Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
SUPERB ERARD ANTIQUES.
CABLE COMPANY IN BIRMINGHAM.
NEW RETAIL HOUSE IN BOSTON.
Eight Famous Instruments Which Have Been
Associated With Musicians and Heads of
States Just Received from Parts by the Siegel-
Cooper Co.—Of Rare Interest to the Manu-
facturer and Mechanic—One of the Finest
Collections Ever Seen in America.
Their New Store Nearing Completion—Will
be a Magnificent Home For the Products of
This House Which Are So Famous.
J. B. Cook Piano Co. Organizes With Capital of
$25,000—Will Represent the Pianos of the
Foster-Armstrong Co., of Rochester, and
Bourne Co.—Quarters Leased at 172 Tremont
Street—Changes in Champlin Staff.
(Special to The Review.)
Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 12, 1904.
The Cable Piano Company's new salesrooms, at
For some time past the enterprising firm of 1816 Second avenue, now nearing completion,
Siegel-Cooper have been planning a surprise in will be among the handsomest in the city, and
the way of showing the public some Erard his- probably in the South. The display room on the
tory by means of such object-lessons as are only ground floor will have an elaborate steel ceiling,
possible to a very few of the world's greatest and the walls will be treated with an attractive
piano makers. They have imported for the pur- scheme of decoration. The second floor is large-
pose of exhibition in their piano store eight ly given over to a spacious hall, which is
Erard antiques that for beauty of workmanship equipped with stage, dressing rooms, etc. The
and inherent interest cannot possibly be sur- third floor is divided into seven parlors, each
room highly decorated with frescoed walls and
passed.
There are four instruments built in the form ceilings ornamented in elaborate relief. All are in
of the spinet, or early piano, with the earliest different color schemes and brilliantly lighted
style of actions instead of the quill used in the with electricity. These parlors will be used for
precursors of the piano. It is unnecessary to the display of individual pianos. Two large
repeat that the Erards were the first among the studios are on the fourth floor, which also in-
names that have come down to the present day cludes stock and tuning rooms. All the floors
and the workmanship of these tiny pianos (pos- are easily reached by a large passenger elevator.
sibly pianettes might be a more correct apella- Manager Shelby has certainly accomplished a
tion), is sufficient to prove even at the present wonderful work in the planning and executing
time that the utmost care and elegance of design the changes wrought and deserves the heartiest
has ever been not only the aim but the achieve- congratulations.
ment of this noted old house.
One of these pianettes bears the date of 1788,
BONDHOLDERS LOSE.
which is eight years after the establishment of
the Paris house and four years before the open- Justice Dunwell's Decision in the Waterloo
Organ Co.'s Case.
ing of the London establishment.
Of surpassing interest and elegance are two
(Special to The Review.)
pianos which were made for and possessed by
Waterloo, N. Y., Dec. 12, 1904.
the Napoleon I. family. The one is in upright
A decision has just been handed down by Su-
form and the workmanship is all that can be con-
ceived. It is rimmed with open-work brass preme Court Justice James W. Dunwell, of Lyons,
borders and the crest of the Emperor is in relief in a case that has been in the courts for some
time past and is of much interest here. The ac-
in the center of the instrument.
The grand bearing the date of 1801 is without tion is entitled, George E. Zartman, as trustee in
question the richest antique that has ever been bankruptcy of the Waterloo Organ Co., vs. the
shown in this country, the white keys being First National Bank of Waterlo/), as trustee for
mother-of-pearl and the black ones real tortoise- the bondholders of the Waterloo Organ Co.
The action was to determine what disposition
shell. The fall-board is in itself a work of the
should
be made of the funds arising from the sale
rarest art in enamel and inlaid gold, and there
are numerous pedals with which other effects of the personal property of the bankrupt company
and his decision is that this property was not
may be brought into play.
There is also the piano upon which Rubinstein subject to the lien of the trust mortgages as
played when he made his debut in 1857, with the against the trustee in bankruptcy; that the
London Philharmonic, and it is a significant fact money belongs to the general estate in bank-
that in each of these instruments the tone even ruptcy, and is not to be used for the payment of
yet is of exquisite beauty, the effect of which the first mortgage bonds, and he directs that a
makes you involuntarily remember rare old judgment be issued in favor of Mr. Zartman, as
wines and such days as Watteau has painted for trustee in bankruptcy of the Waterloo Organ Co.,
and against the First National Bank of Waterloo,
us.
N. Y., as the trustee for the bondholders of the
These pianos should be of utmost interest not bankrupt company. The amount involved is fixed
only to the art and antique lover, but there are at about $15,700.
valuable lessons to be learned by the mechanic
and the student of piano building, Erards hav-
THE ANGELTJS PIANO PLAYER.
ing set the pace for over 125 years in Europe
and through their influence in the world. The
The Wilcox & White Co., Meriden, Conn., are
Erard piano is making its way in America, where
the task is not an easy one. But it is needless constantly making improvements in their in-
to say that refinement and elegance will always struments and this is markedly evident in their
latest styles of Angelus piano players, which a
find response in America.
couple of years ago were deemed wonderful, yet
to-day one must use superlatives when speaking
KOHLER & CAMPBELL'S HANDSOME GIFT of their marvelous possibilities in connection
with piano playing. Through their phrasing
Kohler & Campbell, the progressive manufac- lever the player's personality can be emphasized
turers of pianos, auto-pianos and Pianista in an almost humanlike way, while the mechan-
piano players, Eleventh avenue and 50th street, ism, as a whole, is so perfect and so responsive
have just issued a most convenient souvenir in that it is almost libelous to apply the word
the form of a desk edition of Webster's Diction- mechanical to this instrument, so artistic and de-
ary, bound in leather, which is a valuable gift lightful is it.
that will be highly appreciated by the piano
dealer or editor fortunate enough to receive it. BREWER-PRYOR CO. INSTALLING MA-
It cannot fail to prove a permanent reminder of
CHINERY.
the donors.
The Brewer-Pryor Piano Co., who have just lo-
cated in Binghamton, N. Y., are busily engaged
BRAUMTJLLER PIANO CO. INCORPORATED. in installing machinery in their factory on South
street. C. W. Pryor and F. W. Farwell are giv-
The Braumuller Piano Co., of New York City, ing this matter their personal supervision.
was incorporated with the Secretary of the State
at Albany this week with a capital stock of $15,-
G. D. Plancon, formerly a salesman in the
000. Directors: H. O. Braumuller, O. L. Brau- Danbury store of the M. Steinert & Sons Piano
muller, of New York, and Wra. Necker, of Wee- Co., has succeeded R. W. Burritt as manager of
hawken, N. J,
the Stamford (Conn.) store,
(Special to The Review.)
Boston, Mass., Dec. 16, 1904.
Boston has a new retail piano firm and is soon
to have a new wareroom in which will be dis-
played a number of lines. The new firm is the
J. B. Cook Piano Co., which was organized this
week, with a capital of $25,000, to act as the Bos-
ton agents of the Foster-Armstrong Co., Roch-
ester, N. Y. It is composed of J. B. Cook, at pres-
ent manager of the Boylston street .store of
George H. Champlin & Co., as president, and
Charles l^. Bourne, of the Bourne Piano Co., as
secretary and treasurer. Messrs. Foster and
Armstrong are among the directors. The new
company, which is incorporated under the laws
of Massachusetts, has leased the street floor and
basement at 172 Tremont street, just on the
northerly edge of Piano Row, and will take pos-
session January 15. The Bourne piano will be
carried as the leader, and the full Foster-Arm-
strong line—the Foster, Haines Bros., Armstrong,
Marshall & Wendell and Brewster.
The office of the Bourne Piano Co. will be re-
moved to the new warerooms, and a number of
other changes are made necessary. Mr. Cook has
resigned from the management of the Champlin's
Boylston street store, to take effect January 1,
and this establishment has been placed in charge
of Archie J. Jackson, for the past twelve years
the bookkeeper at the main store of George H.
Champlin & Co. H. W. Noble, the cashier and
bookkeeper, who has been with Mr. Cook for
many years, has taken Mr. Jackson's position at
the Tremont street store.
Mr. Cook, or "J. B.," as he is popularly called,
has so many friends among the trade that he has
been kept busy acknowledging congratulations.
He has been in the piano business for twenty
years, starting in the Hallet & Davis factory as
a polisher and tuner in 1884, eventually he was
transferred to the Hallet & Davis warerooms
and before long was given charge of the sales
department. At that time his father, George Cook,
was president of the company. Five years ago
he became associated with Mr. Champlin, and
has made a great success of the Boylston street
store.
Archie J. Jackson, who succeeds Mr. Cook, is
a prominent musician and singer, a member of
the famous Cecilia Society and, for the past
seven years, the baritone soloist of the quartette
in the Winthrop Street Methodist Church, Rox-
bury.
FOSTER-ARMSTRONG
EMPLOYES DANCE.
The second annual reception and ball of the
Foster-Armstrong Co. Mutual Benefit Association
was held in Colonial Hall, Rochester, N. Y., last
Saturday night. There was a large attendance
and nothing was left undone to make the gather-
ing one of rare enjoyment and pleasure. On the
dance programme there was a picture of the new
plant—the company's building at Despatch.
OPEN IN JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
The Ludden & Bates Piano Co. have arranged
to open a branch house in Jacksonville for the
first time since the fire of 1901. They will locate
on Julia street, opposite the Aragon Hotel. The
establishment will be in charge of W. P. Ennis.
The F. G. Smith Piano Co., and Percy S. Foster,
of Sanders & Stayman, Washington, D. C, have
each contributed $100 to the fund which is being
gotten up in Washington, D. C, in connection
with the inauguration of the President.
J. W. Chamberlain, of Geneva, N. Y., has sold
his stock of musical instruments, sheet music,
store furnishings, etc., to J. W. Martin & Co., of
Rochester. Mr. Chamberlain will remain as local
manager for the new firm.