Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Steady Improvement in Trade—Leading Houses Look for Satisfactory Holiday Trade—Vigorous
Baldwin Campaign to be Inaugurated—Baldwin Grand for Henry Gordon Thunder—Estey
Exhibition Much Admired—Stetson & Co. Persistent Advertisers—Compliments for Ludwig
Player Piano^Why Some Western Salesmen Don't Succeed in Philadelphia—Estey News.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 29, 1907.
The piano business has improved right along
through the month, and now at its close the
dealers are well satisfied that it has come up to
their expectations, and expect that it will show a
still further increase right along during the re-
mainder of the fall and early winter season.
This activity has been noticeable in various ways.
It has not been alone in the amount of business
done, but in the amount of prospective business.
As one dealer said to me: "I am not alone
gratified with the number of sales that my men
have been making, but in the number of very
promising prospects that they have been bring-
ing in. Already some holiday orders have been
taken, where special designs were desired. These
naturally have been for very high priced instru-
ments, and I have heard of at least half a dozen
pianos that are to be built along certain designs
to conform to certain furnishings -in the homes
of wealthy Philadelphians."
- It seems rather odd that a family would order
this early an instrument not to be delivered for
eight weeks, but there are reasons for doing this
in some instances. Last year a man went to a
piano store to get a certain instrument for a
Christmas present for his daughter and the
firm were entirely out and could not secure any
more of that particular style. This same man
had called early this year, for he has another
daughter he wants to honor by the present of a
piano, and has had it set aside early so as to
avoid his experience of last winter.
The great boom in music in Philadelphia,
which is apparent to every one, is also helping
other classes of instruments but pianos. Violins
are having a ready sale, and an unusual number
of new amateur orchestras have sprung up this
year. Victor talking machines are all the rage
among vocalists, who take a great delight in
securing the records made by noted singers, and
then trying to imitate their methods of using
their voice, which they all confirm, has been
very helpful to them.
There also seems to be a renewed interest in
banjos, mandolins and guitars, and business in
those instruments has never been better than at
present. The Bauer Co. state that their factory
is being worked to its capacity, and many addi-
tional hours every week, and yet every instru-
ment that is coming through has been ordered
before it has been finished by the maker. The
export business of the firm has also been' grow-
ing at a rapid rate, and there is every indication
that the firm will have the greatest year in its
history in 1907
Charles E. Doddridge, from this on, is going
to prosecute a vigorous campaign on the Baldwin
line, and the prospects are most gratifying. The
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Baldwin has a splendid position in the Wey-
mann store, but the public needs to know just
where it is. It appeals naturally to the most re-
fined, artistic and exclusive piano customer—•
not that the most illiterate would not love its
tone and admire its appearance—but the con-
noisseur can appreciate the Baldwin at its true
worth. Mr. Doddridge, however, has always
done a good business on the cheaper grades of
the Baldwin factory, the Ellington and Howard.
C. M. Robertson was here last week from Cincin-
nati, and he spoke very encouragingly as to the
outlook for the holiday trade, and he said that
there had not been a time in a year but that the
two Baldwin factories were not behind in their
orders. They have been particularly short on
their players, and at present there is not one on
exhibition at the Philadelphia warerooms. They
have removed the handsome $6,000 Baldwin art
grand from the window to the piano parlor, and
have substituted in its place a beautiful Style E
Baldwin grand, which is attracting much atten-
tion. Zaidee Townsend Stewart, the well-known
Philadelphia singer, has selected a Baldwin
grand for her song recitals in the Bellevue-Strat-
ford. Her accompanist will be Henry Gordon
Thunder—who, by the way, is a member of the
"famous" Heppe tone jury. De Pachmann will
play on the Baldwin grand at his recitals at the
Academy of Music on November 29 and 30, in
connection with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and
at a private recital at the Academy of Music on
December 9.
The Estey Co.'s exhibition in their window of
several hundred parts of the mechanism of one
of their reed organs is attracting more attention
than any window exhibit shown in Philadelphia
for a long time. On Monday evening of this
week the Estey Co. began their weekly organ
and solo recital, which will be continued through-
out the winter, which attracted large audiences
last winter.
Chatting on the subject of advertising with a
piano man this week, he said it was a mistake
for a firm to believe that after they had made a
certain reputation that it was no longer neces-
sary to advertise, but that customers would come
in without advertising. He pointed to the ex-
ample of N. Stetson & Co., who advertise the
Steinway probably more extensively than is ad-
vertised any other piano in Philadelphia, not
associated with a department store.
Stuart H. Perry, of the Everett Piano Co., was
a Philadelphia visitor this week.
Ludwig & Co. have had many flattering things
said about their player-piano, but nothing has
pleased them more than their winning in a very
strong competition, in which practically all the
other players were engaged. William Ayres, Jr.,
is a very thorough Philadelphia musician, and
for the past two or three weeks he has been
taking parts of days to examine into the merits
of the various player-pianos. After making the
rounds accompanied by his wife, and weighing
all the instruments from their various points of
merit, he decided on the Ludwig. Naturally
tastes may differ, but the Ludwigs are very proud
of the fact that so competent a judge has singled
them out in this way.
The Estey Co. are at present erecting an organ
in the new Baptist Church at Coatesville.
A rather interesting phase of the salesman
question has recently developed. Various depart-
ment stores, principally John Wanamaker, ad-
vertised extensively for salesmen, and received a
number of applications from the West. These
- salesmen have not sized up the local situation
to the satisfaction of the dealers, and they have
been turned adrift and are looking for other con-
nections. It is very evident that the western
salesman, who may be a great success at home, is
not a success in the East, and the Eastern sales-
man is too conservative for the West. The west-
ern salesman brings with him the western habit
of familiarity, which does not quite take on
short acquaintance in. Philadelphia. As an in-
stance: I once saw a western salesman, w^ho
came to Philadelphia backed by a great record
and the first customer he had the opportunity
of waiting upon—a young lady—when she was
about to leave the warerooms, laid his hand on
her shoulder, and in a most intimate way said
good bye to her and requested her to come in
again. It is needless to say that the lady did
not appreciate the invitation, and felt highly
offended. This is undoubtedly the one reason
why the western salesman don't succeed in
Philadelphia. Familiarity breeds contempt prob-
ably more quickly in Philadelphia than in any
other city of the country.
The Estey Co. had a letter from one of their
men this week, who has been in Greenville, S. C,
for two weeks setting up an organ in the Central
Baptist Church in that southern city. He had
finished his job, and was complacently seated in
front of his hotel smoking a cigar, when he heard
the cry of fire, and was told that it was the
Central Baptist Church. He said: "I imme-
diately made a dash for the building in order not
to give the fire company the first opportunity to
play upon our new organ. We succeeded in get-
ting the fire out with a few buckets of water, a
defective flue having been the cause of its start-
ing."
Several days ago a gentleman walked into the
Estey warerooms, and asked for Mr. Woolley.
He said he was from West Virginia and was
passing the store, and noticing an Estey piano
in the window, he called in to say that he had
an Estey in his family for twenty years, and
that it was as good to-day as the day it was pur-
chased and he would not exchange it for many
of the new instruments of various makes now
being sold.
It has been announced here that the Estey
grand piano will be used at a concert of the
Philadelphia Orchestra to be given at the Acad-
emy of Music some time in December. It will
be the first time the Estey piano has been used
by that organization. Through the efforts of
Manager Woolley of the local Estey store, Maur-
itz Leefson, the well-known virtuoso of this city,
will use an Estey piano at this concert.
H. G. Perry has closed up his branch ware-
rooms in Johnstown, N. Y., formerly in charge
of his son, and will devote his energies to hla
main store in Canajoharle, N. Y.
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE"
Ghe CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND
is the greatest success of the day.
It possesses a scale of rare even
ness, a tone of remarkable sonority
and richness, with a quality that
is highly orchestral. Our latest
styles of Grands and Uprights
mark a decided advance in the art
of piano-making. We court inves-
tigation. Some territory still open.
CHRISTMAN SONS, Manufacturer.
FACTORT AND OFFICE!
WAREROOMS:
869-873 Eut 137tli St.
35 W«ai 14«h St.
KEW YORK