Presto

PRESTO
ADAM SCHAAF DOORS
ATTRACT ATTENTION
Improvements in Chicago's Piano Row Fea-
tured in Big Daily Newspaper Story with
a Special Box Head.
Last Sunday's Chicago Tribune made a feature of
the latest improvements in the Adam Schaaf estab-
lishment, on VVabash avenue. The new "tumble in"
doorways story was displayed, with a box head by
the "world's greatest newspaper," as follows:
"Tumble in" doorways and the individual "listen-
ing rooms" for trying out talking machine records
are two important changes which are slowly but
surely changing the character of Piano Row inte-
riors.
Several years ago every piano house on South
Wabash avenue which could afford it had a "recital
hall," where phonograph concerts were given to sup-
posedly enraptured prospective customers. But in
these days, when talking machines are as common
in the workingman's home as grand pianos on the
Gold Coast, customers • balk at public tests—they
want to try their records in the privacy of an indi-
vidual room.
One of the latest firms to recognize this point in
salesmanship is the Adam Schaaf Piano Company,
319 South Wabash avenue. Four years ago they in-
stalled a ISO-seat recital hall at big expense. Yes-
terday work began on a $40,000 alteration from
plans by George C. Nimmons & Co., architects,
which will turn the hall into fifteen attractive, well
ventilated, luxuriously furnished, soundrproof booths
for trying out talking machine records.
"The Schaaf company also is going to have a com-
plete new entrance put in," said Mr. Nimmons.
"Probably in no other line of business does the kind
of doorway have so important a bearing on sales as
in Piano Row. It must be a sort of 'tumble in'
affair, close to the show r windows, and with no ves-
tibules or corridors to hamper the person who has
just about made up his mind to buy after looking at
the window display. Piano rows experts say that
the 'tumble in' doorways lead to very much larger
sales than the intricate entrances once common."
NEW INCORPORATIONS
IN MUSIC GOODS TRADE
New and Old Concerns Secure Charters in Various
Places.
The Brett Player-Piano Co., Cleveland, Ohio; cap-
ital, $100,000.
Harwood & Wilson, Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla.;
$50,000; B. Wilson, president; R. C. Mitchell, vice-
president; J. W. Harwood, secretary and treasurer.
Boden Music Co., Camden, N. J.; $200,000; to
manufacture musical instruments.
Bravdon & Chapman, Glens Falls, N. Y.; $50,000;
R. J. and A. J. Braydou and F. B. Chapman, Glens
Falls.
The A. B. Smith Piano Co., Akron, O.-, $1,000,000;
A. B. Smith, president; W. L. Meyer, vice-president;
C. A. Mitten, secretary and treasurer.
F. W. CHICKERING IN NORTH.
F. W. Chickering, member of Chickering Bros., of
Chicago, manufacturers of the Acoustigrande instru-
ments, left Chicago yesterday, Friday, for a three-
weeks' outing among the small lakes of Minnesota,
where he will fish to his heart's content. The region
is one of the wildest and newest now left in the
United States, which will please Mr. Chickering
mightily, for he says it would be a poor vacation to
go and see other cities or towns. Pine timber, un-
cleared lands, streams of rare purity with game fish
swimming in them, wild berries and flowers, the
fragrance of the forest-lands, are among the things
that Mr. Chickering will enjoy.
H. A. Weyman & Son, Philadelphia, furnished a
Gulbransen player and a large assortment of Q R S
music rolls to the Pennsylvania nautical training
ship "Annapolis" when the vessel sailed recently, on
a long- cruise with students.
CONOVER GRAND FOR HIGH SCHOOL
One of the finest
memorials ever left to
a high school now
graces the stage of
the fine new audito-
rium of East High,
Waterloo, Iowa. A fine
new Conover grand
piano, one of the best
makes of pianos on
the market, has just
been placed
there.
This is given as a me-
morial to East High by
the classes of 1918,
1919 and 1920, from
funds raised in various
ways.
When the class of
1918 graduated, the
last to receive their
diplomas from the old
East High platform,
it was decided to de-
fer the expenditure of
the memorial fund un-
EAST HIGH SCHOOL, WATERLOO, IA.
til the new high school
could be occupied and the most fitting memorial musical people who have seen and played the instru-
could be decided upon.
ment acclaim it a remarkable achievement. The
The class of 1919 did the same and during the past tone is rich and sympathetic, the action highly re-
year the idea was conceived of pooling the funds sponsive, the design and finish superbly beautiful.
of the classes of 1918, '19 and '20 and purchasing a The dimensions are as follows: Length, 60 inches;
grand piano. Various members of the classes of width. 56yi inches; height, 38y 2 inches; weight, 579
'18 and '19 were written to and consulted and the pounds. Boxed it weighs 893 pounds.
idea met with a most hearty and favorable response.
An exclusive feature of this new fairy grand model
The class of 1920 met and unanimously approved is a simple but most effective device consisting of
the "idea. There is a balance remaining from the a curved bracing member built into the frame. This
fund which will probably be spent for statuary and is part of an improved construction designed to
pictures for the school.
maintain the proper curvature of the sounding-
The new. piano fills the need for a high class in- board, so necessary to preserve the original tonal
strument to be used by artists who will appear from beauty of the instrument The possibility of dam-
time to time on the East High lecture and enter- age due to changing atmospheric conditions is prac-
tainment courses.
tically eliminated by this unique arrangement.
Soon after the school opening, September 1, the
The correctness of the underlying principles of
public will have a chance to hear this piano as a construction
embodied in the "Fairy Grand" is rec-
dedicatory recital is planned. The instrument pur-
by master piano-makers, who, after long
chased is the Conover Fairy Grand, manufactured ognized
by The Cable Company, Chicago. To build a grand tests, have expressed their complete satisfaction.
This special sounding-board-and-frame construc-
piano small enough to meet the requirements of
apartments and small homes without sacrificing the tion was invented and developed by The Cable Com-
beauty and bigness of tone found in the larger pany and is found only in Cable-made grand pianos.
grand pianos, has been the company's motive in Instruments having this construction bear the trade-
conceiving the Conover Fairy Grand. Artists and mark "Crownstay."
August 7, 1920.
UNIFORM CONTRACT
FOR ORGAN SALES
Organ Builders' Association of America Adopts Sys-
tem of Time Payments and Elected M. P.
Moller President of Organization.
The uniform contract for theater organs and church
pipe organs, which was drawn up by the General
Counsel of the Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce for the Organ Builders' Association of Amer-
ica, was adopted at the meeting of the Organ Build-
ers' Association of America. The Committee on
Contract, consisting of Lewis C. Odell, Henry H.
Holtkamp and W r . Meakam Jones, reported the con-
tract favorably. Geo. W. Pound, General Counsel
of the Chamber, was appointed to arrange the
phraseology of the contract in accordance with the
conclusions reached at the convention.
These standard contracts will be printed by the
Chamber of Commerce and sold to the individual or-
gan builders so that, from now on, it is expected
that practically all of the pipe organ sales will be
upon this contract form.
The contract was unanimously adopted only after
very careful and thorough consideration of proper
credit terms, methods of payment, and other policies
essential to purchase and sale of pipe organs.
The Chamber of Commerce has been asked by the
Organ Builders' Association of America to assist in
promoting the universal use of these standard con-
tract forms.
There was a joint session of the Organ Builders'
Association of America and the National Guild of
Organists on Tuesday of last week. The subject of
discussion was, "How can we together advance the
cause of music in America? The value of mutual
respect and co-operation between the organ build-
ers and organists," S. E. Gruenstein, chairman of
the meeting. Alfred L. Smith, general manager of
the Chamber, spoke briefly on "What the Builder
Owes the Organists."
The Organ Builders' Association of America was
in session at City College, New York City, July
27-28. Reports showed that the state of the trade
was most satisfactory, and future orders point to a
tremendous demand for pipe organs for churches and
theaters. M. P. Moller, of the organ works bearing
his name at Hagerstown, Md., was elected president.
OPEN DOORS !N NEW
PIANO SELLING VENTURES
Opportunity Seen and Grasped by Vigorous Ones
in the Piano Selling Field.
Alvin E. Line and sister, Edith Putnam, will open
up a music store at 1042 South Meridian street, In-
dianapolis, Jnd.
The New Home Furnishing Company have
opened their third store in the Tourner Hotel
Building on South College avenue, Bloomington, Ind.
Charles G. Whitney has sold his interest in the un-
dertaking and musical business of Whitney & Stick-
ler, Columbia City, Ind., to Lewis A. Luckenbill.
J. W. Thomas and V. C. Martin, of the Quinn-Mc-
Gowan FuVniture Company, Wilson, N. C, will re-
main in the furniture and undertaking business.
Mr. Roath has sold his interest in the Britton-
Roath Piano House, Ft. Wayne, Ind., to his partner,
Mr. Britton.
C. E. Valentine, music dealer, 76 E. Town street,
Columbus, O.. has taken a three-year lease on the
storeroom, 118 E. Long street, to which he moved
last week.
A. J. Jackson has opened a beautiful new store at
415 Boylston street, Boston.
The Corley Co., Richmond, Va., has opened a
branch store in Kingston, N. C.
The. T. M. Greene Music Co., Ltd., Peterboro,
Que., has opened a branch store at Barre, Out.
The Baldwin Piano Co. has opened a new sales-
room in Peru, Ind., with George Holm as man-
ager
The Vonderschmitt Music Co., Washington, Ind.,
has moved from 114 East Main street to 206
East Main street.
Vossler's Music Store, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., has
secured the agency for the Baldwin piano.
The George P. Gross Piano Co., Cincinnati, has
opened a new store at 1222 Vine street with a com-
plete line of music rolls and records. This is the
third store of the company.
G. E. Lind is principal owner in the store of G.
Edward Lind & Co., recently opened at 1814 West
North avenue, Chicago. The firm specializes in
65-note record rolls for electric pianos.
The display rooms and demonstration parlors of
the Massey Piano Co., Des Moines, la., cover 14,000
square feet of floor space.
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