Music Trade Review
Issue: 1907 Vol. 45 N. 11 - Page 9
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
LABOR AND THE ORIGIN OF MUSIC.
Dr. Bucher Writes Most Interestingly on This
Subject in His Recent Volume Entitled "Ar-
beit Und Rythmus."
To explain the rhythmic nature of certain
kinds of labor and to connect it with the origins
of music is the task attempted by a recent Ger-
man writer, Dr. Karl Bucher, professor of politi-
cal economy in Leipsic University, in a work
entitled "Arbeit und Rythmus." From a review
contributed to the Paris Temps by Mr. Jules Com-
barien The Literary Digest translates the fol-
lowing:
"All work consists of two elements: one is
psychic—the conception of the object to be
reached, and the choice of means; the other,
physiologic—the appropriation of the muscles to
certain movements. Of these two elements, it is
the first, that is, the mental attention, that en-
genders fatigue. It is a fact of current observa-
tion that work becomes easier when it is freed
from intelligent action and becomes a series of
mechanical acts. This happens when the ex-
penditure of force is so regulated that the be-
ginning and end of a movement take place within
the limits of the same portion of time. This is
understood perfectly by the blacksmith, the car-
penter, or the boiler-maker. . . . In all these
kinds of work we find, first, a movement, divided
into two parts, one strong, the other feeble, a
rise and a fall, a stroke and a recoil, an effort
and a release; secondly, a sound, inherent in the
labor itself, which recurs at fixed intervals and
serves not only to mark the periodicity of the
motions, ITut also to incite the laborer, and doubt-
less to lessen his fatigue.
"These two observations lead us to the thresh-
old of music; we must approach nearer still if
we are to consider labor in its relation to society.
"The regularization of movements becomes an
absolute necessity when several workers are so
associated that their efforts are mutually depen-
dent. The blacksmith who is driving a nail into
a mass of red-hot iron may ply his hammer irreg-
ularly, but if a companion is striking with him
he is obliged to make equal movements in equal
times. The same is true when two woodcutters
are felling the same tree. . . . This socializa-
tion of effort makes work at once easier and
more effective; easier because the moments of
intensity and depression succeed each other even-
ly for each person, and more effective because
there is emulation. . . .
"Work that has for its primary object the per 1 -
cussion of metal or wood, itself produces a sig-
nificant s"ound at equal intervals. In other
cases an accessory instrument is often employed.
The Malays row to the sound of the tam-tam; in
the Soudan and China the cervee is accomplished
to the noise of the drum; the ancient Greeks
worked to the music of the flute. . . .
"Finally, in default of these primitive means,
an artificial rhythm is created with the aid of
the human voice. . . . We know that work-
men moving a great mass make odd and monot-
onous noises which impose the necessary dis-
cipline on the common effort. Little by little,
between these sounds, which grow into refrains,
the more skilful imaginations intercalate short
episodic lines, and we have a song of labor. The
most important thing is that the rhythm of these-
songs arises neither from their words nor from
their music, nor from the esthetic sense; it has
an origin beyond music; it is suggested by bodily
movement executed by the worker, and would
not have existed otherwise. This is proved by
the fact that every kind of labor, every play,
every dance, has its peculiar song, used exclusive-
ly in certain circumstances. . . . And such
is the initial material whence, later, the profres-
sional poets and musicians derived their more
finished works."
In his comments on Dr. Biicher's theory, Mr.
Combarien suggests that it is somewhat "dry."
Must we account for music by saying that i t
arises solely from the abolition of sentiment?
Does Biicher's theory correspond exactly to the
psychology of labor? The critic notes that Del-
briick, of Strasburg, has already brought forward
9
an objection, which the theory does not now ap-
pear able to answer. Can it be proved, says this
writer, that all songs belonging to the same kind
of work are identical in measure and rhythm?
Until this has been done, the theory can hardly
be called self-sustaining, but it is surely a most
interesting addition to the literature of the sub-
ject.
TRADE NOTESJFROM DETROIT.
J. Henry Ling's Original Advertising—Touches
Sore Spots of Other Dealers—State Fair
Proves
Advantageous
from
Advertising
Viewpoint—Many Sales Made—Mrs. A. H.
Lane
Wins Kimball Piano in Guessing
Contest—Other Items of Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, Mich., Sept. 9, 1907.
J. Henry Ling, president of the" local dealers'
association, believes in being original in his ad-
vertising, as in business methods. For a long
time Mr. Ling has made it one of the features of
his business to employ no agents and sell at "one
price." His plan of doing business does not,
however, appeal to some of his fellow members.
For instance, last week he advertised in a man-
rer and in language which has resulted in some
little soreness on the part of other dealers.
He starts off in his advertisement by the an-
nouncement of the number of sales made in
various years of his business and draws the
naLural conclusion that his methods meet with
general favor. He says that in 1886 he sold 36
pianos, in 1896, 125; 1906, 325, and 1907, 400, as
an estimate. Then he goes on in terse sentences
to state that he has "no agents, no house-to-house
canvassers, no heavy rents and expenses, no an-
noying solicitation, no fancy prices, no misrepre-
sentation of values, no special sales (sells) of
new pianos, no pretended discounts, 'no presents'
of 'lessons,' 'checks,' cabinets, etc."
Mr. Ling discusses his methods very freely
and has no qualms about saying that he thinks
solicitors are an abomination and that laws
ought to be passed, if constitutional, making their
work impossible.
Mr. Ling is a prominent member of the Young
Men's Christian Association, very active in asso-
ciation affairs, and a church member of equal
activity. In spite of all this his abhorrence of
solicitors generally is so great that he places
the taboo upon church solicitors, selling books,
etc., of a religious nature, who start out on their
rounds backed up by a written recommendation
of "the pastor."
The Michigan State Fair, which ended Friday,
proved an advertising advantage to the Detroit
piano dealers who made exhibits there.
H. H. Zickel, assistant manager for the Cable
Company, says that not only did his company get
a great deal of valuable advertising but it sold
out the exhibit more than twice over.
The d o u g h & Warren Co. report similar suc-
cess, although there was little expectation on the
part of the company, as well as most of the other
piano exhibitors, to make any actual sales on
the grounds. The benefit was believed to be
merely in the advertising.
Milton A. Van Wagoner, proprietor of the De-
troit Music Co., and S. B. Smith, of the S. B.
Smith Piano Co., both say that they interested
a large number of people, thereby adding a great
many valuable prospects, which when followed up
are expected to yield sales.
Mrs. A. H. Lane, of 23 Bedford street, De-
troit, was awarded the first prize in the Kimball
Co. guessing contest, conducted at the Fair, and
received a standard grade upright Kimball piano.
The contest was on the number of windows in
the factory of the Kimball Co., in Chicago. She
guessed the exact number, 3,115, and several
others came close to the mark. Manager G. N.
Hadley says about 30,000 persons entered the
contest. Ninety-two others besides Mrs. Lane,
receive $50 certificates, good on the purchase of a
piano or player, for having come close to the
number of windows.
C. E. Wilson is the proprietor of a new music
store in Warsaw, 111.
Keg. U. S. Pat. Off.
Prestige and Profit
Mr. PIANO DEALER:—Do
you imagine that selling the
Victor is out of line with
your business, or will injure
the tone of your establish-
ment ?
Just the contrary is the
fact. M u s i cal authorities,
teachers, artists and critics
the world over recognize the
Victor as *a. true musical in-
strument. The greatest sing-
ers and instrumentalists sing
and play for Victor records.
The Victor has a respected
p l a c e in conservatories of
music, colleges and univer-
sities.
Such great artists as Mel-
ba, Caruso, Eames, Sem-
brich and Scotti singing on
Victor records appeal to the
best class of people and make
the Victor a refined attrac-
tion in any salesroom.
Victor sales are easy. The
profits are large. The steady
aftersale of records quickly
builds up a big, substantial,
permanent trade.
Conservative piano deal-
ers everywhere are waking
up to the situation and mak-
ing the Victor a prominent
feature of their business.
Why allow yourself to be
hampered by a mistaken idea
which hinders progress, and
prevents your getting the
profits that belong to you?
Other piano dealers in-
crease their prestige and at
the same time make money
from Victor goods. Why
not you ?
Write us to-day
Victor Talking Machine
Company,
Camden, N. J.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
LABOR AND THE ORIGIN OF MUSIC.
Dr. Bucher Writes Most Interestingly on This
Subject in His Recent Volume Entitled "Ar-
beit Und Rythmus."
To explain the rhythmic nature of certain
kinds of labor and to connect it with the origins
of music is the task attempted by a recent Ger-
man writer, Dr. Karl Bucher, professor of politi-
cal economy in Leipsic University, in a work
entitled "Arbeit und Rythmus." From a review
contributed to the Paris Temps by Mr. Jules Com-
barien The Literary Digest translates the fol-
lowing:
"All work consists of two elements: one is
psychic—the conception of the object to be
reached, and the choice of means; the other,
physiologic—the appropriation of the muscles to
certain movements. Of these two elements, it is
the first, that is, the mental attention, that en-
genders fatigue. It is a fact of current observa-
tion that work becomes easier when it is freed
from intelligent action and becomes a series of
mechanical acts. This happens when the ex-
penditure of force is so regulated that the be-
ginning and end of a movement take place within
the limits of the same portion of time. This is
understood perfectly by the blacksmith, the car-
penter, or the boiler-maker. . . . In all these
kinds of work we find, first, a movement, divided
into two parts, one strong, the other feeble, a
rise and a fall, a stroke and a recoil, an effort
and a release; secondly, a sound, inherent in the
labor itself, which recurs at fixed intervals and
serves not only to mark the periodicity of the
motions, ITut also to incite the laborer, and doubt-
less to lessen his fatigue.
"These two observations lead us to the thresh-
old of music; we must approach nearer still if
we are to consider labor in its relation to society.
"The regularization of movements becomes an
absolute necessity when several workers are so
associated that their efforts are mutually depen-
dent. The blacksmith who is driving a nail into
a mass of red-hot iron may ply his hammer irreg-
ularly, but if a companion is striking with him
he is obliged to make equal movements in equal
times. The same is true when two woodcutters
are felling the same tree. . . . This socializa-
tion of effort makes work at once easier and
more effective; easier because the moments of
intensity and depression succeed each other even-
ly for each person, and more effective because
there is emulation. . . .
"Work that has for its primary object the per 1 -
cussion of metal or wood, itself produces a sig-
nificant s"ound at equal intervals. In other
cases an accessory instrument is often employed.
The Malays row to the sound of the tam-tam; in
the Soudan and China the cervee is accomplished
to the noise of the drum; the ancient Greeks
worked to the music of the flute. . . .
"Finally, in default of these primitive means,
an artificial rhythm is created with the aid of
the human voice. . . . We know that work-
men moving a great mass make odd and monot-
onous noises which impose the necessary dis-
cipline on the common effort. Little by little,
between these sounds, which grow into refrains,
the more skilful imaginations intercalate short
episodic lines, and we have a song of labor. The
most important thing is that the rhythm of these-
songs arises neither from their words nor from
their music, nor from the esthetic sense; it has
an origin beyond music; it is suggested by bodily
movement executed by the worker, and would
not have existed otherwise. This is proved by
the fact that every kind of labor, every play,
every dance, has its peculiar song, used exclusive-
ly in certain circumstances. . . . And such
is the initial material whence, later, the profres-
sional poets and musicians derived their more
finished works."
In his comments on Dr. Biicher's theory, Mr.
Combarien suggests that it is somewhat "dry."
Must we account for music by saying that i t
arises solely from the abolition of sentiment?
Does Biicher's theory correspond exactly to the
psychology of labor? The critic notes that Del-
briick, of Strasburg, has already brought forward
9
an objection, which the theory does not now ap-
pear able to answer. Can it be proved, says this
writer, that all songs belonging to the same kind
of work are identical in measure and rhythm?
Until this has been done, the theory can hardly
be called self-sustaining, but it is surely a most
interesting addition to the literature of the sub-
ject.
TRADE NOTESJFROM DETROIT.
J. Henry Ling's Original Advertising—Touches
Sore Spots of Other Dealers—State Fair
Proves
Advantageous
from
Advertising
Viewpoint—Many Sales Made—Mrs. A. H.
Lane
Wins Kimball Piano in Guessing
Contest—Other Items of Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, Mich., Sept. 9, 1907.
J. Henry Ling, president of the" local dealers'
association, believes in being original in his ad-
vertising, as in business methods. For a long
time Mr. Ling has made it one of the features of
his business to employ no agents and sell at "one
price." His plan of doing business does not,
however, appeal to some of his fellow members.
For instance, last week he advertised in a man-
rer and in language which has resulted in some
little soreness on the part of other dealers.
He starts off in his advertisement by the an-
nouncement of the number of sales made in
various years of his business and draws the
naLural conclusion that his methods meet with
general favor. He says that in 1886 he sold 36
pianos, in 1896, 125; 1906, 325, and 1907, 400, as
an estimate. Then he goes on in terse sentences
to state that he has "no agents, no house-to-house
canvassers, no heavy rents and expenses, no an-
noying solicitation, no fancy prices, no misrepre-
sentation of values, no special sales (sells) of
new pianos, no pretended discounts, 'no presents'
of 'lessons,' 'checks,' cabinets, etc."
Mr. Ling discusses his methods very freely
and has no qualms about saying that he thinks
solicitors are an abomination and that laws
ought to be passed, if constitutional, making their
work impossible.
Mr. Ling is a prominent member of the Young
Men's Christian Association, very active in asso-
ciation affairs, and a church member of equal
activity. In spite of all this his abhorrence of
solicitors generally is so great that he places
the taboo upon church solicitors, selling books,
etc., of a religious nature, who start out on their
rounds backed up by a written recommendation
of "the pastor."
The Michigan State Fair, which ended Friday,
proved an advertising advantage to the Detroit
piano dealers who made exhibits there.
H. H. Zickel, assistant manager for the Cable
Company, says that not only did his company get
a great deal of valuable advertising but it sold
out the exhibit more than twice over.
The d o u g h & Warren Co. report similar suc-
cess, although there was little expectation on the
part of the company, as well as most of the other
piano exhibitors, to make any actual sales on
the grounds. The benefit was believed to be
merely in the advertising.
Milton A. Van Wagoner, proprietor of the De-
troit Music Co., and S. B. Smith, of the S. B.
Smith Piano Co., both say that they interested
a large number of people, thereby adding a great
many valuable prospects, which when followed up
are expected to yield sales.
Mrs. A. H. Lane, of 23 Bedford street, De-
troit, was awarded the first prize in the Kimball
Co. guessing contest, conducted at the Fair, and
received a standard grade upright Kimball piano.
The contest was on the number of windows in
the factory of the Kimball Co., in Chicago. She
guessed the exact number, 3,115, and several
others came close to the mark. Manager G. N.
Hadley says about 30,000 persons entered the
contest. Ninety-two others besides Mrs. Lane,
receive $50 certificates, good on the purchase of a
piano or player, for having come close to the
number of windows.
C. E. Wilson is the proprietor of a new music
store in Warsaw, 111.
Keg. U. S. Pat. Off.
Prestige and Profit
Mr. PIANO DEALER:—Do
you imagine that selling the
Victor is out of line with
your business, or will injure
the tone of your establish-
ment ?
Just the contrary is the
fact. M u s i cal authorities,
teachers, artists and critics
the world over recognize the
Victor as *a. true musical in-
strument. The greatest sing-
ers and instrumentalists sing
and play for Victor records.
The Victor has a respected
p l a c e in conservatories of
music, colleges and univer-
sities.
Such great artists as Mel-
ba, Caruso, Eames, Sem-
brich and Scotti singing on
Victor records appeal to the
best class of people and make
the Victor a refined attrac-
tion in any salesroom.
Victor sales are easy. The
profits are large. The steady
aftersale of records quickly
builds up a big, substantial,
permanent trade.
Conservative piano deal-
ers everywhere are waking
up to the situation and mak-
ing the Victor a prominent
feature of their business.
Why allow yourself to be
hampered by a mistaken idea
which hinders progress, and
prevents your getting the
profits that belong to you?
Other piano dealers in-
crease their prestige and at
the same time make money
from Victor goods. Why
not you ?
Write us to-day
Victor Talking Machine
Company,
Camden, N. J.
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