Music Trade Review
Issue: 1940 Vol. 99 N. 10 - Page 12
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
12
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER, 1940
School of
long experience
supervision of his expert father first drew
the scale for a four foot six grand which
during the introduction of small grands in
earlier days won quick recognition. Dur-
ing the player piano era he turned his
attention to the manufacture of player
actions in which he has also become
expert.
The combination of all this experience
naturally led him into designing, the cul-
mination of which has been so success-
fully manifested in the Musette created by
him in 1936 and today one of the most
popular designs in the public eye. The
story has been told before how he and his
brother William, president of the com-
pany, were discussing designs while
waiting for a train and devised the scheme
of suspending the back and plate on four
legs instead of resting on the floor and
thus creating what was known as the 44
Musette. Immediately this piano met with
such public approval that Winter produc-
tion has been steadily growing ever
since its introduction.
Later he developed the scale for the
Lowboy, a 38-inch piano which proved
another popular seller and it was while
working on this that he devised "ways and
means of producing the 34-inch Musette,
then the Resotonic scale. His latest
Henry R. Heller
achievement has been the development
spent in the factory and at that early age of a new action now being used in the
he became an expert chipper.
Musette which is considered by experts
With the mechanical operations of one of the most sensitive and responsive,
manufacturing mastered he soon turned yet most durable and simple actions pro-
to scale drafting and under the careful duced for use in the new type pianos.
Not only has he been active in produc-
ing and designing pianos, but at the same
time has designed and has built many
labor saving devices which are in daily
use in the Winter plant and which not
only save time in manufacturing, but
assure uniformity and accuracy in produc-
tion. Although only 47 years of age,
Henry Heller has crowded many more
years of experience than the average
into that time, owing to his close appli-
cation and love for the business into "which
he was born.
at fifteen years of age and has been
building pianos ever since. First it
was rough tuning, then bellying, action
finishing, regulating and tone regulating.
Even
while in school his summers were
Behind Success of Henry R. Heller,
Creator of the Musette
Piano maker, scale draftsman and de-
signer are titles which have been won by
Henry R. Heller, superintendent of Winter
& Co., New York, through the stern school
of experience which in his case dates back
to the time he was six years old and used
to enjoy holding the straight edge for his
father Gottlieb Heller when he was draw-
ing scales for the then Heller & Co. pianos.
The elder Heller before 1899 had become
a thoroughly experienced piano maker,
having been employed in various de-
partments of some of the leading piano
plants of that day. He had also been con-
sidered a scale draftsman of wide ex-
perience. In 1899 he formed Heller & Co.
which was later absorbed by Winter &
Co. when Mr. Heller and Julius Winter
joined in the manufacture of Winter
pianos. With the advent of the player
piano, he also became an expert in the
manufacture of player actions.
Into this atmosphere Henry Heller was
born. And, even at six years of age he
used to spend much time in the factory
with his father. After an education at
military school, so great was the urge to
leam the business into which he had
been born that he entered the factory
Q7l eiv
SHONINGE
Crippen announces
console player
Style 35 — 36" high
TTPHOLDING the traditions
^ of Shoninger, established in
1850, to produce what oldtime
Shoninger dealers expect, we
have again introduced a new de-
sign, an addition to a line which
already embodies many of to-
day's most popular sellers.
new Style 35 meets in
T HE
every respect in tone, con-
struction, design and finish,—
the requirements of the present
day demand. It has proved to be
one of the fastest selling instru-
ments we have so far produced.
Mr. Dealer: Let Shoninger lead
you to increased sales, also.
NATIONAL PIANO CORPORATION
New York
1200 Broadway
Walter R. Crippen, head of the Crippen
Co., Westpoint Point, Mass., has just an-
nounced a new Crippen Interpretone, a
forty inch foot power player piano
equipped with an entirely new player
action which has been developed during
the past year under his supervision. The
new mechanism has been developed com-
pletely of plastics and accordinging to Mr.
Crippen it is non-metallic, non-corrosive,
non-hygroscopic, non-adjustable a n d
tamper-proof. It is equipped with trans-
parent Lucite valve units. There is no
boring, sawing, shellacing or adjusting
and they come ready to install which is
considered to be a great step forward from
the old methods of construction. During
the heyday of the player piano many
dealers throughout the country handled
the Crippen Interpretone.
12
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER, 1940
School of
long experience
supervision of his expert father first drew
the scale for a four foot six grand which
during the introduction of small grands in
earlier days won quick recognition. Dur-
ing the player piano era he turned his
attention to the manufacture of player
actions in which he has also become
expert.
The combination of all this experience
naturally led him into designing, the cul-
mination of which has been so success-
fully manifested in the Musette created by
him in 1936 and today one of the most
popular designs in the public eye. The
story has been told before how he and his
brother William, president of the com-
pany, were discussing designs while
waiting for a train and devised the scheme
of suspending the back and plate on four
legs instead of resting on the floor and
thus creating what was known as the 44
Musette. Immediately this piano met with
such public approval that Winter produc-
tion has been steadily growing ever
since its introduction.
Later he developed the scale for the
Lowboy, a 38-inch piano which proved
another popular seller and it was while
working on this that he devised "ways and
means of producing the 34-inch Musette,
then the Resotonic scale. His latest
Henry R. Heller
achievement has been the development
spent in the factory and at that early age of a new action now being used in the
he became an expert chipper.
Musette which is considered by experts
With the mechanical operations of one of the most sensitive and responsive,
manufacturing mastered he soon turned yet most durable and simple actions pro-
to scale drafting and under the careful duced for use in the new type pianos.
Not only has he been active in produc-
ing and designing pianos, but at the same
time has designed and has built many
labor saving devices which are in daily
use in the Winter plant and which not
only save time in manufacturing, but
assure uniformity and accuracy in produc-
tion. Although only 47 years of age,
Henry Heller has crowded many more
years of experience than the average
into that time, owing to his close appli-
cation and love for the business into "which
he was born.
at fifteen years of age and has been
building pianos ever since. First it
was rough tuning, then bellying, action
finishing, regulating and tone regulating.
Even
while in school his summers were
Behind Success of Henry R. Heller,
Creator of the Musette
Piano maker, scale draftsman and de-
signer are titles which have been won by
Henry R. Heller, superintendent of Winter
& Co., New York, through the stern school
of experience which in his case dates back
to the time he was six years old and used
to enjoy holding the straight edge for his
father Gottlieb Heller when he was draw-
ing scales for the then Heller & Co. pianos.
The elder Heller before 1899 had become
a thoroughly experienced piano maker,
having been employed in various de-
partments of some of the leading piano
plants of that day. He had also been con-
sidered a scale draftsman of wide ex-
perience. In 1899 he formed Heller & Co.
which was later absorbed by Winter &
Co. when Mr. Heller and Julius Winter
joined in the manufacture of Winter
pianos. With the advent of the player
piano, he also became an expert in the
manufacture of player actions.
Into this atmosphere Henry Heller was
born. And, even at six years of age he
used to spend much time in the factory
with his father. After an education at
military school, so great was the urge to
leam the business into which he had
been born that he entered the factory
Q7l eiv
SHONINGE
Crippen announces
console player
Style 35 — 36" high
TTPHOLDING the traditions
^ of Shoninger, established in
1850, to produce what oldtime
Shoninger dealers expect, we
have again introduced a new de-
sign, an addition to a line which
already embodies many of to-
day's most popular sellers.
new Style 35 meets in
T HE
every respect in tone, con-
struction, design and finish,—
the requirements of the present
day demand. It has proved to be
one of the fastest selling instru-
ments we have so far produced.
Mr. Dealer: Let Shoninger lead
you to increased sales, also.
NATIONAL PIANO CORPORATION
New York
1200 Broadway
Walter R. Crippen, head of the Crippen
Co., Westpoint Point, Mass., has just an-
nounced a new Crippen Interpretone, a
forty inch foot power player piano
equipped with an entirely new player
action which has been developed during
the past year under his supervision. The
new mechanism has been developed com-
pletely of plastics and accordinging to Mr.
Crippen it is non-metallic, non-corrosive,
non-hygroscopic, non-adjustable a n d
tamper-proof. It is equipped with trans-
parent Lucite valve units. There is no
boring, sawing, shellacing or adjusting
and they come ready to install which is
considered to be a great step forward from
the old methods of construction. During
the heyday of the player piano many
dealers throughout the country handled
the Crippen Interpretone.
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