Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
T
HE retail piano and music business of
B. Shoninger & Co., of New Haven,
Corm., which was established some thirty-
five years ago by Mr. Bernard Shoninger,
_ who afterward retired from all connection
with it, has recently been dissolved by
EDWARD L\ MAN BILL
Editor and Proprietor.
mutual consent. The partners since the
retirement of Mr. Bernard Shoninger have
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
been Mr. Simon Shoninger and Mr. M.
3 East 14th St., New York
Sonnenberg. It should be understood that
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
the
B. Shoninger Co., the piano manufac-
Canada, $3.00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
turing house, has no connection with the
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts. special dis-
count is allowed.
retail business which has been conducted
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
under the name B. Shoninger & Co.
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at th* New York Post Office as Second Cla »r Matter.
-THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
E are in receipt of a long letter from
Geo. P. Bent in connection with
the circular issued by the Everett Piano Co.,
and which appears in another part of this
paper. Mr. Bent says several inaccuracies
appear therein, and claims that as he has
appealed the recent decision to the Supreme
Court, "the injunction still holds until the
Supreme Court says that the Appellate
Court is right.'' In the meantime he guar-
antees full protection to dealers and the
public in the sale and use of the "Crown"
pianos containing the Orchestral Attach-
ment and Practice Clavier.
W
T
T is true that business so far this fall
has not come up to expectations, but
it is decided!}' better than the same period
a year ago. This everlasting grumbling
and groaning and complaining which we
notice in some of our contemporaries will
not help things along.
I
RADE in the majority of warerooms
during the past week has picked up
surprisingly well, and nowhere has it been
more apparent than at Hazelton Bros. The
magnificent display of instruments in the
warerooms is so inviting, both from an ar-
chitectural and tonal standpoint, that any
one desiring a piano could not very well
help purchasing a Hazelton. There is al-
ways something quietly inviting and con-
vincing about the Hazelton piano, and it
only requires a trial of the instrument to
discover its many points of excellence.
The good opinion held of this instrument
is unanimous wherever it is known. It is
gratifying to state that wholesale trade
with Hazelton Bros, is in every respect
satisfactory, and a decided increase of
orders is the latest news to hand.
T
HE question of tone in a piano de-
pends wholly on its construction,
and is one of vital importance in every in-
strument. But the beauties of the "thun-
dering, rich, glowing" tone, or one of
"pearly brilliancy," could not be set torth
with an action as heavy as a plow; there-
fore, the part the piano action plays in the
development of tone, and those delicate
shadings which make the piano a delight
in the hands of a sympathetic performer, is
obvious. When a good action, scientifi-
cally constructed, is used—one that reflects
the moods of the inspired composer and
accomplished virtuoso—then the piano is in-
deed "a thing of beauty and a joy forever."
The piano actions manufactured by
Strauch Bros., this city, are particularly
distinguished as being able to fill these re-
quirements so essential in a first-class
piano. In fact, the leading position which
the piano holds to-day as a musical instru-
ment is due to the unfailing devotion the
leading action makers have paid to their
avocation. Without their aid the wonder-
ful variety of tone produced by virtuosi
would not be possible.
Strauch Bros, have been persistent labor-
ers in the inventive field, and the result is
apparent in the excellence of their actions,
both grand and upright. Manufacturers
speak highly of them, and noted pianists
who have played instruments in which these
actions are used have been delighted with
their responsiveness to the power of touch.
Those subtle tonal expressions are possible
with the Strauch action which would be
utterly indistinguishable in instruments
with an inferior action mechanism. In-
deed the popularity of the Strauch action
to-day is not surprising; it is the logical
result of constant effort toward the highest
altitude of perfection.
MAY AFFECT FREIGHT ON PIANOS.
HE organization of the new Joint
Traffic Association, which was effected
last Tuesday, places the shippers of freight
at the mercy of a great gigantic monopoly
which have it in their power to levy any
tariff they may deem fit. This new organ-
ization will assume absolute control of the
freight traffic of the country on January
1st, 1896, and according to the agreement
effected will continue to dominate for five
years.
The area affected by the new association
includes probably the richest portion of the
country, taking in not only the whole of
New England, New York and the Middle
States, but all the territory lying between
the seaboard and Chicago and St. Louis,
the lower Mississippi Valley States and all
the South Atlantic nnd Gulf States. In
fact, it can lay tribute on every important
transportation route in the country.
The rates on imports and exports of
goods passing through all the great Atlan-
tic ports will be subject to the controlling
influence of the monopoly, and it will also
govern the freights on manufactured goods
from New England, New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania which are des-
tined for the great Western markets.
In other wbrds, it is the intention of the
managers of the new pool to absolutely
control both the eastbound and westbound
traffic of the country.
Whether this association will immedi-
ately inaugurate an increase in rates is prob-
lematical. The opinion is that there will
be a marked inflation the first of the year,
thereby adding somewhat to the wholesale
cost of delivery of pianos.
This Traffic Association is the most
glaring example of the evolution of the
trust system that has yet seen light in this
country.
Advantages could accrue no
doubt from railroad consolidation, but the
monopoly is not disposed to give the bene-
fits to the manufacturers and consumers
who utilize the roads. It would not sur-
prise us if some laws were passed this ses-
sion looking to Governmental regulation
or restriction. As the matter now stands
manufacturers are at the mercy of one of
the most powerful and gigantic trusts this
country has yet seen.
T