Music Trade Review
Issue: 1901 Vol. 32 N. 14 - Page 45
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47
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
A^^WV^^
>AA**W*^
The Small Goods Cradc
The Popular Music Makers.
The State of Trade in Small Harps, Ilouth
Organs, Jewsharps, " Bones" and Accord-
ions.
The old boy who always thinks of things
that used to happen when he was young and
never happen now was in the mood for fault
finding. He had been heard on the degen-
eration of the mince pie and the old games.
The playing of a hand organ turned his
thoughts in the direction of music. "What
has become of the accordions, concertinas,
harmonicas, jewsharps and bones? Once
upon a time these were among the prized
possessions of a boy, and there were few
boys who did not carry a mouth organ or a
jewsharp or Jboth in the same pocket with
marbles, jackknife, pieces of string and other
things that only boys know how to appre-
ciate. The comb with a piece of paper over
the flat surface was also a favorite musical
instrument in those days, but the boy of the
present time knows no more about it than
he does of the mouth organ, bones or con-
certina."
"Where you were raised, in the country,
up neiir Sprakers," said one of the party, "the
musical instruments which you think have
gone out of existence are still as popular as
they were in the days when you looked upon
a canal-boat as the greatest vessel afloat.
Boys still twang the jewsharp up there, and,
while the canal boats stop at the store to load
up, the crew may possibly hear the local
band practising a funeral march in antici-
pation of the passing away of the man who
has been 'given up by five doctors,' but they
will certainly hear some one about the land-
ing playing 'Home, Sweet Home' on a mouth
organ. The city boys may not be customers
for the old style toy musical instruments,
but those who will be city boys in a few years
still buy them, and have as much fun with
them as you had in the good times of long
ago."
But the purchasers of the old-fashioned
instruments are not all in the country, ac-
cording to the testimony of a prominent
dealer in musical instruments. Great quan-
tities are sold in New York, and the compe-
tition in that line is sharp.
"The phonograph, Regent zither, auto-
harp, Apollo harp, and a number of other
similar instruments which may be played
by people who have no knowledge of music,"
said Carl Fischer, "have displaced the ac-
cordion to a certain extent, but that instru-
BAY STATE
TRADE
BOEHH SYSTEM
MARK
BOSTON
FLUTES and
PICCOLOS
USED BY THE GREATEST ARTISTS
' Send for Descriptive Booklet
EVERY INSTRUMENT THAT'S MUSICAL
JOHN C. HAYNES & CO
ment is still sold extensively among the for-
eign population."
A strange thing ab.out the accordion is
that it has found its way into pawnshops
to such an extent that people who wish to
buy one go to the pawnshops first. The
pawnbrokers have become good customers
for all grades and styles of accordions and
concertinas. The "bones" on w T hich the old
boy played when he was at school were the
real article. But the "bones" of to-day are
bone in name only, being made of ebony,
rosewood, mahogany and other woods. They
sell at various prices, from 10 cents to 50
cents a set—four pieces—to boys who aspire
to honors on the amateur minstrel stage.
"The tambourine and bones," said Mr.
Fischer, "were conspicuous features in the
old-fashioned minstrel shows, and when the
burnt cork troupes traveled about the coun-
try they created a demand for these instru-
ments. But the minstrel shows are not what
they were, bones are back numbers and boys
who go to the performances which have
taken the place of the minstrel show prefer
to try other 'acts' introduced by the vaude-
ville people to spending their time with old-
fashioned bones. But still, bones are sold
and tambourines are not dead stock."
The zobo, which is made in many styles
and shapes, has taken the place of the comb
as a musical instrument, and children make
just as much noise and as good music on
this little instrument as their fathers did on
the comb, says the Tribune. There may be a
falling off in the sale of jewsharps in New
York, but they are still carried in stock by
nearly every notion establishment, and in the
little stores in the residence districts, where
school children are the largest customers, the
jewsharp is considered a staple article. Jews-
harps cost the retailer from 20 cents to $3.50
a dozen, the high-grade article being known
as "Irish jewsharps." The little stores where
children buy are good places to visit if one
wishes to be assured that the harmonica or
mouth organ, is still a popular article of
trade. In these little places the low-grade
article is kept for sale. But in the depart-
ment stores and musical instrument estab-
lishments harmonicas with various attach-
ments and of peculiar make are for sale at
prices as high as $2 each. Great quantities
of these instruments are sent to the distant
parts of the country, and, where larger mu-
sical instruments are scarce, the music pro-
duced by mouth organs, accordions and con-
certinas may be heard as frequently now as it
was heard in the old boy's home forty years
ago.
The "Howard" Instruments.
Unqualified commendation comes from
many sources concerning the Howard mando-
lins and guitars. They are made on scien-
tific principles by the Rudolph Wurlitzer
Co., Cincinnati, and have won much strong
testimony appreciative of volunqe, purity and
sweetness of tone.
Regina Quarters in St. Louis.
The Regina Music Box Co. have opened
elegantly equipped and finely stocked ware-
rooms at 20 Market St., St. Louis, Mo.
Joseph Blumberg, until recently at Regina
headquarters in this city, has charge of the
St. Louis branch, and will attend to the south-
ern and western trade from that point. Mr.
Blumberg is fully competent in every par-
ticular to carry on his new duties.
The present season has been a record-
breaker for the Regina products. The Re-
gina Corona and all of the smaller styles leave
nothing to be desired in tone, construction
and artistic appearance.
Entertained at Dinner.
Frank Dorian, formerly of Washington,
and now the European manager of the Co-
lumbia Phonograph Co., with headquarters
in London, who arrived in New York on
Tuesday on his annual visit to America, was
entertained at dinner at the Waldorf Astoria,
New York, Wednesday evening. E. D. Eas-
ton, President of the Columbia Phonograph
Co., presided in his usual charming manner
and the occasion was one long to be remem-
bered. Among those who assembled to do
Mr. Dorian honor were Andrew Devine,
R. F. Cromelin, H. A. Budlong, M. E. Lyle,
Philip Mauro and P. V. De Graw.
Commercial Travellers.
Pledge T h m - h e t< Work for the Successor
the Pan-American Exposition.
The Commercial Travelers of the United
States have been aiding materially in adver-
tising the Pan-American Exposition which
will be held in Buffalo next summer, and
they propose to keep it up. There will be
a Commercial Travelers' Week at the Expo-
sition.
The Commercial Travelers' Mutual Acci-
dent Association of America, at its last an-
nual session, adopted resolutions as follows:
'"'Resolved, That all members of this As-
sociation endeavor to attend the fair during
the week commencing July 8th, to be known
as Commercial Travelers' Week.
"Resolved, That the thanks of this Asso-
ciation be tendered the management of the
r
*7 V
HOWARD
•5V\R-I mandolins and Guitars excel
: "y
an others
T h e y are made on scientific r*in-
dples, and fof volume, purity and
sweetness of tone, have never been
equaled. Write for catalogue and
prices.
Cbe Rudolph Wuriitzer Co.
manufacturers
t 2 l E . 4 t h S t n ©A
Cincinnati
47
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
A^^WV^^
>AA**W*^
The Small Goods Cradc
The Popular Music Makers.
The State of Trade in Small Harps, Ilouth
Organs, Jewsharps, " Bones" and Accord-
ions.
The old boy who always thinks of things
that used to happen when he was young and
never happen now was in the mood for fault
finding. He had been heard on the degen-
eration of the mince pie and the old games.
The playing of a hand organ turned his
thoughts in the direction of music. "What
has become of the accordions, concertinas,
harmonicas, jewsharps and bones? Once
upon a time these were among the prized
possessions of a boy, and there were few
boys who did not carry a mouth organ or a
jewsharp or Jboth in the same pocket with
marbles, jackknife, pieces of string and other
things that only boys know how to appre-
ciate. The comb with a piece of paper over
the flat surface was also a favorite musical
instrument in those days, but the boy of the
present time knows no more about it than
he does of the mouth organ, bones or con-
certina."
"Where you were raised, in the country,
up neiir Sprakers," said one of the party, "the
musical instruments which you think have
gone out of existence are still as popular as
they were in the days when you looked upon
a canal-boat as the greatest vessel afloat.
Boys still twang the jewsharp up there, and,
while the canal boats stop at the store to load
up, the crew may possibly hear the local
band practising a funeral march in antici-
pation of the passing away of the man who
has been 'given up by five doctors,' but they
will certainly hear some one about the land-
ing playing 'Home, Sweet Home' on a mouth
organ. The city boys may not be customers
for the old style toy musical instruments,
but those who will be city boys in a few years
still buy them, and have as much fun with
them as you had in the good times of long
ago."
But the purchasers of the old-fashioned
instruments are not all in the country, ac-
cording to the testimony of a prominent
dealer in musical instruments. Great quan-
tities are sold in New York, and the compe-
tition in that line is sharp.
"The phonograph, Regent zither, auto-
harp, Apollo harp, and a number of other
similar instruments which may be played
by people who have no knowledge of music,"
said Carl Fischer, "have displaced the ac-
cordion to a certain extent, but that instru-
BAY STATE
TRADE
BOEHH SYSTEM
MARK
BOSTON
FLUTES and
PICCOLOS
USED BY THE GREATEST ARTISTS
' Send for Descriptive Booklet
EVERY INSTRUMENT THAT'S MUSICAL
JOHN C. HAYNES & CO
ment is still sold extensively among the for-
eign population."
A strange thing ab.out the accordion is
that it has found its way into pawnshops
to such an extent that people who wish to
buy one go to the pawnshops first. The
pawnbrokers have become good customers
for all grades and styles of accordions and
concertinas. The "bones" on w T hich the old
boy played when he was at school were the
real article. But the "bones" of to-day are
bone in name only, being made of ebony,
rosewood, mahogany and other woods. They
sell at various prices, from 10 cents to 50
cents a set—four pieces—to boys who aspire
to honors on the amateur minstrel stage.
"The tambourine and bones," said Mr.
Fischer, "were conspicuous features in the
old-fashioned minstrel shows, and when the
burnt cork troupes traveled about the coun-
try they created a demand for these instru-
ments. But the minstrel shows are not what
they were, bones are back numbers and boys
who go to the performances which have
taken the place of the minstrel show prefer
to try other 'acts' introduced by the vaude-
ville people to spending their time with old-
fashioned bones. But still, bones are sold
and tambourines are not dead stock."
The zobo, which is made in many styles
and shapes, has taken the place of the comb
as a musical instrument, and children make
just as much noise and as good music on
this little instrument as their fathers did on
the comb, says the Tribune. There may be a
falling off in the sale of jewsharps in New
York, but they are still carried in stock by
nearly every notion establishment, and in the
little stores in the residence districts, where
school children are the largest customers, the
jewsharp is considered a staple article. Jews-
harps cost the retailer from 20 cents to $3.50
a dozen, the high-grade article being known
as "Irish jewsharps." The little stores where
children buy are good places to visit if one
wishes to be assured that the harmonica or
mouth organ, is still a popular article of
trade. In these little places the low-grade
article is kept for sale. But in the depart-
ment stores and musical instrument estab-
lishments harmonicas with various attach-
ments and of peculiar make are for sale at
prices as high as $2 each. Great quantities
of these instruments are sent to the distant
parts of the country, and, where larger mu-
sical instruments are scarce, the music pro-
duced by mouth organs, accordions and con-
certinas may be heard as frequently now as it
was heard in the old boy's home forty years
ago.
The "Howard" Instruments.
Unqualified commendation comes from
many sources concerning the Howard mando-
lins and guitars. They are made on scien-
tific principles by the Rudolph Wurlitzer
Co., Cincinnati, and have won much strong
testimony appreciative of volunqe, purity and
sweetness of tone.
Regina Quarters in St. Louis.
The Regina Music Box Co. have opened
elegantly equipped and finely stocked ware-
rooms at 20 Market St., St. Louis, Mo.
Joseph Blumberg, until recently at Regina
headquarters in this city, has charge of the
St. Louis branch, and will attend to the south-
ern and western trade from that point. Mr.
Blumberg is fully competent in every par-
ticular to carry on his new duties.
The present season has been a record-
breaker for the Regina products. The Re-
gina Corona and all of the smaller styles leave
nothing to be desired in tone, construction
and artistic appearance.
Entertained at Dinner.
Frank Dorian, formerly of Washington,
and now the European manager of the Co-
lumbia Phonograph Co., with headquarters
in London, who arrived in New York on
Tuesday on his annual visit to America, was
entertained at dinner at the Waldorf Astoria,
New York, Wednesday evening. E. D. Eas-
ton, President of the Columbia Phonograph
Co., presided in his usual charming manner
and the occasion was one long to be remem-
bered. Among those who assembled to do
Mr. Dorian honor were Andrew Devine,
R. F. Cromelin, H. A. Budlong, M. E. Lyle,
Philip Mauro and P. V. De Graw.
Commercial Travellers.
Pledge T h m - h e t< Work for the Successor
the Pan-American Exposition.
The Commercial Travelers of the United
States have been aiding materially in adver-
tising the Pan-American Exposition which
will be held in Buffalo next summer, and
they propose to keep it up. There will be
a Commercial Travelers' Week at the Expo-
sition.
The Commercial Travelers' Mutual Acci-
dent Association of America, at its last an-
nual session, adopted resolutions as follows:
'"'Resolved, That all members of this As-
sociation endeavor to attend the fair during
the week commencing July 8th, to be known
as Commercial Travelers' Week.
"Resolved, That the thanks of this Asso-
ciation be tendered the management of the
r
*7 V
HOWARD
•5V\R-I mandolins and Guitars excel
: "y
an others
T h e y are made on scientific r*in-
dples, and fof volume, purity and
sweetness of tone, have never been
equaled. Write for catalogue and
prices.
Cbe Rudolph Wuriitzer Co.
manufacturers
t 2 l E . 4 t h S t n ©A
Cincinnati
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