Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
TOWER.
A RATHER clever point in connection with advertising and its
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potentiality was emphasized by Waldo P. Warren in a recent
article in Printers' Ink, when he pointed out how an adroit sentence
in an advertisement can stimulate people not only to recommend a
product, but exercise a subsequent influence that is helpful. In this
connection he said: "Steinway & Sons appeal indirectly to the
powerful motive of wanting to be considered well informed as to
relative merits when they begin an advertisement by asking: 'Why
is it that authors of all nationalities, when having occasion to refer
to a piano, almost invariably call it a Steinway ?' Can't you imagine
the hundreds of writers of short stories and novels, reading that
advertisement, and saying to themselves: 'Ah, ha; so that's the
proper thing is it, when you mention a piano in the drawing-room
scene, to heighten the effect by using the specific name and con-
noting quality folks by having the piano a Steinway.' Who among
short story writers or novelists, having once seen and appreciated
that point, could resist the temptation to add one more deft touch
to the vivid effect of his word picture? Behold, a master stroke in
applied psychology!"
T
HE continual progress of public taste in this country towards
greater simplicity, genuineness and sincerity may well be
measured by comparison of piano case architecture of the present
time with that which was prevalent even so lately as fifteen years
ago. One has but to glance over files of The Review published
during the last decade of the nineteenth century to see" at once what
changes for the better have arisen in public appreciation of art crafts-
manship. For public demand measures the progress of any art, to
a very large extent, and in the piano business at least it cannot be
said that manufacturers have very generally set out to be mis-
sionaries. Rather have they been content to follow the general
stream of popular desire. So that, when we consider the monstrosi-
ties of piano case architecture and decoration that were the pride
of their owners comparatively a few years ago we cannot but be
thankful that so many agencies have conspired to improve public
taste. As things stand to-day, we have everywhere an apparent
yearning after plain, simple forms, enriched rather by the beauty
of their material than by any elaborate striving after rococo effect.
The beauty of the straight line has been discovered afresh, as in days
agone when the Greeks and mediaeval Christians saw it. The crude
conceptions of the middle Victorian era have disappeared, let us
hope forever. In the world of piano making we see what is else-
where apparent in the making of houses and furnishings. We now
want the unadorned loveliness of a rare wood and the sturdy work-
manship of an artist-artisan rather than a profusion of highly var-
nished machine-made curvilinear design, eloquent of trivial taste
and barren ideas. We are living, say what you will, in a serious age.
nor is this more strongly indicted anywhere than in our refined
notions of what constitutes decorative beauty.
T
HE piano case, at its best, is not a lovely thing in essentials.
The grand is always more or less of a coffin on legs and the
upright a packing-box. It was doubtless a realization of these facts
that prompted earlier designers to overload the cases of pianos with
meretricious ornamentation. Yet even a packing-box may be built
with well proportioned dimensions and fine lines, while the most
elaborate rococo decoration will only serve to accentuate the bare
form underneath and exhibit with accuracy the barrenness of the
naked form. And these truths are now so well recognized that to
state them is to make clear their entire appropriateness. And so we
may thank our destiny that piano case architecture is well settled
along lines of simplicity and dignity. Fine mahogany wood is per-
haps the best that has ever been found for showing off in the sim-
plest setting the real beauty of timber grain. Ebonizing, glaring
golden oak finish, and other unbeautiful attempts at decoration are
going the way of the bear's-claw legs and ridiculous mouldings that
once were rife. And better still, there appears to be a distinct re-
action against high varnish finish and towards simple showing off
of the natural beauty inherent in -fine veneers. These are interesting
and hopeful facts.
*t H n
HE so-called "art" or "period" cases, of which so much was
heard a few years ago, do not seem to be as prominent just
now. This is doubtless owing to the fact that they are very ex-
pensive and of slight value unless designed very carefully with refer-
ence to particular styles of furnishing and decoration. In fact,
either the "period" piano must be built for the specific room into
which it is to stand or the room must be built around the piano.
Another reason is that our wealthy classes are getting somewhat
tired of the various French styles—Rococo, Louis Quatorze, Quinze
and Seize, Directoire and^ Empire—and are inclining more to the
subdued glories of American Colonial and the excellent designs of
modern masters who have followed the classic rules of Sheraton,
Heppelwhite and Chippendale. Eighteenth century French style of
the "ancient regime'' are always rather stupid looking in a modern
twentieth century home, for the environment they provide is so
utterly out of place with modern ideas of dress and conduct. A
modern girl in short skirt and shirtwaist does not fit well on a spindly
Marie Antoinette chair. One misses the paniers, the patches and
the wig. And because we ourselves are more sensible, more simple
and more sincere in our ways of living, so our furniture, our deco-
rations and our well-loved pianos must be made in accordance with
our own true ideas of living. So the simple lines, the dull finish
and the somber beauty of splendid woods will, let us hope, forever
continue to guide us to the ideals of true beauty and genuine art.
•6 H H
T
RA ELBERTUS, the philosopher of Aurora, N. Y., is an earn-
est believer in modern things and modern ideas. For in-
stance, in the "Fra" he has been quoting the sayings of modern men
in preference to those of ancient times as word pictures to illuminate
his columns. Charles H. Steinway, president of Steinway & Sons,
figures in this wise in a recent issue: "I cannot commend to a
business house any artificial plan for making men producers—any
scheme for driving them into business-building. You must lead
them through their self-interest. It is this alone that will keep men
keyed up to the full capacity of their productiveness/' In the same
number Elbert Hubbard sets forth the following succinct and ex-
pressive saying of the late W. W. Kimball, the founder of the
business of the W. W. Kimball Company: "System consists in
the practice of selecting for each department of an enterprise the
right ability for that work and holding this man at all times re-
sponsible for results." There is much to commend in this plan of
setting forth the nuggets of wisdom which fall from the lips of the
men of our times. It demonstrates that wisdom and knowledge
are not monopolized by the great thinkers of Greece or Rome or
other countries, although frequently pointed out to us by modern
writers. In industrial life to-day are to be found men who have
mastered mighty problems and their utterances oftentimes abound
in sound philosophy and uplifting sentiment that guides and stimu-
lates.
•t * *
F
N decisions handed down by the Court of Appeals in the State
of New York, the court finds that the general statutes against
the obtaining of property by false pretenses fail to cover the most
flagrant acts of fraud. The New York Credit Men's Association
therefore plans to place on the statute books, if possible, at the next
session of the Legislature, a general statute which will make it more
nearly possible for credit grantors to get justice against debtors
obtaining goods under false pretenses. This will include a statute
framed jointly by the American Bankers' Association and the
National Association of Credit Men penalizing the giving of a false
statement for the purpose of securing credit.
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