Music Trade Review

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Traugott Weber Honored
by Chicago Piano Club
Feted on Occasion of Fiftieth Anniversary in
Music Business—First Taste of Music Was
on a Hohner Harmonica
CHICAGO, lu.., April 29.—The Chicago I'iano
Club paid tribute to-day to Traugott Weber,
of Meyer & Weber, well-known piano man of
the city, in honor of his fifty-fifth anniversary
as a member of the music industry. The regu
lar meeting of the club, held at the Illinois
Athletic Club, was dedicated to Mr. Weber,
and prominent members of the local trade
testified to his integrity and business ability
as a piano merchant. The club itself presented
him with a testimonial in honor of his achieve-
ments and work in trade and Association mat-
ters. Mr. Weber responded in giving concrete
evidence that he is still a music enthusiast b>
playing a number of selections on a Hohner
harmonica, the first instrument that he played
some fifty-five years ago.
Mr. Weber entered the trade at the age of
13 in 1874 when he got his first job as an er-
rand boy with Gibbons & Stone in Rochester,
N. Y. While learning the trade, he began to
study music. Five years later he went to New
York and joined J. & S. Fischer as a tuner and
after mastering the tuning business worked foi
a number of years with Hardman Peck & Co.
He later came to Chicago and worked for
Reed's Temple of Music, tuning and selling
pianos. All during this time, however, he was
studying music assiduously and making many
attempts to express his musical ability. An
interesting incident was a trial at Harry
Miner's Theatre, New York, which was to take
him on a theatrical career instead of a piano
merchant's and it was at this time that he
demonstrated his prowess in playing the har-
monica, violin, guitar, and other stringed in-
struments.
The engagement, however, was
short-lived and he went back to tuning pianos
and turned his thoughts to business again.
After five years of experience in Chicago and
watching the growth of the city, he entered into
business in 1890 with Carl Meyer. Since that
time Mr. Weber has catered to a personal fol-
lowing who bought instruments because of the
sterling service which he rendered. For many
years the house of Meyer & Weber stood
quietly and modestly on Wabash avenue, amid
the adventures and sometimes wrecks of more
noisy but less sound competitors.
A number of years ago, when the Boulevard
Link Bridge was opened, the company moved
to the present quarters in a handsome store at
the new gateway of the city's activities on the
near North side. In keeping in personal touch
with his prospects, Mr. Weber is to-day selling
pianos to the third generation of the same fami-
lies he sold when he first entered in business.
New Chicago Corporation
The Wesco Music House, Inc., 1022 Wilson
avenue, Chicago, has been incorporated with
capital stock of $100,000 for the purpose of
dealing in radio sets, accessories, sheet music,
musical instruments, etc. The incorporators are
Edwin H. Wcast, M. Gardner and M. Goldstein.
Nine new directors-at-large were chosen dur-
ing the past week by the Chamber of Com-
merce, Denver, Colo. One of the new directors
is Charles E. Wells, head of the Charles E.
Wells Music Co.
Kiwanis Piano Playing Tournament
Attracts Much Interest in Chicago
Thousands Listen to Interesting Program Rendered by Pupils of West Side Schools
—Prizes Presented by A. G. Gulbransen, Piano Manufacturer
Above—Prize Winners in the Piano-Playing
Contest, and at Right—The Three Judges
C C H O O L children of three West side schools
competed in a piano playing tournament
last week, playing before 5,000 persons at the
Madison Gardens, Madison and Rockwe 1
streets, given under the auspices of the West
side Kiwanis Club of Chicago.
The illustration shows the following win-
ners: Fay Braude, of the Lucy Flower School,
third prize winner; Lillian Weiss, of Marshall
School; Elizabeth Mueller, of the Lucy Flower
School; Morris Wolfe, John Marshall School,
To Hold Style Show
Furniture and Accessories Will Be Exhibited
in Chicago June 29-July 21
CHICACO, ]U.., April 29.—The first annual furni-
ture and accessories style show will be held
under the auspices of the Household Furniture
Institute of America in Grant Park, June 29 to
July 21.
This is the first time in America that such
a display has ever been held. Every effort will
be made to educate the people to a knowledge
of furniture, and it is planned to hold lectures
and exhibits during the afternoon sessions,
while the evening presentations will include an
outdoor spectacle reviewing the trend of the
home from the early stages to the present time.
While the entire exposition is sponsored by
the institute, it will have the support of several
civic and industrial agencies of the city .
Hugh W. Randall, president and manager i)\
the J. B. Bradford Piano Co., Milwaukee, Wis.,
together with Mrs. Randall and their son, Stu-
art, has returned from Biloxi, Miss., where they
spent the past two weeks enjoying a delight-
ful vacation.
li
first prize winner; Arthur !'. Levin, ol Crane
School, second prize winner.
In connection with the piano playing recital
three glee clubs also appeared in competition
and the highest honors went to John Marshall
Glee Club.
Presentation of the prizes was made by A.
G. Gulbransen, president of the Gulbransen Co.,
who was chairman of the special carnival com-
mittee of the Kiwanis Club.
This charity carnival was staged for the bene-
fit of the under-privileged children and voca-
tional guidance work in which the Kiwanis
Club is interested.
The Kiwanians offered a Gulbransen Piano
in connection with the carnival and the winner
of it was Dr. V. P.. Dixon.
BOARDMAN «Sc GRAY
Reproducing (Welte Lie'e) Grand and Up-
right Pianos are pianists' and tuners' favor-
ites for Quality and Durability. Est. 1837.
Art Stylet a Specialty—Send for Catalog
Factory and Wardrooms
7, 9 & 11 Jay St., Albany, N. Y.