Presto
Issue: 1920 1750 - Page 9
February 5, 1920.
PRESTO
UNIQUE TESTIMONIAL TO A
GREAT PIANO INSTRUMENT
pianos, which are hard to get, was reported by Mr.
Gabriel. George Darrell, salesman, is recovering
from a severe cold, which kept him in bed for some
time.
PROMINENT DEALERS SEEN
IN CHICAGO DURING WEEK
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Distinguished Russian
Pianist, in a Letter of Peculiar Signifi-
cance, Calls Mason & Hamlin Piano a
Revelation and an Inspiration.
NEW COMPANY AT ARDMORE, OKLA.
Some Were En Route to Convention, But Others
Simply Bought Pianos.
Very unique, and of unusual interest, is a letter
recently written by the distinguished Russian pi-
anist, Moiseiwitsch, to the Mason & Hamlin Co.
The letter is not only one of great force, in its re-
lation to the quality of the famous Boston piano,
but it is equally unusual in its phraseology, and in
the use of adjectives seldom applied by great artists
even to the -instruments upon which they prove
their powers. Following is the Moiseiwitsch letter:
January 24, 1920.
Mason & Hamlin Co.
Gentlemen: The contribution you are making in
your peerless pianos to the cause of art—consti-
tuting at once an inspiration and a revelation to the
musician—marks an epoch, I believe, of deep sig-
nificance.
New and exquisite effects as to tonal color, qual-
ity, and dynamics are here made possible for com-
poser and interpreter.
I am convinced that the tonal gradations at one's
command as a result—from a virile bravura to a
uniquely delicate pianissimo, ever singing and warm
—complemented by a sensitiveness of mechanism,
not only render the Mason & Hamlin pianos in-
comparable among the instruments of their kind, but
also enhance the scope of music as an art.
With sincere congratulations to you on adhering
so unswervingly to your ideal, and with keen appre-
ciation of your inestimable service to Music, believe
me,
Very truly yours,
(Signed) BENNO MOISEIWITSCH.
The points brought out in that communication
are as forceful as they are unusual. It is the enthu-
siasm of an artist in the means of expressing his
art. And in the statement that the effects passible
to the Mason & Hamlin piano are "new," there is
a compliment exceeding anything that has appeared
in a very long time. It would be impossible, in
fact, for any compliment to go farther than the
words of the Russian artist, when he declares that
"because of the tonal gradations at one's command
in this instrument, the scope of music as an art is
increased and enhanced."
Those are points of peculiar force equalled, we
believe, by nothing that has come to notice of the
pianistic world in aoy testimonial from any other
artist. It is more than possible that the Moisei-
witsch letter, on the Mason & Hamlin piano, is
one that will find a permanent place in the annals
of the American piano.
Homer L. Boyd, of Ardmore, Okla., has organized
a stock company in that city for the sale of musical
goods and phonographs, etc.. to be known as Boyd
Phonograph & Music Co., Inc. The capital stock is
$10,000 and the officers are C. W. Rollins, president;
J. A. Bodovitz, vice-president; Homer L. Boyd, sec-
retary and treasurer. All the members are citizens
of Ardmore, the "gateway to the Healdton oil
fields." The company has not yet opened a store
because of the impossibility of finding a suitable
location but will maintain a wareroom, operate
trucks and carry instruments direct to the homes of
prospects and customers,
prospective customers.
C. M. RANDALL IN INSURANCE.
C. M- Randall, who for many years was a leading
retail piano salesman for Hallet & Davis instru-
ments in Chicago, returned some time ago to his
former business, insurance, and is now w r ith Joyce
& Company in the Rookery building, Chicago, in-
surance brokers. He has placed all the insurance
for .Wynian, Babb & Co., including that on their
five autos, their plate glass and on all the stock in
their several talking machine stores.
The Conley Company, Richmond, Va., is a whole-
sale and retail distributor for a line of band instru-
ments. A full line of string and orchestral instru-
ments is also carried.
Herman Mueller, head of the Mueller Music Com-
pany, Elkader, Iowa, was in Chicago Friday of last
week ordering pianos and playerpianos from manu-
facturers.
A. G. Ogrcn, piano dealer of Rockford, 111., was
in Chicago on Friday. He left substantial orders
for goods.
T. R. Griffith, of West Union, Iowa, was in Chi-
cago on Friday. He also ordered liberally of new
goods.
R. D. Gaston and Charles Gaston, of the Gaston
Music Company, Hastings, Neb., were in Chicago
Friday of last week en route to the piano dealers'
convention in New York.
Forest Trayler, manager of the Castner-Knott
Dry Goods Company, Nashville, Tenn., was in Chi-
cago on Friday last on his way to New York to at-
tend the piano merchants' convention this week.
W. H. McConnell, of Boggs & Buhl, Pittsburgh,
Pa., was in Chicago this week ordering pianos and
playerpianos for that great store.
C. S. Wolcott, of the Wolcott Music House, South
Bend, Ind., was in Chicago, Saturday. He left large
orders for goods.
W. F. Schwentker, piano merchant of Evansvilie,
Ind., was in Chicago Saturday and left orders for
a large number of playerpianos and pianos.
Glenn Oyloe, piano dealer, of Ossian, Iowa, was
in Chicago on Saturday last and ordered pianos for
his trade.
Q R S PATCHES
GOES AFTER AN APPLE
BUSH & LANE PIANO CO.'S
CHANGES IN PORTLAND, ORE.
Old Employes Shipped to New Positions in Other
Cities on the Pacific Coast.
There has been a decided shakeup in the local
Bush & Lane Piano Co.'s personnel.
Erwin
Erenyi, who has been with this company ever since
it has been in its new location and a considerable
time before that, has gone to Seattle where he will
have a similar position, that of sales manager in the
Bush & Lane house in that city. Herbert Smith of
Seattle takes Mr. Erenyi's place in Portland.
James L. Loder, manager of the talking machine
department, has gone to San Francisco as manager
of the Sonora phonograph shop of that city. E. C.
C. Johnston of the San Francisco house has Mr.
Loder's place in Portland. Both Mr. Erenyi and
Mr. Loder are well known and highly esteemed in
Portland and the best wishes of many friends go
with them to their new locations.
The Bush & Lane Piano Co. gave a banquet at
the Multnomah Hotel on the evening of December
27. About 45 people were present. Violin solos,
piano solos, songs and dancing contributed to the
pleasure of the evening. A delicious banquet was
served.
A handsome Bush & Lane Welte Mignon, style
18, has been purchased by a state institution at
Salem, Oregon, from the Portland branch of the
Bush & Lane Piano Co.
Too bad to have someone crazy for a Mason &
Hamlin concert grand and not to have one in stock,
but that is what happened to E. E. Gabriel of the
Wiley B. Allen Co. this week. Instead of lamenting
over it he sold a beautiful Mason & Hamlin parlor
grand for cash to the customer. Four Wellington
pianos were also sold this week by Mr. Gabriel and
a few more grands. A big demand for second hand
Here is Patches astride the orchard fence reach-
ing for a luscious apple. This Q R S Roll picture is
now a window decoration in the W. F. Frederick
Piano Company's window in Pittsburgh, Pa. All
day long the shifting crowds come and go despite
the wintry blasts to gaze into this beautiful win-
dow.
Knabe and Hardman pianos share in the adver-
tisement. The fence on which Patches is perched
is typical of many an orchard enclosure in the rural
districts of this or almost any other country—giv-
ing the scene a universal appeal in reviving memo-
ries of the days of real sport. The half-obliterated
bill announcing some "doings" at the Town Hall
at the left of the picture reminds the writer of the
outside condition of the courthouse at Lafayette,
Ind., as it appeared some twelve or fourteen years
ago.
Impressions like that will stick in the mem-
ory long after the appearance of the best hotel, the
best theater or the latest monument erected in a city
will be forgotten. Like Banquo's Ghost, they will
not down.
Patches, on the other hand,, leaves anything but
an unpleasant memory. Like Huckleberry Finn, he
is so natural that the whole world is refreshed by
his presence.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
UNIQUE TESTIMONIAL TO A
GREAT PIANO INSTRUMENT
pianos, which are hard to get, was reported by Mr.
Gabriel. George Darrell, salesman, is recovering
from a severe cold, which kept him in bed for some
time.
PROMINENT DEALERS SEEN
IN CHICAGO DURING WEEK
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Distinguished Russian
Pianist, in a Letter of Peculiar Signifi-
cance, Calls Mason & Hamlin Piano a
Revelation and an Inspiration.
NEW COMPANY AT ARDMORE, OKLA.
Some Were En Route to Convention, But Others
Simply Bought Pianos.
Very unique, and of unusual interest, is a letter
recently written by the distinguished Russian pi-
anist, Moiseiwitsch, to the Mason & Hamlin Co.
The letter is not only one of great force, in its re-
lation to the quality of the famous Boston piano,
but it is equally unusual in its phraseology, and in
the use of adjectives seldom applied by great artists
even to the -instruments upon which they prove
their powers. Following is the Moiseiwitsch letter:
January 24, 1920.
Mason & Hamlin Co.
Gentlemen: The contribution you are making in
your peerless pianos to the cause of art—consti-
tuting at once an inspiration and a revelation to the
musician—marks an epoch, I believe, of deep sig-
nificance.
New and exquisite effects as to tonal color, qual-
ity, and dynamics are here made possible for com-
poser and interpreter.
I am convinced that the tonal gradations at one's
command as a result—from a virile bravura to a
uniquely delicate pianissimo, ever singing and warm
—complemented by a sensitiveness of mechanism,
not only render the Mason & Hamlin pianos in-
comparable among the instruments of their kind, but
also enhance the scope of music as an art.
With sincere congratulations to you on adhering
so unswervingly to your ideal, and with keen appre-
ciation of your inestimable service to Music, believe
me,
Very truly yours,
(Signed) BENNO MOISEIWITSCH.
The points brought out in that communication
are as forceful as they are unusual. It is the enthu-
siasm of an artist in the means of expressing his
art. And in the statement that the effects passible
to the Mason & Hamlin piano are "new," there is
a compliment exceeding anything that has appeared
in a very long time. It would be impossible, in
fact, for any compliment to go farther than the
words of the Russian artist, when he declares that
"because of the tonal gradations at one's command
in this instrument, the scope of music as an art is
increased and enhanced."
Those are points of peculiar force equalled, we
believe, by nothing that has come to notice of the
pianistic world in aoy testimonial from any other
artist. It is more than possible that the Moisei-
witsch letter, on the Mason & Hamlin piano, is
one that will find a permanent place in the annals
of the American piano.
Homer L. Boyd, of Ardmore, Okla., has organized
a stock company in that city for the sale of musical
goods and phonographs, etc.. to be known as Boyd
Phonograph & Music Co., Inc. The capital stock is
$10,000 and the officers are C. W. Rollins, president;
J. A. Bodovitz, vice-president; Homer L. Boyd, sec-
retary and treasurer. All the members are citizens
of Ardmore, the "gateway to the Healdton oil
fields." The company has not yet opened a store
because of the impossibility of finding a suitable
location but will maintain a wareroom, operate
trucks and carry instruments direct to the homes of
prospects and customers,
prospective customers.
C. M. RANDALL IN INSURANCE.
C. M- Randall, who for many years was a leading
retail piano salesman for Hallet & Davis instru-
ments in Chicago, returned some time ago to his
former business, insurance, and is now w r ith Joyce
& Company in the Rookery building, Chicago, in-
surance brokers. He has placed all the insurance
for .Wynian, Babb & Co., including that on their
five autos, their plate glass and on all the stock in
their several talking machine stores.
The Conley Company, Richmond, Va., is a whole-
sale and retail distributor for a line of band instru-
ments. A full line of string and orchestral instru-
ments is also carried.
Herman Mueller, head of the Mueller Music Com-
pany, Elkader, Iowa, was in Chicago Friday of last
week ordering pianos and playerpianos from manu-
facturers.
A. G. Ogrcn, piano dealer of Rockford, 111., was
in Chicago on Friday. He left substantial orders
for goods.
T. R. Griffith, of West Union, Iowa, was in Chi-
cago on Friday. He also ordered liberally of new
goods.
R. D. Gaston and Charles Gaston, of the Gaston
Music Company, Hastings, Neb., were in Chicago
Friday of last week en route to the piano dealers'
convention in New York.
Forest Trayler, manager of the Castner-Knott
Dry Goods Company, Nashville, Tenn., was in Chi-
cago on Friday last on his way to New York to at-
tend the piano merchants' convention this week.
W. H. McConnell, of Boggs & Buhl, Pittsburgh,
Pa., was in Chicago this week ordering pianos and
playerpianos for that great store.
C. S. Wolcott, of the Wolcott Music House, South
Bend, Ind., was in Chicago, Saturday. He left large
orders for goods.
W. F. Schwentker, piano merchant of Evansvilie,
Ind., was in Chicago Saturday and left orders for
a large number of playerpianos and pianos.
Glenn Oyloe, piano dealer, of Ossian, Iowa, was
in Chicago on Saturday last and ordered pianos for
his trade.
Q R S PATCHES
GOES AFTER AN APPLE
BUSH & LANE PIANO CO.'S
CHANGES IN PORTLAND, ORE.
Old Employes Shipped to New Positions in Other
Cities on the Pacific Coast.
There has been a decided shakeup in the local
Bush & Lane Piano Co.'s personnel.
Erwin
Erenyi, who has been with this company ever since
it has been in its new location and a considerable
time before that, has gone to Seattle where he will
have a similar position, that of sales manager in the
Bush & Lane house in that city. Herbert Smith of
Seattle takes Mr. Erenyi's place in Portland.
James L. Loder, manager of the talking machine
department, has gone to San Francisco as manager
of the Sonora phonograph shop of that city. E. C.
C. Johnston of the San Francisco house has Mr.
Loder's place in Portland. Both Mr. Erenyi and
Mr. Loder are well known and highly esteemed in
Portland and the best wishes of many friends go
with them to their new locations.
The Bush & Lane Piano Co. gave a banquet at
the Multnomah Hotel on the evening of December
27. About 45 people were present. Violin solos,
piano solos, songs and dancing contributed to the
pleasure of the evening. A delicious banquet was
served.
A handsome Bush & Lane Welte Mignon, style
18, has been purchased by a state institution at
Salem, Oregon, from the Portland branch of the
Bush & Lane Piano Co.
Too bad to have someone crazy for a Mason &
Hamlin concert grand and not to have one in stock,
but that is what happened to E. E. Gabriel of the
Wiley B. Allen Co. this week. Instead of lamenting
over it he sold a beautiful Mason & Hamlin parlor
grand for cash to the customer. Four Wellington
pianos were also sold this week by Mr. Gabriel and
a few more grands. A big demand for second hand
Here is Patches astride the orchard fence reach-
ing for a luscious apple. This Q R S Roll picture is
now a window decoration in the W. F. Frederick
Piano Company's window in Pittsburgh, Pa. All
day long the shifting crowds come and go despite
the wintry blasts to gaze into this beautiful win-
dow.
Knabe and Hardman pianos share in the adver-
tisement. The fence on which Patches is perched
is typical of many an orchard enclosure in the rural
districts of this or almost any other country—giv-
ing the scene a universal appeal in reviving memo-
ries of the days of real sport. The half-obliterated
bill announcing some "doings" at the Town Hall
at the left of the picture reminds the writer of the
outside condition of the courthouse at Lafayette,
Ind., as it appeared some twelve or fourteen years
ago.
Impressions like that will stick in the mem-
ory long after the appearance of the best hotel, the
best theater or the latest monument erected in a city
will be forgotten. Like Banquo's Ghost, they will
not down.
Patches, on the other hand,, leaves anything but
an unpleasant memory. Like Huckleberry Finn, he
is so natural that the whole world is refreshed by
his presence.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).