Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
anthem for the silverites. In the meantime,
the purveyors of that which is humorous
find ample scope for their muse in the hir-
sute adornment of the Western advocates
of the 16 to 1 craze. With four candidates
in the field the sheet music counters cannot
fail to look picturesque at all events—ad-
mitting that the verse and music will not
stand criticism.
Brown as a berry, and looking the very
picture of health, P. J. Healy called in to
see me when last in town. While talk-
ing over the political situation I remarked
to Mr. Healy that, according to some of
the papers, this fall would be the first time
that he had ever voted the Republican
ticket. He replied: "That is an error.
In the early sixties I voted the Republican
ticket."
Mr. Healy is one of those ;broadminded
men who is not so much infatuated with
the mere name of a political organization
that he will follow a lot of cranks and rev-
olutionists who have stolen the title and
assets of a party. No one can overlook the
fact that it was under the Democratic party
that we acquired the Louisiana territory.
Florida also came into the Union under
Democratic administration, and also the
tremendous area of land with all its val-
uable accessories including the Pacific
Coast States, New Mexico, Colorado and
Texas, also became a part of the Union
under Democratic rule.
However, no matter how grand and
worthy a party may have been in the past,
when its principles are subverted and it:;
aims become anarchistic, broadminded men
like Mr. Healy do not 1 ropose to affiliate
with it. While in conversation with Mr.
Healy I gained the fact that he does not
take an optimistic view of the political sit-
ua ion. He with thousands of other far
sighted business men fully realize the effect
that the politico-financial agitation will have
upon business until after the election is
over.
Mr. Healy had many kindly words to say
regarding the late Isaac N. Camp.
DISCUSSION has arisen in the Eng-
lish newspapers as to the earliest
use of a conducting stick by the leader of
the orchestra. It grew out of a statement
in Dr. Murray's English Dictionary that
the year 1867 is the earliest dated reference
to the use of the word baton as an equiva-
lent for the conducting stick in English lit-
erature. This statement is hotly disputed
to no particular end. It depends largely
upon the exact meaning of the words
"English literature." It is likely that
newspaper writers on musical subjects used
the easy phrase "under the baton of" long
before 1867. But there is no reason why
the conductor's stick should be called a ba-
ton rather than a scipio or a virgaor a plain
stick. The custom did not begin in
France. Within comparatively recent
years the tempi were denoted for the other
players by the leader of the first violins,
who is still called the concertmaster. In
those times the conductor sat at a piano.
But the use of a conducting stick dates far
back of the history of the modern orches-
tra, nevertheless. The ever delightful
Pepys heard a band play, in 1661, at Green-
wich and "saw the simple motion that is
there of a woman with a rod in her hand
keeping time with the musique as it plays."
Heinrich Albrecht used the conductor's
stick in Germany in the first half of the
seventeenth century. But Grove's Diction-
ay of Music insists that "the first baton
employed in England was probably the
'Takirsbatchen,' used by Spohr at the
Philharmonic in 1820." The custom was
firmly estab ished in England by Sir Mi-
chael Costa in the thirties, and by Mendels-
* *
sohn at the Gewandhaus concerts in Leipsic
*
It will be interesting
to manufacturers
in 1835. As to the leadership of the first
doing business in Ohio to learn that the law
violin, Berlioz declares that it began with
in that State relating to negotiable bonds,
the deafness of Beethoven, when "the
notes,
bills and checks payable at a certain
musicians, in order that ihey might keep
date
has
been amended so that they shall
together, eventually agreed to follow the
be
considered
due and payable on the dates
slight indications of time which the concert-
mentioned
tvitlwut
days of grace being al-
meister gave them, and not to attend to
lozved
thereon,
excepting
that such date fall
Beethoven's conducting stick."
on the first day of the week or a legal holi-
* *
day, then the day of payment shall be the
*
next succeeding business day.
The hot wave of politics is surging into
*
the music trade, and publishers are being
"I am that dangerous man whom you
inundated with campaign music. Some of
it is exceedingly heroic, particularly that music trade men have been 'roasting' for
dedicated to the modern prototype of Na- an indefinite period," said C. C. Taylor,
poleon—McKinley, the standard bearer of who styles himself "factory expert tuner,
sound money; while the admirers of the action and tone regulator," as he entered
silver knight are equally enthusiastic in a the sanctum of THE REVIEW late last week.
musical way, and '' the cross of gold,'' etc. —•
"Just reached the city after an absence
Mr. Bryan's pet phrase—is certain to be set of six years, and thought I would let you
to music and it may become a sort of national know that I am not as bad as I am painted.
A
As you can see from my catalogue and
letters, I have worked for no small number
of responsible people during my journey-
ings, and if I were the 'fake tuner' and
'scoundrel' whom some dealers and others
have termed me, they would not be in my
possession. It is true, I have had some
trouble with dealers, and even manufac-
turers, who do not agree with my plan of
operations, but this is a free country, and
there should be room for all; don't you
think so? It is not true that I have as-
sumed to represent manufacturers, but I
have claimed that I was a 'factory expert,'
having mastered every detail of the busi-
ness in this city."
Mr. Taylor is a plausible talker, a pretty
bright fellow all round, and he makes a
good case in his own behalf; but in the
meantime there are a number of dealers
and manufacturers who are to be heard
from in this connection. If he is in the
right he is certainly taking the correct
course by visiting the papers and demon-
strating that his purposes are honest and
legitimate.
No trade-paper bulldozing.
No advertising payments In advance.
No monetary loans to support newspaper
mendicancy.
It is unusual nowadays to meet a music
trade man fairly satisfied with the condition
of business. I came across the rara avis on
Wednesday last in this office, in the per-
son of Col. F. B. T. Hollenberg, of the
Hollenberg Music Co., Little Rock, Ark.
Col. Hollenberg said that business for the
last few months had exceeded his expecta-
tions. ''Could do more, no doubt," said
Col. Hollenberg, "but the record for the
different months is far in advance of other
years."
Col. Hollenberg, like many other life
long Democrats, is disgusted with the atti-
tude of his party on the financial question,
and he says he will cast his vote next No-
vember for William McKinley and sound
money.
»
* *
*
The esteemed "Indicator" says: "An-
other good Democrat has jumped the traces.
This time it is the well-known Madison,
Wis., music trade dealer, W. W. Warner."
Why talk about "another?" Is there a
Democrat in the music trade who did not
jump the traces the moment free silver
was declared at Chicago. 1 ' We do not know
of one.
ALFRED MEINBERG, of Knabe & Sons'
New York house, left to-day for a three
weeks' vacation at Lake Minnetonka.
FELIX KRAEMER, road representative for
Kranich & Bach, is spending a merited va-
cation at the Thousand Islands.
ED. L. JACOBY, of Bellville, 111., has re-
moved his music store from East Main
street to South High, between Main and
First streets,