Music Trade Review

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THE
6
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage ), United States and
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N E W
Y O R K ,
A U G U S T
2 6 ,
1 9 1 1
We feel that the gravity of the subject involved
warrants us in calling particular attention to the
article in this issue of the Player Section under
the title "The Truth About Player Recitals." That
article gathers its importance from the fact that
it is the plain record of an actual personal ex-
perience. Jt is neither colored nor distorted. It
has carefully been purged of any exaggeration
that might be held to detract from its accuracy.
And as such a plain and dispassionate record, it
has a present and large value for the whole piano
trade. That trade has for a long time admitted
the theoretical superiority of the player recital
over all other possible methods for exploitation.
Its objection has been based altogether upon
practical grounds. And it is precisely upon these
grounds that the objections are found, upon ac-
tual test, to vanish. The story of how, on two
separate occasions, in the utmost extremes of
summer heat, audiences held their seats for two
hours entranced, and of how the practical results
of the work showed afterwards, is worth reading.
It may hearten some other piano men to arise and
do the same.
September is upon us, and our thoughts turn
once more from vacations and holidays to the
great business campaign that must be undertaken
during the coming fall and winter. As we ponder
on the possibilities, we hear everywhere the cry
going up, as of old, "Watchman, what of the
night?" For all the world is waiting, watching
anxiously to see what the immediate future may
bring forth of prosperity or the reverse, of peace
or war. Happily, there seems to be little occasion
for really serious apprehension on either score.
A reasonably prosperous year for all lines of
trade would seem now almost assured. It be-
hooves us men of the piano, and particularly of
the player-piano trade, to ask ourselves therefore
what we are prepared for, to find out how far we
are ready to take advantage of the slow but
sure change in public opinion towards the player-
piano which this year is due to show more
strongly than has ever been the case. Are we
prepared to handle the player-piano proposition
this coming season more broadly, more sanely,
more advantageously than was the case last year,
or the year before? Certainly we shall be unable
to do this at all until we have been able to analyse
public feelings and attitude very closely. For this
reason, the article in the present issue entitled,
"What Does the Public Want?" will be found
most stimulating and generally valuable. It goes
very deep to the root of things, and analyzes the
public idea of the player-piano in a searching and
accurate manner. It is an excellent introduction
to the player campaign of 1911-12.
What is true of the abstract is, in this case, true
likewise of the concrete. Not alone is it import-
ant to know what the public want in a general
sense, but it is equally necessary to apply this
knowledge to the particular case afforded by the
individual person who comes into a store for the
purpose of purchasing, or at least, learning some-
thing about the player-piano. In writing the ar-
ticle entitled "What is a Good Player Action and
Why," the editor of this Section has attempted
to analyze the natural and logical requirements of
the average person, so far as concerns a player-
piano. Tf it should appear, as it probably will,
that the conclusions drawn from this analysis are
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
not at all what are expected, it can only be said
A NEW AUTOMATIC PIANO.
that the fault is more likely to lie with the reader
Invented
and Patented by F. F. Stauffer, of
than with the writer. For what has been set down
Dallas, Tex., Offers Some Interesting Fea-
in this article is the result of long personal obser-
tures in Construction.
vation and actual experience in the selling of
player-pianos, and of long continued attention to
A new form of automatic piano has been in-
the often inarticulate, but nevertheless definite,
vented and patented by Floyd F. Stauffer, of
desires and aspirations of that great body of unin-
Dallas, Tex., who assigned one-half to William
formed music lovers, whom we sometimes con-
J. Glynn, of that city. Patent No. 1,000,561. The
temptuously term "the public." For these rea-
following description is given of the invention :
sons, if for no others, we believe that this article
In the modern automatic piano it has been the.
is well worth the careful attention of our
practice to mount a perforated traveling control lei 1
readers.
sheet upon a pair of reels, said controller sheet
acting in conjunction with an apertured tracker-
Hut enough of this blowing of trumpets. The board connected by air conduits with pneumatics,
present issue of the Player Section must in the which operate the piano action. In such cases, the
end stand by itself. It will suffice if we once more controller sheet is adapted to be wound slowly
call the attention of our readers at the beginning from one reel to the other, while playing, and to
of another season to the fact that The Review be rapidly rewound when the controller sheet has
is carrying on a work for the piano trade, the like reached its limit of travel. Such an apparatus is
of which has been absolutely unknown in the objectionable, owing to the wear and strain upon
history of trade journalism. We may say with- the controller sheet and other parts during the
out either pride or exaggeration, that from earliest
rapid rewinding; also there must be an interrup-
days we have been ever open to new suggestions, tion in the music while this rewinding takes place.
ever breaking new paths, ever on the firing line. Other previous forms of automatic pianos have
The first to recognize the growing need for tech- employed an endless controller sheet. This has
nical information, accessible to all, on the piano eliminated the necessity of rewinding, and the de-
itself, we were also the first to perceive and sup- lay incident thereto, but the length of such a sheet,
ply the later appearing, but none the less acute and consequently the playing capacity of the piano
need, for impartial and accurate, commercial and must be limited, since the sheet cannot be com-
technical facts on the player-piano. That we have pactly wound upon rollers. The capacity of the
had no competitors is perhaps equally to be at- first described sheets which are adapted to rewind
tributed to the inherent difficulties of the subject, is also limited since a long controller sheet cannot
and to the entirely different viewpoint of others
be used without a large variation taking place in
In the opinion of this newspaper institution, the the velocity of travel of said sheet as it winds
primary business of a trade journal is to give serv- from one reel upon the other.
ice, and our most unfriendly critic will not deny
The present invention proposes to avoid these
that we have kept this idea continually in view.
objectionable features by providing two separate
controller sheets, one of which will be rewound
Ever since the player-piano became an import- while the other is unwinding.
ant feature of the industry and trade, we have
The invention also provides automatic mechan-
made it our business continually to direct atten-
ism for regulating the velocity of travel of each
tion to the immensely important aspect of the
controller sheet, and for reversing the direction
business presented by the music roll. It is an un-
of travel of the two controller sheets when they
fortunate thing that the importance of this neces-
have finished winding or rewinding.
sary complement to the player-piano has been
most shamefully neglected by the trade at large.
The more closely one observes at first hand the INVENTS HOLDER_FOR MUSIC ROLLS.
way of piano merchants with the player-piano A. W. Jones Secures Patent on Contrivance to
proposition, the more one is compelled to the be-
Keep Music Rolls T i g h t l y Roled When Not
lief that a lamentable apathy on the whole ques-
in Use.
tion is almost everywhere prevalent, and in no
one place is this more to be observed than in the
A suggestion appeared in The Review some
music roll libraries. From the very moment that months ago to the effect that there was room for
this newspaper institution put into operation its a patented contrivance to be used on a music
long considered plan for a special monthly Sec- roll instead of the ordinary rubber baud, for the
tion devoted to the player, it has devoted time, purpose of keeping the roll tightly rolled when
labor and space to an insistent preaching of the not in use. It was suggested that the contrivance
necessity for better understanding of the music be fastened to the roll without interfering with
question. A dozen times and more, we have la- the rewinding operation. A. W. Jones, manager
bored to show conclusively that the music roll of the Jones Music Co., Brooklield, Mo., was
is the true foundation on which the whole struc- struck with the suggestion, and immediately started
ture of the player-piano business rests. And ex- to work at designing a practical device for the
actly because we clearly perceived this fact, we or- purpose outlined, and on August 1 I, was granted
ganized from the first a special department each a patent on his invention.
month, wherein the offerings of music roll manu-
Mr. Jones' device is made chieHy of rubber cloth,
facturers might be described and analyzed. And to which is attached a small hook. A triangular
for precisely similar reasons we organized the section of the cloth is fastened to the ends of the
Player-Pianist's Department, in which, month by music roll, thus adding strength to that portion
month, bright, interesting and instructive arti- of the roll, while a narrow strip bearing the hook
cles on composers, compositions and methods of
winds around the roll with the hook catching in
interpretation might be put forth.
the usual ring. Mr. Jones claims for his invention
that it will lie flat in rewinding the roll and will
The present month, beginning as it does the not bulge the roll or tear the paper. In the event
business season of 1911-12, gives an excellent op- that Mr. Jones does not sell his patent to some
portunity of calling attention to the exceeding music roll manufacturer, he will proceed to manu-
valuable service tfiat The Review is giving in the facture the device himself.
departments above mentioned. Piano men are al-
Philip Werlein, the prominent New Orleans
together too apt to neglect all aspects of their
business apart from that which has to do imme- piano dealer, has given those interested in the
diately and directly with selling and with nothing advertising of pianos at retail something to think
else. Of course, we must sell, and equally of about, by the announcement that he has secured
course, we must sell as much as possible. But the services of a prominent New Orleans cartoon-
when we are dealing with goods so exceedingly ist to draA' for all his advertisements. The plan
complex and so exigent of special knowledge as is to have the cartoonist drive on the strong argu-
is each one of the many music rolls put forth each ments in the advertisements through the medium
month, it surely does not need a very bright mind of special pictures. It is expected that the ex-
to see that the more knowledge we or our sales- periment will be watched with interest. The
men have of them, the better. Further suggestion preliminary sketches seem to have made a strong
impression on the New Orleans public.
is unnecessary. He who runs may read.