Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
ing his end during his London visit. He
was very ill here, and life became a burden
to him. He had to be carried upstairs at
Broadwood's, being too feeble to ascend
without help. He played at a Polish ball
given at the Guildhall, in a concert between
the dances, but the dancing seems to have
attracted more attention than Chopin's
playing.
"To-day I am lying almost the whole
day," he wrote, "but on Thursday I shall
leave this unbearable London
a day longer here and I shall go mad or
die.'' In less than a year, on October 17th,
1849, and at the age of 40, Chopin died in
Paris and was buried at Pere-la-Chaise,
near the graves of Bellini and Cherubini.
* * *
The portrait supplement of Alfred Dolge,
which appeared in the New York Number
of the Music Trade Review, has been so
highly praised by members of the trade that
it is a decided compliment to this office, and
to the distinguished artist, Victorian Gribaye-
doff. Anyone acquainted with the standing
of this noted artist could only expect that
his work would be of the finest. Mr. Grib-
ayedoff has been justly termed " the father
of illustrated journalism," and his work, in
many instances hurriedly done, has been
praised and admired. As can easily be seen,
his portrait of Mr. Dolge shows that finish
and "life" which reveals the artist and
makes it so superior to the average work
turned out by magazines. Mr. Gribayedoff
is a Russian, as his name would imply, but
he has been in New York since childhood,
and is a thorough American. He speaks
and writes half a dozen languages, and is
not alone a draughtsman, for he is the
author of many interesting articles and
several valuable books.
* * *
The growing frequency of rapid railroad
journeys as instanced in the speed of more
than sixty-four miles an hour, which was
maintained in a recent run from Chicago to
Buffalo, leads to the expectation that a busy
Chicagoan—Geo. P. Bent for instance—will
be able some day to take an early breakfast
in the Western metropolis, make some sales
in New York, take in the theatre and a
good supper perhaps the same day, and
return in time to have breakfast next
morning in the bosom of his family.
Paderewski's Opinion of the
Steinway Piano.
N next Monday evening the great
Paderewski will renew his acquaint-
ance with the New York public, when he
will play his Polish Fantasia for the first
time in this country, assisted by the Dam-
rosch Orchestra. There are few musicians
better able to display the magnificent tone
qualities of the Steinway grand than Pader-
ewski, and the following letter which he
sent Messrs. Steinway & Sons after his last
tour of this country, is of moment at the
present time, and cannot fail to be read
with interest:
O
DEAR MR. STEINWAY:—According to my
avowed intention, T meant to express to
you my opinion of your pianos at the close
of my tournee. Yet when I left New York
in great haste, I entirely forgot that pleas-
ant duty and none of the members of your
house—although I met almost all of them—
reminded me of the same. A significant
sign! One can easily comprehend that the
house of Steinway & Sons would lay no
stress upon "an expression of thanks " or a
"testimonial," but that I should desire to
fulfill my duty toward you, who have shown
me so much kindness, you can well under-
stand.
Scarcely landed on these shores, permit
me to address to you a few words of hearty
gratitude for all those acts by which you
made my long and arduous tournee so
agreeable to me, but above all for the glori-
ous and wonderful instruments that were
placed at my disposal. Nothing new can
be said of the Steinway pianos, it is true,
for they have been justly praised by all
modern masters, and I thoroughly concur
in every word that has already been said.
But I must tell you that, although I was
delighted and inspired with your pianos at
my first concert, my enthusiasm and inspir-
ation increased at my second concert, and
became still greater at the third, and thus
it went on crescendo unto my final appear-
ance, at which my joy in the grandeur, the
power and the ideal beauty of the tone, and
the perfection of • touch and mechanism,
was unbounded.
All who play your pianos can but thank
you. I also do so, and at the same time
congratulate you most heartily.
Your very devoted
I. J. PADEREWSKI.
W. F. Conkling.
London, April 7th, 1892.
F. CONKLING, the well-known deal- O. A. Field will Locate in St.
er in musical instruments, New-
Louis.
burgh, N. Y., is now a veteran in the trade,
having spent seventeen years in the music
A. Field, late secretary of the Jesse
business, commencing as salesman with F.
• French Piano Co., has purchased
A. North at Philadelphia, later with j . H.
Hickok, of Poughkeepsie, and later on for the piano business of Edward Nennstiel of
himself. Mr. Conkling has been quite suc- St. Louis, and will immediately open a large
cessful in business, and has a good line establishment on Olive street, near Tenth,
of instruments. His pianos include the that city. This disposes of the many rumors
Shoninger, Lindeman, Ludwig and Jacob concerning Mr. Field's future which have
Bros.; the Miller and Chicago Cottage been going the rounds since his retirement
from the Jesse French Piano Co.
organs.
W
O
n
The Effects of Early and Late
Political Conventions
Upon Business.
T H E R E has been considerable talk in
Y commercial circles about the advis-
ability of having a late convention and a
short campaign next year. The majority
of business men in and outside of the music
trade are strongly in favor of this course,
claiming that a protracted agitation of
party questions will interfere with all
branches of business. This matter was
discussed in a lengthy editorial recently in
the Sun, and we quote the following ex-
cerpts therefrom, which, although logical
enough, are not supported by precedents.
Long campaigns of talk have invariably
resulted in business uncertainty. It can-
not be different this year. But here is
what the Sun says:
What interests the plain people of the
country-—those whose activities make it
what it is—is the question whether an
early or a late national convention inter-
feres the less with their business. This
ought not, in general, to be a difficult
question to decide. There are only two
party issues that naturally have much to do
with business; these are issues of currency
and of tariff. Now, at what seasons of the
year are contracts for the future delivery of
goods entered into? For fall trade they
are mostly entered into during spring, and
are fairly closed before the earliest date at
which any convention can meet. For
spring trade they are not entered into till
fall, after the date when the latest possible
convention must have concluded its work.
From this it appears to follow that
whether the period of mere talk be longer
or shorter, it can have but the minimum of
influence in affecting any actual transac-
tions. However the outcome of an election
may ultimately affect the interests of per-
sons who do the country's work, as well as
the personal fortunes of candidates, the
steps preparatory to the election are taken
so long in advance of its outcome in deeds
that the work itself is scarcely, if at all,
affected by those preliminaries. It hap-
pens that this kind of unimportance at-
taches with unusual force at the present
time.
In short, the country is in first-rate posi-
tion for going right along with its recon-
structive processes, and the persons who
are engaged in that work are quite aware of
the conditions surrounding them, and with
reference to which they have to shape their
actions. From all this it follows that the
worthy gentlemen who have in their hands
the shaping of party destinies can feel at
liberty to take their measures with exclu-
sive reference to party exigencies. Whether
they open their show in May or in August
to the solid interests of the country does
not amount to one hill of beans.
Director-General Collier, of the Atlanta
Exposition, who was going to do wonderful
things with the pianos of non-exhibitors at
the Exposition, is in town.