Music Trade Review
Issue: 1915 Vol. 61 N. 9 - Page 13
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
13
minded that it is very easy to kill confidence or at least to put it
AST week a letter was published on page 33 of The Review,
to sleep. Perhaps the very best method of killing confidence is
to which we beg to bespeak the earnest attention of thos.
that which is now being assiduously practiced by a certain type of
who read this section. We assume—perhaps unwisely or even
newspaper: in giving the chief prominence each day to inaccurate,
recklessly—that the readers of the Player Section are readers be-
cause they believe that we stand for something definite and con- sensational, and often just plain lying, "news" of the European
situation. The newspapers are often guilty of criminal negligence
structive. Well, so we do, to the best of our more or less abundant
in
respect of the accuracy of their so-called "news," and the man
ability. Sometimes, however, we read something we wish we had
who
fills his mind with this sort of thing daily, to the exclusion of his
written, but which someone else got away with ahead of us. The
business,
is not only a plain fool, but, what is more, has not even
letter in question is one of these. On the whole it is the best
the
satisfaction
of being sure that what he is worrying about is
statement we have yet seen of the real reasons for the present absurd
really
so.
Usually
it is not so. The best way to read "war news"
condition of the music-roll business. The argument is closed and
clearly worked out, and goes into considerable detail; but it may is to read it four days late. Then there is some chance that it will
bounce off one's mentality without having a dent in it. There is
be roughly summed up by saying that the shoddy music roll is the
also the far less important point that four days' time is usually
trouble. And why should it not be? It is a general complaint
enough to cut down the gorgeous lies into something fairly like
in the sheet music business that the cheap music is not really a
accuraev.
profit maker, but largely a sham, ft is as plain as a pikestaff that
if you cannot make a howling success with a piece as sheet music
ERE is a little pointer that may be of interest to those who think.
you are not more likely to have that pleasant experience with the
(We are supposed to appeal to such people.) Would it
corresponding music roll. Why on earth should you, especially
not be better for the whole player game if the trade at large took
when you don't have the. as they say. "spicy" words?
up a slightly less flippant attitude toward music and things musical?
HE difficulty is that people lack imagination. It seems to be A correspondent the other day remarked that of two bands now
playing in a certain city one is more popular because it "mixes in
the proper thing to work along lines of least resistance,
good American marches and American compositions with a very
whereas in fact experience proves that as soon as one is fully com-
slight bit of the heavy foreign classical music (the italics are ours)
mitted to the policy of drift, oivj finds rapids looming up ahead as
and very little ragtime." The other band, it seems, is inferior be-
sure as fate, and the result is shipwreck sooner or later. The
cause "almoA all of its selections are of the classical type." We are
whole trouble with the music-roll business is that the dealers have
then told that the "average music lover" (whatever that may
-imply declined to attempt any intelligent study of the business
mean) of this city "can stand just about thre: renditions of this
and have gone on the comfortable thought-saving principle that,
('classical' music) and then fall^ asleep." Xow this is not fitnnv.
"of course, nobody wants anything but the cheapest trash in music."
Its sneers are something that it does not understand, which is very
The natural consequence has b en that manufacturers have not
been encouraged to do anything better, and the business has de- poor taste, and indicates that "good American music" is necessarily
the antithesis of "foreign classical music" (whatever that niav be)
generated into a price-cutting contest, with the natural conclusion
which is nonsen e. for art i^ universal, and generally it makes a
roll; are arranged and put together in a manner oft n s'.mply dis-
to be let alone. Xo one helps the player business by that sort of
graceful. That is hard language, but it is the truth. If the trade
stupid would-be faeetiousness. Moreov-r, it is not even true, for
would but take a look to itself and be bold enough to do nothing
the reason that the first band is a free municipal band, while it
for six months but push the best in music rolls, the boom would
costs money to hear the others. Why not cut out piffle about sub-
be tremendous. The fact is that people ask for trash only because
jects that are not understood?
they have first been told that good music is necessarily unintelligible,
and, second, because they never hear it played
decently on the player-piano. Yet experience
pnves that the onlv people who really becone
player-piano enthusiasts are those whose
taste is nourished on good mus'.c. The oth rs
simply tire of the whole proposition after a
few months, and as often as not shut it up.
and forget it. The remedy? Intelligence,
good arranging, and cncourageni nt to the
manufacturer-, who would prefer any day
to sell music that they can keep selling for-
ever instead of trash that is here to-day and
gone to-morrow and the sales of which may
be- good and may be bad: usually the latter.
L
H
T
Racine—
Combination
PLAYER AND PIANO
Bench
l I ERF. is no doubt that the general busi-
ness atmosphere is steadily clearing.
That is by no means mere stupid optimi mi,
but on the contrary, the best of common
sense. All facts and figures at pres.nt avail-
able have the same indication, and tend to
show plainly tint we are already opening the
door that leads into a new region of pros-
perity. At thj same time it would be much
better, all things considered, if we were to
remember that business rests on confidence
and that unhappily most people are so w.'ak-
T
Here is the ideal seat for the playing
of both piano and player, saving
bother to the player owner when
changing from manual to mechanical
playing. It is much better to sell a
Good Combination Bench at a profit
than to give away something which is
liable to reflect upon the player itself.
Sold at a popular price.
Ask for Copy of Our
Catalog /No. 8
Showing Style 370
Height for piano use, 20J4 in. Height for player use, 22
in. in front, 23 in. in back.
Size of seat, 12x24; 5-ply
veneer. Jn Mahogany, Walnut and Oak.
Racine Stool Mfg> Go,, Racine, Wis.
Off Uses and Wararoqms, Room 3O4-339 South Wabash Ave.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
13
minded that it is very easy to kill confidence or at least to put it
AST week a letter was published on page 33 of The Review,
to sleep. Perhaps the very best method of killing confidence is
to which we beg to bespeak the earnest attention of thos.
that which is now being assiduously practiced by a certain type of
who read this section. We assume—perhaps unwisely or even
newspaper: in giving the chief prominence each day to inaccurate,
recklessly—that the readers of the Player Section are readers be-
cause they believe that we stand for something definite and con- sensational, and often just plain lying, "news" of the European
situation. The newspapers are often guilty of criminal negligence
structive. Well, so we do, to the best of our more or less abundant
in
respect of the accuracy of their so-called "news," and the man
ability. Sometimes, however, we read something we wish we had
who
fills his mind with this sort of thing daily, to the exclusion of his
written, but which someone else got away with ahead of us. The
business,
is not only a plain fool, but, what is more, has not even
letter in question is one of these. On the whole it is the best
the
satisfaction
of being sure that what he is worrying about is
statement we have yet seen of the real reasons for the present absurd
really
so.
Usually
it is not so. The best way to read "war news"
condition of the music-roll business. The argument is closed and
clearly worked out, and goes into considerable detail; but it may is to read it four days late. Then there is some chance that it will
bounce off one's mentality without having a dent in it. There is
be roughly summed up by saying that the shoddy music roll is the
also the far less important point that four days' time is usually
trouble. And why should it not be? It is a general complaint
enough to cut down the gorgeous lies into something fairly like
in the sheet music business that the cheap music is not really a
accuraev.
profit maker, but largely a sham, ft is as plain as a pikestaff that
if you cannot make a howling success with a piece as sheet music
ERE is a little pointer that may be of interest to those who think.
you are not more likely to have that pleasant experience with the
(We are supposed to appeal to such people.) Would it
corresponding music roll. Why on earth should you, especially
not be better for the whole player game if the trade at large took
when you don't have the. as they say. "spicy" words?
up a slightly less flippant attitude toward music and things musical?
HE difficulty is that people lack imagination. It seems to be A correspondent the other day remarked that of two bands now
playing in a certain city one is more popular because it "mixes in
the proper thing to work along lines of least resistance,
good American marches and American compositions with a very
whereas in fact experience proves that as soon as one is fully com-
slight bit of the heavy foreign classical music (the italics are ours)
mitted to the policy of drift, oivj finds rapids looming up ahead as
and very little ragtime." The other band, it seems, is inferior be-
sure as fate, and the result is shipwreck sooner or later. The
cause "almoA all of its selections are of the classical type." We are
whole trouble with the music-roll business is that the dealers have
then told that the "average music lover" (whatever that may
-imply declined to attempt any intelligent study of the business
mean) of this city "can stand just about thre: renditions of this
and have gone on the comfortable thought-saving principle that,
('classical' music) and then fall^ asleep." Xow this is not fitnnv.
"of course, nobody wants anything but the cheapest trash in music."
Its sneers are something that it does not understand, which is very
The natural consequence has b en that manufacturers have not
been encouraged to do anything better, and the business has de- poor taste, and indicates that "good American music" is necessarily
the antithesis of "foreign classical music" (whatever that niav be)
generated into a price-cutting contest, with the natural conclusion
which is nonsen e. for art i^ universal, and generally it makes a
roll; are arranged and put together in a manner oft n s'.mply dis-
to be let alone. Xo one helps the player business by that sort of
graceful. That is hard language, but it is the truth. If the trade
stupid would-be faeetiousness. Moreov-r, it is not even true, for
would but take a look to itself and be bold enough to do nothing
the reason that the first band is a free municipal band, while it
for six months but push the best in music rolls, the boom would
costs money to hear the others. Why not cut out piffle about sub-
be tremendous. The fact is that people ask for trash only because
jects that are not understood?
they have first been told that good music is necessarily unintelligible,
and, second, because they never hear it played
decently on the player-piano. Yet experience
pnves that the onlv people who really becone
player-piano enthusiasts are those whose
taste is nourished on good mus'.c. The oth rs
simply tire of the whole proposition after a
few months, and as often as not shut it up.
and forget it. The remedy? Intelligence,
good arranging, and cncourageni nt to the
manufacturer-, who would prefer any day
to sell music that they can keep selling for-
ever instead of trash that is here to-day and
gone to-morrow and the sales of which may
be- good and may be bad: usually the latter.
L
H
T
Racine—
Combination
PLAYER AND PIANO
Bench
l I ERF. is no doubt that the general busi-
ness atmosphere is steadily clearing.
That is by no means mere stupid optimi mi,
but on the contrary, the best of common
sense. All facts and figures at pres.nt avail-
able have the same indication, and tend to
show plainly tint we are already opening the
door that leads into a new region of pros-
perity. At thj same time it would be much
better, all things considered, if we were to
remember that business rests on confidence
and that unhappily most people are so w.'ak-
T
Here is the ideal seat for the playing
of both piano and player, saving
bother to the player owner when
changing from manual to mechanical
playing. It is much better to sell a
Good Combination Bench at a profit
than to give away something which is
liable to reflect upon the player itself.
Sold at a popular price.
Ask for Copy of Our
Catalog /No. 8
Showing Style 370
Height for piano use, 20J4 in. Height for player use, 22
in. in front, 23 in. in back.
Size of seat, 12x24; 5-ply
veneer. Jn Mahogany, Walnut and Oak.
Racine Stool Mfg> Go,, Racine, Wis.
Off Uses and Wararoqms, Room 3O4-339 South Wabash Ave.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).