Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
A New Husical Instrument.
THE PEDAL CLARIONET WILL BE ADDED TO
UP-TO-DATE ORCHESTRAS.
an unexpected softness and at the same
time a force unequaled by any other instru-
ment.
X Rays on the "Needham.'
W
HEN the n e x t
season of grand
opera opens, lovers of
the music of Wagner,
Beethoven a n d Mo-
zart, as rendered by
Metropolitan orches-
tras, may be surprised
at an unusual instru-
ment which will be
seen in the orchestra.
The field of music has
in the past been s o
thoroughly gone over
by the old masters
that about the only
hope for the modern
musician who wishes
to avoid the charge of
plagiarism is in the
devising of some new
instrument for use in
orchestras which shall
add a new sonorous-
ness to music already
familiar to the audi-
ence.
Almost all combina-
tions have been tried
again in the effort to find something new
in the way of melody, and since the time of
Palestrina the study of inharmonious and
discordant combinations have been studied
with as great a zest as ever was harmony.
It is with this knowledge of the effects of
discord after intervals of harmony that a
number of new and decidedly unique in-
struments for orchestral purposes have been
devised.
First and foremost among these instru-
ment creations is a pedal clarionet, which
has this advantage over the ordinary clario-
net, that it has a much lower and conse-
quently heavier reach, being heavy in tone
and adding materially to the power of the
orchestra. It is a combination of the
clarionet and the Saxophone. It bears the
same relation to other clarionets that the
string bass does to the 'cello, viola and
violin, and is the instrument long needed to
complete the single reed family. To give
some idea of the tonal depth of this instru-
ment to the general reader, it is necessary
to state its compass extends from A A, on
third ledger line below in bass clef, through
three octaves and a sixth upwards. But
this compass is only nominal, and the
sounds actually produced are an octave
lower than those indicated by the music,
thus the lowest sound of the pedal clarionet
is actually A A A, and, as before remarked,
in the thirty-two foot tone octave.
The fingering is the same as in the
thirteen-keyed clarionet. Small metal
plates instead of the customary rings are
used, however, thus securing a more per-
fect and complete system of stops than in
the ordinary clarionet. While in tone the
pedal clarionet is mellow and full, there is
AN EFFECTIVE CIRCULAR.
T
HE Needham Piano & Organ Co. have
issued a cleverly written and neatly
designed four-page circular which will cer-
tainly be read more than once. It is postal
card size, the front containing as a border
an electric battery, and the backpage an il-
lustration of the cathode rays, while the
reading matter inside is as follows:
By means of the cathode rays, we are en-
abled to examine the wonderful organism
of the human system, but we are not en-
abled to discover the vital force which sup-
plies it with its motive power. Could the
cathode rays be applied to the Needham
pianos and organs, we would be enabled to
discover the most wonderful organism, and
be surprised at its simplicity, but would
still be unable to discover the vital force
which gives to the music its more than life-
like sweetness.
We could ascertain its mechanism but
could not understand the genius which
makes the Needham instruments excel all
others in tone and action.
Then without the use of cathode rays but
by the application of the naked eye alone
to the price list, the reason is at once made
plain why the Needham instruments are
always in demand, and why the Needham
agents are always prosperous.
For further cathode rays on this subject,
address
THE NEEDHAM PIANO & ORGAN CO.,
New York City.
36 East Fourteenth street.
"Charlie" Parsons isentitled to congratu-
lations for this cleverly conceived piece of
advertising. On the whole, we do not
think much of circular work, because the
majority of it finds its way to the waste
basket, but the foregoing is an exception.
The Mehlin Consolidation.
N important deal was consummated
last week by Paul G. Mehlin & Sons,
of this city, whereby they purchased the
manufacturing and selling rights of the
Mehlin Piano Co., Minneapolis, Minn.
This move was not unexpected, and will
tend materially to the development and
prosperity of the local firm. By this ar-
rangement Paul G. Mehlin, an inventor
of note and a clever piano maker, as well
as his son Chas. H. Mehlin, will be con-
nected with the manufacturing departments
of the business here, while H. Paul Mehlin
will give more attention than before to the
wholesale business of the house.
This consolidation—concentration would
be the better word—will be of decided
benefit to the Mehlin piano and will help
to place it where it should be, in the front
rank. It is, indeed, a pleasure to have
such an expert piano man as Paul G. Mehlin
again among us.
A
Kimball Pipe Organs.
IN GREAT DEMAND IN ALL SECTIONS OF THE
COUNTRY
INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE RE-
MARKABLE FOR CORRECT VOICING AS WELL
AS BREADTH AND S0LIDI1Y OF TONE.
T
HE W. W. Kimball Co., of Chicago, are
building up a magnificent pipe organ
business. During the past few months
they have erected a large number of organs
in different parts of the country, and the
tendency is all the time toward larger and
larger contracts. The Kimball organs are
noted for their correct voicing as well as
the breadth and solidity of their tone. Re-
garding the voicing especially, we quote
the following from an article in Music.
The writer says: Great pains are now being
taken with the voicing of the Kimball or-
gans, as the constantly increasing scale of
artistic demand brings them into compari-
son with the most advanced examples of
the organ building art.
In this respect the Kimball Co. are es-
tablishing their pipe organs in the same
line of pre-eminence in which they have
already placed their pianos, which, as our
advertising pages show, have received a
more brilliant series of letters of approval
from the most celebrated artists than any
piano has received during the past twenty-
five years.
The motto of the Kimball Co. is "There
is always room at the top," and they intend
to employ their unexampled facilities for
system and economy to produce organs of
the very highest and most modern style at
the lowest price compatible with their
standard of workmanship and artistic
quality. In short, every organ put out by
this company bears the challenge, "As
good as the Best." This is the light in
which they desire their work to be ex-
amined. And this is the kind of examina-
tion which is bringing them even in these
times a succession of new and important
contracts.
Bicycles and Pianos.
REEBORN G. SMITH is devoting
part of his establishment at 1215-19
Fulton street, Brooklyn, to bicycles. He
is right up to the times, and proposes
to get a small share of the vast fortune
which we are told bicycle dealers are
now making. Again, it will bring the
Bradbury piano to the notice of bicycle
purchasers, and when they get weary of
exercising their pedal extremities and make
a change to the digital they will know exact-
ly where to go to get a good instrument.
F
Receivers' Report.
Jl PPRAISERS James M. Faris and J.
f \
B. Morgan, who were appointed to
place a value on the propert)^ of C. J.
Cobleigh, piano case manufacturer, Terre
Haute, Ind., who recently made an assign-
ment, have made their report. They find
that the chattels and real estate of the
assignor aggregate $52,323.71, which, if
converted into cash, would meet the liabili-
ties.