Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
you will rind that Mr. Pease will exhibit a
degree of earnestness and intelligence and
breadth of mind which shows that he has
rilled in all of his spare time in the accu
mulation of knowledge upon all matters
which pertain to our advanced state of
civilization.
* *
T
HAT the Rev. Dr. Parkhurst is a re-
former is known to all, but that he is
also a performer, musically speaking, is
known to few. Yet such is the fact. Long
years ago the Doctor was a pianist of no
mean repute. Indeed, his ability was such
that he gained for himself money, as well
as fame, by the exercise of his talents in
that direction.
The Doctor's father was a musician, and
the son showed fondness for music at an
early age. The talent was carefully devel-
oped and cultivated, the beginning being
made when he was only six years old. The
Doctor told me that when he was a lad it
was sometimes necessary for him to walk
twelve miles in order to take a lesson, but
he did not shirk the hardship. As a result
of so much interest and assiduity the
Doctor acquired more than ordinary skill,
so that his services were often in request,
and he was given honorariums for his har-
monious efforts.
Those who frequent the evening meet-
ings of the Madison Square Presbyterian
Church have at times the satisfaction of
beholding the energetic divine presiding at
the organ, and on such occasions an especial
earnestness seems to show in his manipula-
tion of the keys. The family talent for
music is instanced by the fact that the
brother of Dr. Parkhurst is the organist of
the Madison Square Church.
There are any number of other clergymen
in the city who are given to musical prac-
tices. One of the more conspicuous is Dr.
Hastings, the president of the Union The-
ological Seminary. He, like Dr. Parkhurst,
comes of a musical stock. His father was
celebrated in his day for his playing of the
piano and for his singing. Especial care
was given by his parents to Dr. Hastings'
early training, he told me, and his aptitude
was such that he made particularly rapid
progress in the art. He gave the greater
part of his attention to the cultivation of a
voice naturally of remarkable compass and
sweetness, and his worth was recognized,
so that he was the leader of his parish choir,
while yet hardly more than a boy. While
in college he maintained an active interest
in all things musical, and was the leader of
the glee club.
* *
*
John D. Pease is a most entertaining
talker upon matters pertaining to the piano
trade. But Mr. Pease's knowledge is not
strictly confined to the lines of trade. Con-
verse with him upon other topics, and if
the conversation takes a philosophical turn
Last week, under the guidance of Thos.
Floyd-Jones, I had the pleasure of inspect-
ing some of the latest productions of the
Haines Bros, factory. To say that I was
surprised at what I saw there would be to
use a mild term.
The latest styles of Haines Bros, pianos
are marvels of architectural skill. In the
designment and construction of these in-
struments Wm. P. Haines, who is the real
author of them, has shown that he possesses
originality in an eminent degree, which,
combined with a thorough mechanical and
architectural knowledge, has enabled him
to place before the trade some of the hand-
somest and yet the most chaste designs of
cases that I have ever seen. There is dis-
played throughout a charming grace in
every detail, and a conformity and har-
mony of lines which is pleasing.
I say this in all sincerity, because the
pianos deserve praise.
* *
*
Max Grippach, an Ohio musician, is
author of the theory that fully forty per
cent, of the professional performers on the
oboe lose their reason. Grippach claims to
have been a victim, and has just emerged
from confinement in the Ohio Penitentiary,
where he has been instructing the convicts
in music for the past twelve months. He
says that the oboe exerted such an influence
on his mind that he became insane and
committed robbery. Grippach is a first-
class musician, and possesses a knowledge
of every instrument in the orchestra of
which he was made conductor.
He
eschewed the oboe, however, and under no
circumstances would he play it. He failed
to give any explanation why playing the
oboe should wreck a man's reason, and not
the piano or the violin, but only said that
it was true, and that he could give a long
list of oboe players who had gone crazy.
He said he supposed that the peculiar tone
of the instrument had something to do with
it—the wild, plaintive, melancholy,wailing
notes which are its chief characteristics.
Grippach's theory opens up a new defense
for musically inclined prisoners. It is
rather better than the hypnotic "lay." All
the prisoners of the future will have to do
is to claim that their crimes were due to a
weakening of the intellect incident to prac-
tising on the oboe, instead of blaming
hypnotism.
Grippach also claims that there is more
insanity among musicians, as a rule, than
among any other class, and says that differ-
ent instruments, as a rule, produce different
effects on the character of the performers.
Violinists are, he says, generally nervous
and fidgety, double bass players are bold
and dictatorial, trombone players have
nerves like steel and splendid health, cornet
players are self-reliant and aggressive, and
French horn players mild and placid.
* *
The theory is not at all far fetched that
the oboe's weird tone may induce a peculiar
state on the player. Its tone is of a wild,
nasal character which might, especially if
the instrument were in the hands of a skill-
ful performer, be easily mistaken for the
whine of a maniac.
Mr. Grippach has no^ 1 gone to Atlanta,
where he has secured a position in an or-
chestra at the Exposition. It is needless
to state that it is the violin, and not the
oboe, which he is playing,
* *
The continued indisposition of Honor-
able Levi K. Fuller is causing much
concern among his friends in the trade—and
they are many; for few men have won such
a high place in the esteem of all for ability
as a speaker, broadmindedness and mental
grasp of all public questions, skill as an
inventor and acoustician, and a general
knowledge of music trade affairs. I sin-
cerely hope that Mr. Fuller will ere long
regain a full measure of good health.
Mr. William Steinway is the possessor of
one of the most valued and interesting por-
traits of the great Beethoven now in exist-
ence. It was painted from life in 1820, by
Josey Karl Stieler, the celebrated German
portraitist, whose brush fixed on canvas the
features of Goethe, Tieck, Humboldt and
many other luminaries of German art, liter-
ature and science.
* *
The encroachments being made by news-
papers in the business of music publishing
seems to me a fit subject for notice by the
Music Publishers' Association of this
country. The New York World inaugu-
rated a scheme a short time ago whereby
they purchased a trashy song by a mediocre
writer, and so persistently boomed it that
it was forced into popularity. They have
now made arrangements with a number of
writers for a series of ten songs to appear
on consecutive Sundays, and the readers
are to decide which song is the best. Upon
their decision a gold medal will be awarded
the winner,who will be entitled "the cham-
pion song writer of the world"! It seems
to me that the managers of the World
should mind their own business and leave
the publication of songs to music publish-
ers. Instead of elevating the musical taste
of the masses, it cannot help being vitiated
by songs like "The Band Played On."
The legitimate and worthy writers of good
songs have no possible chance of attaining
recognition as long as such methods prevail.
* *
The advertising of new pianos at ab-
surdly low figures, which is now so notice-
able in papers in this as well as Western
cities, is something that should be heartily
discountenanced. It works an injury to