Music Trade Review

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MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
TRADE IN THE TWIN CITIES.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
NO CAUSE FOR PESSIMISM
Business Quiet Owing to Bad Weather—A Busy
Musical Week«^"Parsifal" Concerts Help Music
Dealers—Howard Farwell May Open Branch
Store in Duluth—W. J. Dyer Optimistic Over
Trade Outlook—Kimball Branches Fairly Busy
—Other Itemi of News From Here and There.
How Certain Chickering and Vose Pianos, "Almost
New," Were Sold by a Certain Philadelphia
Dealer Below Regular Prices.
Regarding the General Business Conditions of the
Country—Geo. Reichmann, of Sohmer & Co.,
Covers the Subject Tersely and Comprehen-
sively—Innumerable Local Causes During the
Winter Interfered With Trade, but Business
Has Now Taken on a New Life.
[Special to The Review.]
Minneapolis and St. Paul, March 11, 1904.
There wasn't much doing in piano trade cir-
cles last week, owing to bad weather, and the
present week has opened somewhat favorably.
The opinion generally, however, is that trade
conditions will become more normal with the
coming of fair weather, and that the political sit-
uation will not affect the trade very materially
this year.
We are having a season of good things though
in the world of music. The Henry W. Savage
English opera company has been here for two
weeks, and will remain two weeks longer. Wal-
ter Damrosch comes this week with the New
York Symphony orchestra and will give a "Par-
sifal" concert in each city. It might be men-
tioned incidentally that he is using the Everett
piano on this trip. Richard Strauss and wife
appear in a recital at Plymouth church to-night.
This is Dr. Strauss' first visit, and he will give
only one concert in the twin cities.
The Damrosch concert is looked forward to ex-
pectantly. The interest in "Parsifal" was taken
advantage of by the Metropolitan Music Co., and
a Pianola recital was given last Thursday after-
noon to an audience of over 100 people. Frank
H. Tubbs, of New York, gave a short lecture on
the opera. The Savage Opera Co. gave a "Par-
sifal" concert Sunday evening.
Of course, the sheet music business has bene-
fited, and there has been the largest demand in
years for librettos and scores of the various
operas presented. There was a good call also for
"Parsifal."
Howard, Farwell & Co. contemplate opening
a branch store at Duluth, in the near future.
This firm has established a high reputation in
this section during its fourteen years' existence,
for its conservative methods and its efforts to
keep the piano business on a high level. It has
built up a large business in the Northwest for
the Chickering, Fischer and Franklin pianos, the
leading makes handled, and bids fair to increase
it in the future.
W. J. Dyer, of St. Paul, views the trade situa-
tion quite optimistically. He believes if the crops
in the Northwest are good the year's business will
compare very favorably with previous years. He
sees no reason to fear any trade depression re-
sulting from the elections this year. He noted a
demand for high-grade instruments, and said the
prospects for the Pianola were very promising.
The two branches of the W. W. Kimball Co.
report a fair amount of business. C. A. Elmen-
dorf, the local manager, is very emphatic in his
belief that to keep the trade up to the normal
this year it will require a great deal of work.
Two sales of pipe organs were reported the past
week.
Foster & Waldo received to-day a very excel-
lent war map sent by George P. Bent, the
"Crown" manufacturer. Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Wal-
do returned last week from their winter visit
at Los Angeles.
B. A. Rose, of Rose & Saviers, accompanied
the university band, as director, on a tour of the
State last week.
The Metropolitan Music Co. reported the sale
of two Steinway grands last week.
George Grass, of George Steck & Co., was a
visitor at Foster & Waldo's to-day.
E. C. Balluff, representing Lyon & Healy; Van
R. Livingston, the A. B. Chase Co., and E. M.
Glidden, the White-Smith Publishing Co., were
callers last week.
FALKENBERG'S NEW STORE.
The Falkenberg Music House, of Salem, O., is
now located in new quarters at 32 and 34 Broad-
way. Extensive alterations are under way,
which, when completed will enable this estab-
lishment to be ranked among the most attractive
music emporiums in the State.
In the Philadelphia correspondence of the "Dry
Goods Economist," of Saturday last, the excerpt
herewith appeared, relating to piano frauds in
that city:
"It is a well-known fact that the department
store can in almost every instance sell goods of
any character at a lower price than the specialty
shop, and an instance of a specialty house under-
selling a large institution naturally attracts no
little comment. Some months ago a local piano
dealer advertised three new Vose pianos at prices
much below the figure for the same piano a t
Wanamaker's. How he could do i t was some-
what of a mystery, but an instance has just come
up that may throw some light on the subject.
"The barge on which these pianos had been
loaded had been sunk in the North river, and had
been submerged for three days. The insurance
company raised the vessel and sold the three in-
struments for $15 to a maker of cheap pianos,
who fixed them up as best he could und sent them
to Philadelphia to be sold! Later, several Chick-
ering pianos, "almost new," wert, offered at low
prices. By tracing their numbers i t was found
that one of them was shipped to Iowa thirteen
years ago, and another was sold on Long Island
eleven years before, and both were bought at auc-
tion. It is fair to presume that others of the 'sev-
eral' had a similar history."
This emphasizes afresh the deplorable methods
practiced by some of the piano dealers of the
"Quaker City." They hardly help themselves,
and certainly do not help the piano trade by in-
dulging in such questionable methods of mer-
chandising.
AFTERMATH OF CROSSIN CO. LITIGATION.
(Special to The Review.)
Toronto, Can., April 10, 1904.
The statement of claim in the famous case of
McEvoy vs. Gamey was yesterday served on the
defendant.
The action is one arising out or certain state-
ments alleged to have been made by Mr. R. R.
Gamey, M.P.P., during the by-election campaign
in Muskoka last fall. The plaintiff is Mr. J. M.
McEvoy, of London, who was junior counsel in
the Gamey investigation of a year ago. He al-
leges that from the public platform Mr. Gamey
accused him of having taken the missing pages
from the Crossin Piano Co.'s books. He seeks
$10,000 damages for slander.
He also asks that the trial take place in Lon-
don. This will be opposed by Mr. Gamey, who
will maintain that the trial should take place in
Muskoka, where the alleged offence was commit-
ted.
SIEGLING AND THE HAZELTON.
Henry Siegling, of Charleston, S. C, has repre-
sented the Hazelton in that city for fifty-eight
years. This is a wonderful record, particularly
when it is borne in mind that in all that time
he has never found fault with nor received any
complaints from purchasers regarding these in-
struments. Mr. Siegling is one of the oldest piano
dealers In the United States; in fact, if we are
not mistaken, he ranks among the second oldest.
THE VOUGH IN ROCHESTER.
The agency for the pianos made by the Vough
Piano Co., Waterloo, N. Y., have been placed with
A. L. De Roberts, of Rochester, whose warerooms
are located at 62 East avenue.
APOLLO PLAYER AGENCY IN SEATTLE.
During the recent visit to Seattle, Wash., of C
H. Wagener, vice-president of the Melville Clark
Piano Co., he placed the agency for the Apollo
piano player In that city with Reichert Bros. Co.
THE CHICKERING IN BUTTE, MONT.
Orton Bros., of Butte, Mont., have been ap-
pointed representatives of Chickering & Sons In
that territory.
"The pessimistic views of trade conditions so
prevalent just now in certain quarters," said
George Reichmann, of Sohmer & Co., during a
chat with The Review, on Tuesday, "are unjusti-
fiable and ought not to be encouraged. The rea-
soning used in arriving at such conclusions is
unsound and illogical. That there has been a
brief depression is almost entirely due to local
causes, such as storms, floods, fires and so on.
The weather conditions through the winter have
been unfavorable for the piano and every other
business, but now that there is a general clearing
up and we see around the unmistakable sign of
a pleasant spring, trade will take on new life,
and all will be well. We believe this will be a
good year for the piano business."
THE KROEGER PIANOS OF 1904.
Instruments Which Illustrate the High Standard
as Well as Position Which These Pianos Have
Won in the Musico-Industrial Field—In Tone,
in Design, in Finish, in All the Essentials That
Constitute a High-Grade Piano the Kroeger
Styles of This Year Will Withstand Criticism.
These are busy days at the factories of the
Kroeger Piano Co. Advantage has been taken of
the temporary lull recently noted in the piano-
purchasing world to supplement tne stock of
Kroeger grands and uprights. For the first time
in months, it is found possible to make a repre-
sentative exhibit of the Kroeger products on the
main floor of the Kroeger factory. It is an ex-
hibit well worthy a long journey to see. There
is the new scale Kroeger baby grand, a Kroeger
creation of which the firm may well be proud.
In tone, architectural design and finish it is cer-
tainly a model instrument—a fair example of the
Kroeger policy of progress in piano-making,
which has placed the Kroeger where it stands to-
day—among representative high-grade instru-
ments. The several current Kroeger styles in
uprights seen on exhibition also present the high-
est type of piano-making. Every style, whether
plain as the Colonial, or artistically carved, has
an individuality, a character an attractiveness
not at all usual.
Albert W. Kroeger acompanied The Review,
on Tuesday, during a visit to the Harlem Kroeger
factory, 133d street and Alexander avenue. The
many improvements made during the past two
years in the construction of the Kroeger were
pointed out. To mention them in detail is un-
necessary at this time. Suffice i t to say, that
everything in the Kroeger piano of 1904 is un-
doubtedly of the best. As President Chris. Gar-
ritson said recently: "If any man can point out a
single feature of the Kroeger of to-day that is
not as good, not as substantial, as can be found
in any high-grade piano on the market, we would
be glad to have him do so. Our factory is al-
ways open to those who are interested, and we are
always ready to stand by what we say regarding
the merits of the 1904 Kroeger."
NEW SCALE KURTZMANN PIANOS.
In the new Empire and Colonial styles which
are now being placed on the market by C. Kurtz-
mann & Co., Buffalo, N. Y., a new scale has been
embodied, which will add materially to the pres-
tige which these instruments are destined to win.
It is of unusual evenness in all registers, and
the tone quality is superb. The many musicians
who have examined these new scale Kurtzmann's
have grown very enthusiastic over their merits.
ADVOCATE A STATE ASSOCIATION.
The Hampden County piano dealers, with
headquarters at Springfield, Mass., are agitating
the formation of a State Association for Massa-
chusetts. The committee having this matter in
charge consists of E. H. Taylor, M. F. Engel and
W. C. Taylor.