Music Trade Review

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and generously acknowledged to be the su-
preme and the superior of its kind, and that
is the American piano (Loud applause). I
almost dare say that I speak with authority
on this subject, for when I was very young
—and I was born very young—I made the
mistake to be born in Russia. I only came
here when I was at age of discretion. So
I know both sides of that question. I told you
that pianists had something akin to women,
and women are never asked for their age.
Not only the rulers and the peoples of the
earth but also the artists of the civilized na-
tions have unanimously acknowledger! the
American piano to be the best in the world;
and, gentlemen, not only is the best piano in
the world made in America, but the average
piano of America is a far finer instrument
than the average piano of any other country.
(Cries of "good," and applause.)
And of all the piano manufacturers in the
world the American piano manufacturer can
say, "We are the people." But, gentlemen,
in making a better piano than any one else,
you have primarily served your own purposes.
If you had not done so we might be still im-
porting European pianos for our music
rooms, as we import French champagnes
and Spanish olives for our tables and English
youth for some of our young ladies. (Laugh-
ter.) But, gentlemen, you have done more.
The American piano manufacturer has from
the start seen to it that his fine piano is pro-
perly played. You have seen to it that your
piano should not be an instrument of
mere amusement, but of pleasure in a
higher sense. You have seen to. it that
it should become the carrier and dissem-
inator of higher music culture.
To this
end the American piano manufacturer
has from the start defended the artist; he has
assisted him in every way. He has placed
him properly before the public; he has as-
sisted him in his artistic plans; he has helped
him with his influence with—well, with his
pocket book ; and in this way the American
piano manufacturer has taken pretty directly
a hand in the very making of American music
history, and that, gentlemen, is a good deal
more than circumstances have permitted your
European confreres to do. It lies perhaps
in the character of the instrument that the pi-
anist should be the herald and pioneer among
the people for a higher type of musical
thought. You all know how extremely diffi-
cult it is for a mixed audience when listening
to a singer to distinguish clearly between the
physical beauty of his voice material and the
spiritual charm of the musical thought which
he is interpreting. The beauty of the voice
itself is very apt to deceive the auditor. In
lesser degree, far less still to some extent
that might have been said of the players of
stringed instruments. But, gentlemen, the
pianist art is the chastest, coyest art, because
the most reserved and the most select in its
utterances. The voice commands, not only
the largest, but also the finest literature of
any instrument save none, and from the
aspect of physical beauty, it is surely the
least sensual of all musical manifestations,
and therefore its influence on its audience
more directly engendered. Gentlemen, with-
out any improper pride in that branch of the
art which unfortunately to-night is repre-
sented by no other representative than myself.
I feel very much that the cause of good music
in America has been far more seriously
helped by one visit of Rubinstein than by all
the combined farewell performances of an
eminent prima donna.
Now. if this meed of praise was due to the
pianist how much more praise deserves the
piano manufacturer who brought the pianist
to America, and who brought him here be-
fore there was any demand—any public de-
mand—for the high class pianist?
He
brought him here as an educator. It was
his sense of enterprise, his far-seeing intelli-
THE MUSIC ITRADE REVIEW
season in this city. I have, since I have been
here to-night, found reason to praise the
powers that be that all the piano manufac-
turers in this country have not taken yet to
advertising their pianos by bringing over pi-
ists to play on them in our concerts. If
they had, there is not a musical critic in the
city of New York that would not jump off
the dock in the East River inside of a month.
(Laughter and applause.) 173 piano reci-
tals, 1 believe—there might have been a few-
got away—we had in the course of the past
season in Greater New York. I didn't hear
all of them. You know that, because I am
here. (Laughter and applause.) If I had
heard all of them 1 should not be in Man-
hattan; I would be over in Brooklyn in that
William J. Henderson, of the N. Y. Times, little place where the "green grass grows all
spoke upon "Music and its relation to the around." (Laughter and applause.)
But I was going to say that in listening to
piano industry."
the various pianos which we have to hear
WILLIAH J. HENDERSON'S SPEECH.
played upon by the various pianists in the
If I were to tell you that I had not prepared course ot the season, there is one thing that
carefully in advance a speech to deliver to strikes the average newspaper man very for-
you to-night you would all say in your cibly, and that is that the leaders who used
hearts that all newspaper men are liars, and to be are coming back towards the ranks.
I suppose you would come pretty near to There was a time when there were only two
telling the truth. I will confess that I did or three pianos played on the concert stage,
prepare two speeches, committed them care- and now there are a good many more than
fully to memory, and brought them with me two or three, and there are more a-coming.
with the intention of selecting one of the (Applause.) Now, this is one of the sub-
two after 1 had got here. They were both jects which is absolutely forbidden in a news-
good ones. One of them was made by the paper office, so I am glad to be able to say
first gentleman who spoke, and the second something about it here. This is not a news-
was delivered by the eloquent gentleman paper oihce, and the managing editor does
from the South. (Laughter.) Now arises
know I am here, and he won't discharge
the serious question: What am I going to not
me.
But, I suppose all your piano manu-
say? Your President has asked me to say facturers
know we never mention a piano in
something new. Well, gentlemen, is there
anything that anybody can think of that is a musical criticism. I have seen the times
new that a piano manufacturer hasn't thought when 1 would like to (laughter), and I have
of already? He has asked me to say some- seen the time when l would like to have
thing old in a new way. Well, bless my soul! emblazoned in good cold type the name of
I am in the presence of the men who com- the manufacturer that hired the pianist—but
mand all the new ways that ever were thought that does not count now; that goes without
of and lots that never have been thought of, comment.
I cannot help but go over some of the
but they are going to let them loose. What
can I do ? I have been frightened ever since ground that has been gone over already, be-
I came here. When I came up here to-night cause in my attendance upon these various
I was told that I was going to meet the Na- piano recitals and concerts there has been one
tional Piano Manufacturers Association of thing forced upon me with very great power,
America, and, like the innocent New Yorker and that is the magnificence ot the American
that 1 am, I walked around here into Forty- instrument. I have heard some of the tor-
fourth street and came into Delmonico's, tak- eign instruments and 1 have heard lots of
ing good care not to get into Canfield's by American instruments, and the status ot the
mistake (laughter), and came up here, and American instrument to-day is so high that
1 saw more piano makers than there are in when the Paris Exposition—the last one—
the whole world, and I said to myself: What was given, fifty per cent, of the American
am I going to do? What is the world going pianos represented at that exposition took
to do? Where are there going to be people the Grand Prix. There were only two pi-
enough to buy all the pianos that all these anos exhibited (Great laughter and contin-
But don't you gentlemen
men are going to make ? I tell you, gentle- ued applause.)
men, I trembled not only for myself, but for believe that it every one of you nad been
you (laughter). Well, I sat down here at there the result would have been the same
this table, and Mr. Dutton began to inject in- (more laughter). And what about the other
formation into my left ear—it is my poor ear fifty per cent. ? Well, 1 know what the other
by the way, I am glad it isn't the good one fifty per cent, of manufacturers would have
because I never could have got all that in- thought, and I know what they would have
formation into it—he began to inject infor- said when they got back here, but 1 am not
mation into my left ear, and my nervousness going to repeat it. (Laughter and applause.)
began gradually to pass away. He told me
I am employed by a newspaper whose motto
that there were seven hundred and fifty mil- is "All the news that is fit to print." (Laugh-
lions—no, seventy-five million; I am going ter.) You, gentlemen, do not want me to
to cut off a few million just to save Mr. Dut- tell you" the history of piano music. 1 am put
ton's reputation, because he is an honest man, down on your menu as a sort of salad. 1
being in the piano trade—he told me there don't know what it is, what 1 might call my-
were seventy-five millions of people in this self, but I am down there as Music and the
country, and that allowing about five for a Piano. Well, I believe there is a certain
family there were about sixteen million fami- relation between them. (Laughter). But
lies and only about half of them had got sometimes, like other relatives, they quar-
pianos. I drew a long breath of relief. I rel. But if I were going to talk to you
realized that there was something left for about the history of music to-night I would
all you gentlemen to do in this world in the rather talk to you about the history of the
way of spreading sweetness and light American piano. I am going to do nothing
through this country and a few other coun- of the kind. You do not want me to go
tries.
back and tell you about old Philadelphia
Well, in the discharge of my duties as a Hawkins, who built the first upright grand;
writer about music, it falls to my lot to hear you do not want me to tell you about old
a great many pianists in the course of every Boston Babcock, who took out the first pat-
gence that brought the pianist to America.
And now I am glad to say they are almost
all here. There are only a few left in Eu-
rope. They are almost all here; and when
those few come I believe we will all emigrate
to the wilds of New Jersey, under whose
laws it will be possible for us to form a bil-
lion dollar trust; and in order to have a trust
that is a trust, we shall have to form the
trust on trust, unless each one of us, one of
these pianists can talk to his particular manu-
facturer sweet and low.
Gentlemen, I am requested to prolong the
difficulty and to inflict upon you a few mu-
sical anecdotes and I will have to do it at the
other end of the room where my particular
piano stands.