Music Trade Review

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MUSIC TRADE:
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A traveling man who has just returned from a
trip to the Central West complained, in the course
of a chat with The Review this week, that many
dealers utterly fail to recognize the importance of
placing orders early. In almost 60 per cent, of the
houses he visited on his recent trip, particularly in
the smaller towns, he found stocks unusually low
and dealers ordering a piano or two only as they
required them. He tried to impress on these deal-
ers how difficult it was for the manufacturer to
make up sufficient stock and supply demands
around the holidays, or at least when business gets
better, unless orders are placed at a sufficiently
early period in the year to enable the manufacturer
to see his way clear in the matter of output. The
dealers' arguments in rebuttal were that they were
running their business as current conditions war-
ranted—that they feared the financial unrest due
to the political situation. It is clearly evident that
the agitation which now prevails in political circles
is believed to have a deterrent effect upon business
progress. Nevertheless the commerce of the coun-
try at the present time shows an onward and up-
ward stride that is encouraging. As there is no
way of getting out an injunction against our
friends in the political arena the "affliction," real
or imaginary, must be allowed to run its course.
Meanwhile dealers who desire to be in line for
trade this season will find it advisable to order
early or take their chances on being short of stock
when required later.
•6 « *
New York has great advantages for the man or
woman desirous of acquiring a musical knowledge,
or at least a knowledge of music, without cost.
The lectures in the schools, the recitals at the
City College, the people's singing classes conduct-
ed under the patronage of Frank Damrosch at
Cooper Union, and in other halls, and the free
concerts given at many of the leading music trade
establishments furnish some interesting entertain-
ment and instruction. Among the principal houses
engaged in this great work of educational pub-
licity are the Aeolian Co., who are now resuming
their winter concert season, at which splendid pro-
grams, embracing numbers on the organ, the piano
and the Pianola-piano are scheduled, assisted by
many soloists. These concerts are always attend-
ed by many of the very best people of the city, who
appreciate the progressive methods of this great
house and take pains to reciprocate by conveying
information of Aeolian methods to their friends.
The concerts given by the Aeolian Co. are well
worthy of emulation by dealers who aim to bring
to their establishment a class of people who are
interested in music and in the musical instruments
which they handle.
*
* *
It must be borne in mind by American manu-
facturers of musical instruments that if they would
do business in Great Britain, that they must pro-
duce in that country articles for which they have
British patents or lose the protection. This has
just happened to an American firm which had a
British patent for a box which prevented the con-
tents from sifting out while traveling. A large
British concern having learned of the excellence
of this device, and that its owner had failed to
comply with the British patent law, ordered a
large number of these box tops and will soon
place them on the market. The result will be a
loss of an excellent market. The American owner
of the patent can sell the box in the United King-
dom, but can prevent no one else from doing the
same thing.
H * It
Xaver Scharwenka, the celebrated composer-
pianist, who will be heard on a three months' tour
of the United States through the medium of the
famous Baldwin piano, will be heard West before
REVIEW
TALL TOWER
he makes his first appearance in New York. He
appears in Chicago, Appleton, Milwaukee, Indian-
apolis, and then returns to New York to play with
the Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Sun-
day afternoon, November 27, and with the Lieder-
kranz Society the same evening.
*
«t It
Much to the surprise of everybody, including his
immediate family, Walter E. Goepel, of C. F.
Goepel & Co., the veteran piano supply house, 137
East 13th street, New York, took a totally unex-
pected venture in the domain of matrimony on Sat-
urday morning last when he departed from Dan-
bury, Conn., the summer home of the Goepel fam-
ily, with Miss Florence Pangburn, formerly of
Hackensack, N. J., and one of the members of the
house party formed to attend the annual fair at the
former place, with the ostensible purpose of mar-
riage. Mr. Goepel has known Miss Pangburn for
some time, and while contemplating marriage at a
later date, nevertheless decided that it would be
much more novel and in keeping with his desire
to marry quietly. They arrived in South Norwalk
and visited a jewelry shop for a ring, and were
informed that the town clerk was located in Nor-
walk, where they obtained a marriage license and
were married at 10.10 a. m. by the Rev. George D.
Egbert, of the First Congregational Church, return-
ing to Danbury in the afternoon. The news, when
broken to friends at the bridegroom's home in
Danbury, was a complete surprise, but brought re-
joicing, as did the information when imparted to
the bride's mother, and all are well satisfied with
the "match" and happy. The bride and groom are
outrageously so. No definite plans for domicile
have as yet been arranged, although this will for
the time being be 550 Riverside Drive, New York.
Mr. Goepel considers himself especially fortunate
in having obtained so valuable a helpmate, and
expects thoroughly to demonstrate the advisability
of his move in the conduct of his affairs as
manager of C. F. Goepel & Co. As the trade
knows, Walter Goepel is one of the clever men in
his special line, and his many business friends and
The Review felicitates him on his happy, though
unexpected, marriage.
it «t it
Forty years of service with the great house of
Steinway & Sons is certainly a record of which
Edwin Eshelby, general manager of the London
house of Steinway & Sons, can well feel proud.
Starting as a tuner with this eminent house in
New York in 1870, his executive ability was quick-
ly recognized by the late William Steinway, who
put him in charge of the London branch in Octo-
ber, 1885. That William Steinway's judgment was
sound has been confirmed year after year, for Mr.
Eshelby has built up a stupendous business with
the Steinway in London. Its individual merits have
become known not only to Royalty but to everyone
who appreciates music. He has supplied Steinway
grands to the late Queen Victoria and to King
Edward and Queen Alexandra when they came on
the throne, as well as to the Royal princes and prin-
cesses. Mr. Eshelby has also had the honor of
furnishing a Steinway Vertegrand to the present
Queen for the use of her daughter Mary. Through
the London house of Steinway mostly all the
crowned heads of Europe have been supplied with
pianos in special and regular designs as desired.
The distinction won by the Steinway house in the
domain of Royalty is unequaled. To recognize suit-
ably his forty years of loyal service, Messrs. Stein-
way & Sons have invited Mr. Eshelby to visit the
field of his first experiences in New York, where
he will be entertained in fitting style. He will reach
here Tuesday with Chas. H. Steinway. Mr. Eshelby
is a native of Gloucestershire, Eng., where he was
born in 1852. He is the descendant of an old
Norman family and is not only a capable manager
and business man, but possesses a practical knowl-
edge of piano construction, which was acquired at
Kirkmans and other noted London houses.
>t * *
Orchestras in New York, Chicago and Boston
are beginning to settle down to the work of re-
hearsal in preparation for the season's concerts.
Max Fiedler in Boston is bringing over this year
some new players and also has engaged a new
concertmaster, Anton Wieek, late of the Berlin
Philharmonic, vice Willy Hess, who has returned
to Europe. Mahler, of the New York Philhar-
monic, is on the way and may produce this year
his very large and very elaborate Eighth Sym-
phony, a composition which calls for a chorus and
orchestra numbering one thousand.
Frederick
Stock, the Chicago Thomas orchestra conductor,
is also meditating a performance of this work.
H K *
The display window on the Fifth Avenue front
of Wm. Knabe & Co.'s warerooms in the Knabe
Building, corner of Thirty-ninth Street, is one of
the handsomest of any along that fashionable and
celebrated thoroughfare. That is saying some-
thing, for other piano windows on the avenue are
notable examples of good judgment and fine taste.
But as that would be another story, the reference
to the Knabe establishment will suffice to call at-
tention to a beautiful and etegant window, the
decorations and treatment of which are not only
handsome, but dignified in every sense £ii the word.
Another great attraction is that the marquetry
platform places the window on a level with the
bottom of the massive plate glass, so the entire
front is easily viewable and the broad exhibi-
tion space is never crowded. Usually a grand is
the only piano displayed, and sometimes a couple of
uprights, but seldom, if ever, any more. This
•trrnngement affords plenty of room on all sides,
and with the rich background of gold and oak
every good point of the instrument may be studied.
Tu this particular the firm's window dresser follows
the excellent manner followed at Tiffany's, a few
blocks below on the same side. When the Knabe
window was recently remodeled and finished as it
now stands the cost was a cool $5,000.
*
* *
A rather unusual occurrence happened last Sun-
day, October 2, in the Madison Square Presby-
terian Church, New York, where Dr. Parkhurst
presides. It seems that something got wrong with
the motor of the big organ on Saturday night and
as the musical part of the services in Dr. Park-
hurst's church is of great importance, the fact that
the organ was out of commission was looked upon
as a catastrophe. As there were two services due
on Sunday, where special music had been pre-
pared by the choir, therefore, in order to continue
the services and to have suitable music it was
necessary to depend upon the harp exclusively.
This church last year purchased one of the
finest concert harps made in this country, and the
harpist, Miss Gertrude Robinson, accompanied the
entire service on this instrument. There were thirty
people in the choir and seven hundred or eight
hundred people in the church. It was necessary to
play the entire service on the harp and also fur-
nish three solos, which is something very unusual
in musical circles. Miss Robinson is a thorough
musician and a master of the harp. It is remark-
able how she sustained the vocal music for this
church with this beautiful instrument, one of
Lyon & Healy's finest, which was purchased from
Chas. H. Ditson & Co., New York.
It
*
*
Henry Hall Duncklee has resigned from the
wareroom force of the Mason & Hamlin Co., New
York, and is now on the floor selling staff of
Wanamaker's piano department. The transfer was
effected last week. Mr. Duncklee is organist of the
West End Presbyterian Church and is well known
in musical circles.