on—an authority on all matters relating; to tun-
ing;, repairing;, toning; and regulating, scientific instructions—
everything;? Written by that eminent authority, Daniel Spillane.
The cost is only a trifle—a dollar.
The book is illustrated,
cloth bound, over a hundred pages. It is called "The Piano."
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
'••.!•••./':
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PUBLISHER,
3 Hast 14th Street; New York,