Music Trade Review
Issue: 1945 Vol. 104 N. 8 - Page 30
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
John R. Dubbs
With the passing of John R. Hubbs
at his Beverly Hills home (Chicago)
Saturday, July 7th, another of the few
remaining links connecting Lyon &
Healy, Inc., Chicago, of today with its
earlier associations, was severed. And
with him, there passed, perhaps, a
great store of unwritten knowledge of
most of the famous violins, cellos, vi-
olas and basses wrought by the old
masters.
In his late teens, in 1891, John R.
Dubbs came to work the sheet music
counters of this thriving music com-
pany. Patrick Healy, one of the foun-
ders, soon learned that young Dubbs
was immensely interested in the violin.
So he was given his chance to make a
study of and work with those mellowed
old instruments of Ctradivarius, Guar-
nerius, Amati, Bergonzi and Guadag-
nini. That he proved himself such an
apt student of the luthier's art was
rewarded when a vacancy occurred and
he was made head of the Rare Old
Violin Department.
In that capacity he was sent to the
music centers of the Old World for
further study of rare instruments'—
and to purchase—the finer examples of
Italian, German and French masters.
Over a period of years, the treasure-
hunting Dubbs came in contact with
the leading dealers in London, Paris,
Leipzig, Marknenkirchen, Berlin, Cre-
mona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Vienna,
Bremen, Bonn and Dresden.
It has been said that John Dubbs
knew intimately and had handled prac-
tically every rare old violin in exist-
ence.
Through his great acquisition of
knowledge of violins, Lyon & Healy
was enabled to purchase the complete
Partello Collection which had at one
time been bequeathed to the Smithson-
ian Institution in Washington. An-
other famous group of instruments
which Dubbs bought for Lyon & Healy
was the Hawley Collection.
Several years ago, a highly-treas-
ured Guadagnini was stolen from the
dressing room of Efrem Zimbalist dur-
ing the curtai ncalls of his San Fran-
cisco concert. A few days later, -the
violin was brought to Mr. Dubb's office
in Chicago for an appraisal. The cul-
prit had walked into his own trap.
The uncanny Dubbs immediately recog-
nized the instrument as the one which
had disappeared from San Francisco
and fenced for time by telling the new
"owner" that it would require several
30
days to make a complete appraisal.
When he came back for the violin the
true ownership and identity of the in-
strument had been established and the
trespasser was escorted elsewhere "to
mend his ways."
In his immediate family circle, he is
survived by his wife, Margaret; three
daughters, Mrs. Margaret Hermes and
Mrs. Eugenie Travis, Joliet, Illinois,
and Mrs. Helen Church; two sons, Ben-
ton E. Dubbs, Kokomo, Indiana, and
S/Sgt. John R. Dubbs, Jr., assigned
to Camp Crowder, Missouri. Inter-
ment was in Mt. Greenwood Cemetery.
TUNING SCHOOL
(Continued from page 291
ods will be used in my course. Re-
turning to Clearfield I began as an
independent tuner. In 17 years my
business has grown far beyond the
capacity of one man. The scarcity of
good tuners came to my attention in
MAN POWER
WANTED
First Class Tuner & Action Man
Top Salary and percentage.
Permanent
position and opportunity to have charge
of large shop.
Levy-Page, Temple of Music,
Steinway House, P. O. B 516. Norfolk, Va.
TUNER OPPORTUNITY
We have an ooening for a competent
tuner and repairman. Good salary. Per-
manent. Fine air-conditioned, well lighted
shop. Our community is situated in the
lovely Spokane Valley, where you may, if
you wish, have a garden, chickens, cow,
etc. Nice moderate climate. Lakes and
Fishing Streams galore. Write—Powers
Piano Co., Veradale, Washington.
Piano Tuner Wanted
Piano tuner and repair man for permanent
position . Give experience and references.
Write: Siegling Music House, 243 King
Street, Charleston 7, S. C.
Wanted At Once
Fine tuners and expert action regulators
wanted by Los Angeles largest music
house. Permanent job—good salary. Write
giving full references. Birkel-Richardson
Music Co., 726-730 W. 7th Street, Los
Angeles 14, California.
1937 when I opened a music store and
started looking for someone to take
over part of my work. No tuners were
available so I trained one. Others
became interested and the school is the
result."
.
A.
Milwaukee Dealers Want
Music Section in Daily Papers
Milwaukee piano and music mer-
chants are attempting to have the Mil-
waukee newspapers set aside a defin-
ite section of the daily papers for
news of music and musicians—to give
it treatment similar to that accorded
society, sports, financial, automobile,
etc. They feel, to quote from their
letters:
"This method would be considerably
better than the method of scattering
such news thru the paper and would
also encourage an increased interest
on the part of the music reporter to
increase the size of his section and
also make it interesting."
They have asked dealers in other
cities, members of the NAMM, to se-
cure copies of newspapers which de-
vote a special section or regular loca-
tions to music. If the newspapers in
cities where dealers ar elocated pub-
lish a segregated music section, Nor-
bert Melhoff, 51st and West North
Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis., would like
to receive a copy, Sunday or midwest
edition.
SALESMANSHIP
(Continued
from
page
21)
spirit in which he carries out his
ideals.
Salesman Should Study Himself
"A salesman should subject his sell-
ing methods, sales tactics and selling
habits to analysis to see if they con-
tain any discourteous gestures that
might lose the prospect's confidence.
He should study himself in a spirit of
ruthless criticism and eliminate those
little weaknesses of manner which oft-
times spell the difference between fail-
ure and success. Courtesy, common
sense and consideration oil the machin-
ery of human progress."
Mr. Wylie from 1917 was a travel-
ing man for 25 years during which he
says he sold 50,000 new Baldwin pi-
anos. For the past three years he has
been conducting his own business with
splendid success. His store is modern
with ample room for pianos and win-
dows which permit enticing arrange-
ments. He is active in the musical
circles of Fargo and his promotion
letters are known throughout a wide
territory surrounding the city for their
soundness. During the war he has been
reconditioning and selling used pianos
in like manner to many other dealers
throughout the country.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1945
John R. Dubbs
With the passing of John R. Hubbs
at his Beverly Hills home (Chicago)
Saturday, July 7th, another of the few
remaining links connecting Lyon &
Healy, Inc., Chicago, of today with its
earlier associations, was severed. And
with him, there passed, perhaps, a
great store of unwritten knowledge of
most of the famous violins, cellos, vi-
olas and basses wrought by the old
masters.
In his late teens, in 1891, John R.
Dubbs came to work the sheet music
counters of this thriving music com-
pany. Patrick Healy, one of the foun-
ders, soon learned that young Dubbs
was immensely interested in the violin.
So he was given his chance to make a
study of and work with those mellowed
old instruments of Ctradivarius, Guar-
nerius, Amati, Bergonzi and Guadag-
nini. That he proved himself such an
apt student of the luthier's art was
rewarded when a vacancy occurred and
he was made head of the Rare Old
Violin Department.
In that capacity he was sent to the
music centers of the Old World for
further study of rare instruments'—
and to purchase—the finer examples of
Italian, German and French masters.
Over a period of years, the treasure-
hunting Dubbs came in contact with
the leading dealers in London, Paris,
Leipzig, Marknenkirchen, Berlin, Cre-
mona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Vienna,
Bremen, Bonn and Dresden.
It has been said that John Dubbs
knew intimately and had handled prac-
tically every rare old violin in exist-
ence.
Through his great acquisition of
knowledge of violins, Lyon & Healy
was enabled to purchase the complete
Partello Collection which had at one
time been bequeathed to the Smithson-
ian Institution in Washington. An-
other famous group of instruments
which Dubbs bought for Lyon & Healy
was the Hawley Collection.
Several years ago, a highly-treas-
ured Guadagnini was stolen from the
dressing room of Efrem Zimbalist dur-
ing the curtai ncalls of his San Fran-
cisco concert. A few days later, -the
violin was brought to Mr. Dubb's office
in Chicago for an appraisal. The cul-
prit had walked into his own trap.
The uncanny Dubbs immediately recog-
nized the instrument as the one which
had disappeared from San Francisco
and fenced for time by telling the new
"owner" that it would require several
30
days to make a complete appraisal.
When he came back for the violin the
true ownership and identity of the in-
strument had been established and the
trespasser was escorted elsewhere "to
mend his ways."
In his immediate family circle, he is
survived by his wife, Margaret; three
daughters, Mrs. Margaret Hermes and
Mrs. Eugenie Travis, Joliet, Illinois,
and Mrs. Helen Church; two sons, Ben-
ton E. Dubbs, Kokomo, Indiana, and
S/Sgt. John R. Dubbs, Jr., assigned
to Camp Crowder, Missouri. Inter-
ment was in Mt. Greenwood Cemetery.
TUNING SCHOOL
(Continued from page 291
ods will be used in my course. Re-
turning to Clearfield I began as an
independent tuner. In 17 years my
business has grown far beyond the
capacity of one man. The scarcity of
good tuners came to my attention in
MAN POWER
WANTED
First Class Tuner & Action Man
Top Salary and percentage.
Permanent
position and opportunity to have charge
of large shop.
Levy-Page, Temple of Music,
Steinway House, P. O. B 516. Norfolk, Va.
TUNER OPPORTUNITY
We have an ooening for a competent
tuner and repairman. Good salary. Per-
manent. Fine air-conditioned, well lighted
shop. Our community is situated in the
lovely Spokane Valley, where you may, if
you wish, have a garden, chickens, cow,
etc. Nice moderate climate. Lakes and
Fishing Streams galore. Write—Powers
Piano Co., Veradale, Washington.
Piano Tuner Wanted
Piano tuner and repair man for permanent
position . Give experience and references.
Write: Siegling Music House, 243 King
Street, Charleston 7, S. C.
Wanted At Once
Fine tuners and expert action regulators
wanted by Los Angeles largest music
house. Permanent job—good salary. Write
giving full references. Birkel-Richardson
Music Co., 726-730 W. 7th Street, Los
Angeles 14, California.
1937 when I opened a music store and
started looking for someone to take
over part of my work. No tuners were
available so I trained one. Others
became interested and the school is the
result."
.
A.
Milwaukee Dealers Want
Music Section in Daily Papers
Milwaukee piano and music mer-
chants are attempting to have the Mil-
waukee newspapers set aside a defin-
ite section of the daily papers for
news of music and musicians—to give
it treatment similar to that accorded
society, sports, financial, automobile,
etc. They feel, to quote from their
letters:
"This method would be considerably
better than the method of scattering
such news thru the paper and would
also encourage an increased interest
on the part of the music reporter to
increase the size of his section and
also make it interesting."
They have asked dealers in other
cities, members of the NAMM, to se-
cure copies of newspapers which de-
vote a special section or regular loca-
tions to music. If the newspapers in
cities where dealers ar elocated pub-
lish a segregated music section, Nor-
bert Melhoff, 51st and West North
Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis., would like
to receive a copy, Sunday or midwest
edition.
SALESMANSHIP
(Continued
from
page
21)
spirit in which he carries out his
ideals.
Salesman Should Study Himself
"A salesman should subject his sell-
ing methods, sales tactics and selling
habits to analysis to see if they con-
tain any discourteous gestures that
might lose the prospect's confidence.
He should study himself in a spirit of
ruthless criticism and eliminate those
little weaknesses of manner which oft-
times spell the difference between fail-
ure and success. Courtesy, common
sense and consideration oil the machin-
ery of human progress."
Mr. Wylie from 1917 was a travel-
ing man for 25 years during which he
says he sold 50,000 new Baldwin pi-
anos. For the past three years he has
been conducting his own business with
splendid success. His store is modern
with ample room for pianos and win-
dows which permit enticing arrange-
ments. He is active in the musical
circles of Fargo and his promotion
letters are known throughout a wide
territory surrounding the city for their
soundness. During the war he has been
reconditioning and selling used pianos
in like manner to many other dealers
throughout the country.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1945
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