Music Trade Review
Issue: 1919 Vol. 69 N. 13 - Page 7
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
SEPTEMBER 27, 1919
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
lff^lffStffrSlff^R^lff^ffTSilff^i^^
Being the Observations, Wise and Otherwise, of the Altruistic Philosopher of
The Review's Staff, to Wit, the Editor of This Player Section, on Things of
Import and Weight, Albeit Presented in a Frolicsome, Colloquial Manner
"A Mad World, My Masters"
policemen find themselves deserted by the de-
cent public opinion of a whole-nation we may
rightly feel relieved. When business men, like
our piano friends in Ohio the other day, spend
their time and money to get together in an
earnest endeavor to clean their trade house and
set their business affairs in order before a world
grown ever more critical of honesty we may
feel that things are not so bad as they seem.
When we realize that through all the smoke and
noise of economic and political strife the world
is really trying hard to recover itself we may
rightly feel heartened. When we keep in mind
the plain fact that the world has been for a year
past trying to recover from the most tremen-
dous fit of madness it has ever witnessed we
shall perhaps be inclined to charity in our judg-
ment of present performances. When we recog-
nize, lastly, that whatever any other nation may
have in the way of problems the destinies of the
United States are in the hands of the majority,
who have only to know and use their power,
then we shall surely know that the only needful
thing is to forget the past and press forward
towards a general reconstruction of economic,
industrial and social life on a basis broader and
better than ever.
To one who remembers the ancient and sim-
ple days of yore when, as we heard it put the
other day, "legs were a treat," the whirligig of
the world is mad enough in all conscience. A
market which would be perfectly lovely for all
concerned if those who are overwhelmed with
orders for their goods could only get materials
wherewith to make them. A world in which
what calls itself "Labor" follows the bad ex-
ample of what calls itself "Capital," and tries
to excel its teacher. A world in which minori-
ties threaten to seize the reins of society and
enforce their will on majorities by violent meth-
ods.
A world which talks of democracy but
fails to see that democracy means the recogni-
tion of every man's rights as well as the right-
ing of every man's wrongs. A world wherein
the place of public attention is held by groups
who, as Chesterton says, can conceive the world
only as a crisis and never as a commonwealth. A
world where the cost of living mounts even
higher while the only remedy possible, which
is more production, is deliberately flouted by
men who would rule society without the least
understanding of the most elementary eco-
nomics. A world which is filled with noise and
A Musical Revolution
words and recriminations, but whose self-ap-
pointed saviors indignantly spurn the base bour-
Speaking of revolutions, some of the most
geois notion of going quietly to work. Yes, important have been the quietest. A couple of
it is a mad world; mad, indeed.
weeks ago a genuine revolution took place with-
out anybody paying much attention to it. Those
The Cold, Gray Dawn of the Morning After
who may have looked in at the Coliseum in
I cannot, said Burke, draw indictment against Chicago during the All-American Exposition
a nation. Nor can we diagnose the ailment of a and have seen the quiet little conference going
world. It is a mad world from one aspect, but on in one corner between a group of men and
from another it is a rapidly sobering world. women representing the music industries and
When British labor declines to wander down the musical profession may not have thought
the ways of "direct action" to a Bolshevist that a revolution was being accomplished. Yet
paradise on the Russian plan we may well take it was even so. For the first time in the history
heart of grace. When the misguided Boston of the trade a beginning has been made towards
WRIGHT-PLAYER-ACTION
DISTINGUISHED BY THE CLASS OF PIANOS
IN WHICH IT IS FOUND
DURABLE, RESPONSIVE and ACCESSIBLE
BUILT ON THE UNIT SYSTEM
II7nir«IIT
O
CAMO
r*£~\
THE PLAYERCRAFTERS OF
W K l L i r i l Cfc oUINo LAJ., WORCESTER,
MASS.
getting together representative musicians with
men of the music trades for the definite pur-
pose of promoting the cause of music in general.
Some of the discussions were extremely instruc-
tive from more than one point of view. The
musicians present, who included some eminent
and very well-known exponents of the art, heard
some things which were doubtless quite new to
them. They were told, among other things,
that the attitude of the musical profession to-
wards the piano trade had always been super-
cilious to a degree and that the ignorance of
pianists about piano construction and tone pro-
duction is shocking. They also heard that the
player-piano can be, and in truth is, one of the
most potent of weapons for music education
and that to attack it or sneer at it is the height
of absurdity, but it was not all a matter of mu-
tual "bawling out." Plans were put forward and
have been set in operation already whereby
the activities of the important national musical
societies are in a fair way to be brought into
healthy co-operation with the music promotional
activities of the music industries.
Verbum Satis Sapientibus
Which is Latin, cari amici, and means in
brief, "nuff sed." Two piano makers were talk-
ing a while ago. Said one, "I have my whole
output sold for the next three months and have
stopped taking orders. 1 need 300 player ac-
tions a month. There are just twenty-six ac-
tions in the factory this morning, the last prom-
ised shipment is still in the maker's factory, ap-
parently, and the Lord only knows where I am
to get any more. It is enough to make a fel-
low wish he were making his own player ac-
tions." Said the other: "You're out of luck with
that talk. There are a dozen inventors running
around town this very day hoping that some
misguided person will give them a few thousands
to throw away on experimental player actions.
But, oh man! have a care how you fool with
them. The easiest thing in the world to get,
if you have money, is a man with an idea about
players and a scheme for making them in your
factory. The hardest thing in the whole world
to get is a player action which you can sell to
your dealers. Stick to what you are get-
ting from the fellows who have been through all
the trouble and have produced something you
can sell and be happy with. Don't go running
after a will-o'-the-wisp." Our second friend was
right. Even if you cannot get stock when you
want it don't repine. Some day you will be
wondering, perhaps, how to get rid of the stock
accumulated on your floors. Meanwhile be
patient and don't borrow trouble. And when
you decide to build your own player action hire
an engineer and not a crank inventor!
UTOPIANO COMPANY?
AVZ.B.KUTCH »r
>* THE HUDSON tt*-=~~
3 U t , STREET -NEW YORK—
THE
SEPTEMBER 27, 1919
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
lff^lffStffrSlff^R^lff^ffTSilff^i^^
Being the Observations, Wise and Otherwise, of the Altruistic Philosopher of
The Review's Staff, to Wit, the Editor of This Player Section, on Things of
Import and Weight, Albeit Presented in a Frolicsome, Colloquial Manner
"A Mad World, My Masters"
policemen find themselves deserted by the de-
cent public opinion of a whole-nation we may
rightly feel relieved. When business men, like
our piano friends in Ohio the other day, spend
their time and money to get together in an
earnest endeavor to clean their trade house and
set their business affairs in order before a world
grown ever more critical of honesty we may
feel that things are not so bad as they seem.
When we realize that through all the smoke and
noise of economic and political strife the world
is really trying hard to recover itself we may
rightly feel heartened. When we keep in mind
the plain fact that the world has been for a year
past trying to recover from the most tremen-
dous fit of madness it has ever witnessed we
shall perhaps be inclined to charity in our judg-
ment of present performances. When we recog-
nize, lastly, that whatever any other nation may
have in the way of problems the destinies of the
United States are in the hands of the majority,
who have only to know and use their power,
then we shall surely know that the only needful
thing is to forget the past and press forward
towards a general reconstruction of economic,
industrial and social life on a basis broader and
better than ever.
To one who remembers the ancient and sim-
ple days of yore when, as we heard it put the
other day, "legs were a treat," the whirligig of
the world is mad enough in all conscience. A
market which would be perfectly lovely for all
concerned if those who are overwhelmed with
orders for their goods could only get materials
wherewith to make them. A world in which
what calls itself "Labor" follows the bad ex-
ample of what calls itself "Capital," and tries
to excel its teacher. A world in which minori-
ties threaten to seize the reins of society and
enforce their will on majorities by violent meth-
ods.
A world which talks of democracy but
fails to see that democracy means the recogni-
tion of every man's rights as well as the right-
ing of every man's wrongs. A world wherein
the place of public attention is held by groups
who, as Chesterton says, can conceive the world
only as a crisis and never as a commonwealth. A
world where the cost of living mounts even
higher while the only remedy possible, which
is more production, is deliberately flouted by
men who would rule society without the least
understanding of the most elementary eco-
nomics. A world which is filled with noise and
A Musical Revolution
words and recriminations, but whose self-ap-
pointed saviors indignantly spurn the base bour-
Speaking of revolutions, some of the most
geois notion of going quietly to work. Yes, important have been the quietest. A couple of
it is a mad world; mad, indeed.
weeks ago a genuine revolution took place with-
out anybody paying much attention to it. Those
The Cold, Gray Dawn of the Morning After
who may have looked in at the Coliseum in
I cannot, said Burke, draw indictment against Chicago during the All-American Exposition
a nation. Nor can we diagnose the ailment of a and have seen the quiet little conference going
world. It is a mad world from one aspect, but on in one corner between a group of men and
from another it is a rapidly sobering world. women representing the music industries and
When British labor declines to wander down the musical profession may not have thought
the ways of "direct action" to a Bolshevist that a revolution was being accomplished. Yet
paradise on the Russian plan we may well take it was even so. For the first time in the history
heart of grace. When the misguided Boston of the trade a beginning has been made towards
WRIGHT-PLAYER-ACTION
DISTINGUISHED BY THE CLASS OF PIANOS
IN WHICH IT IS FOUND
DURABLE, RESPONSIVE and ACCESSIBLE
BUILT ON THE UNIT SYSTEM
II7nir«IIT
O
CAMO
r*£~\
THE PLAYERCRAFTERS OF
W K l L i r i l Cfc oUINo LAJ., WORCESTER,
MASS.
getting together representative musicians with
men of the music trades for the definite pur-
pose of promoting the cause of music in general.
Some of the discussions were extremely instruc-
tive from more than one point of view. The
musicians present, who included some eminent
and very well-known exponents of the art, heard
some things which were doubtless quite new to
them. They were told, among other things,
that the attitude of the musical profession to-
wards the piano trade had always been super-
cilious to a degree and that the ignorance of
pianists about piano construction and tone pro-
duction is shocking. They also heard that the
player-piano can be, and in truth is, one of the
most potent of weapons for music education
and that to attack it or sneer at it is the height
of absurdity, but it was not all a matter of mu-
tual "bawling out." Plans were put forward and
have been set in operation already whereby
the activities of the important national musical
societies are in a fair way to be brought into
healthy co-operation with the music promotional
activities of the music industries.
Verbum Satis Sapientibus
Which is Latin, cari amici, and means in
brief, "nuff sed." Two piano makers were talk-
ing a while ago. Said one, "I have my whole
output sold for the next three months and have
stopped taking orders. 1 need 300 player ac-
tions a month. There are just twenty-six ac-
tions in the factory this morning, the last prom-
ised shipment is still in the maker's factory, ap-
parently, and the Lord only knows where I am
to get any more. It is enough to make a fel-
low wish he were making his own player ac-
tions." Said the other: "You're out of luck with
that talk. There are a dozen inventors running
around town this very day hoping that some
misguided person will give them a few thousands
to throw away on experimental player actions.
But, oh man! have a care how you fool with
them. The easiest thing in the world to get,
if you have money, is a man with an idea about
players and a scheme for making them in your
factory. The hardest thing in the whole world
to get is a player action which you can sell to
your dealers. Stick to what you are get-
ting from the fellows who have been through all
the trouble and have produced something you
can sell and be happy with. Don't go running
after a will-o'-the-wisp." Our second friend was
right. Even if you cannot get stock when you
want it don't repine. Some day you will be
wondering, perhaps, how to get rid of the stock
accumulated on your floors. Meanwhile be
patient and don't borrow trouble. And when
you decide to build your own player action hire
an engineer and not a crank inventor!
UTOPIANO COMPANY?
AVZ.B.KUTCH »r
>* THE HUDSON tt*-=~~
3 U t , STREET -NEW YORK—
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