Presto

12
December 12, 1925.
PRESTO
MORE SPACE FOR THE
OPERATORS PIANO CO.
New Unit Added to Factory in Chicago, Pro-
viding Eighteen Thousand Square Feet, Is
Another Evidence of Progress.
Additional floor space amounting to 18,000 square
feet, will increase the facilities of the Operators'
Piano Co., Kedzie and Chicago avenues, Chicago,
when the new factory unit under construction is com-
pleted. The company, which makes the Coinola line
of automatic pianos and orchestrions, will add the
new space to its woodworking department.
The new building is an evidence of the growth of
the Operators' Piano Co., of which Louis M. Sever-
son is president. It is a necessity in responding to
the increased demands of the trade for the admirable
product of automatic instruments of the Coinola line.
The house is one of the aggressive pioneer manufac-
turers of coin-operated musical instruments and its
special theater orchestras have attained wide promi-
nence for musical qualities and dependability.
In line with the desire for production efficiency,
the company has ordered an equipment of the latest
and most approved machinery, some of which has
special devices controlled by the Operators' Piano
Co., and designed for the special operations required
in making the Coinola instruments. New time-saving
and labor-saving machinery will further augment the
efficiency of the force and be a profitable aid to
quicker and better production. And the company
points out that all the new aids acquired in the mak-
ing of Coinola instruments mean more advantages
for the dealers.
SPECIAL AEOLIAN CO.'S
EDUCATIONAL BOOKLET
Many Christmas Uses for Duo-Art Piano
Among Children at Festive Season Are
Suggested in Effective Way.
"The Children's Musical Christmas" is the title of
an attractive new booklet just issued under Aeolian
Co.'s educational auspices, that in its many uses for
the Duo-Art in the Christmas activities of children
will bring joy to their hearts and provide inspiration
for the entertainment plans of their elders.
Junior music clubs all over the United States are
finding the Duo-Art indispensable for study, music
appreciation and the lighter songs and games, but at
Christmas time its possibilities are even greater, and
this interesting booklet describes the club activities
of a little group of children at Yuletide that will both
fascinate and instruct.
A suggested entertainment features children gath-
ered about a Christmas tree representing various
countries in dress and musical program. Duo-Art
rolls that help carry out this international idea are
"O Come All Ye Faithful" (Italian), "Silent Night"
(traditional German), "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
(English), and "The First Noel" (French). Outlines
are also given for organizing various committees
that will have as a basic ideal, supplying the need
of those who thirst for music by giving the proceeds
Builders or Incomparable
[PIANOS, PUYERS\REPR0DUCING KANOS
THE BALDWIN
CO-OPERATIVE
PLAN
will increase your sales and
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Write to the nearest office
for prices.
of their performances to the purchase of musical
instruments that will transform poor surroundings
into real homes.
Among the committees suggested are those of en-
tertainment, decoration, program, refreshment, cheer
and visiting committee, Christmas fund and a per-
manent group working all the year round to provide
means to purchase portable phonographs, harmon-
icas and other small musical instruments that can be
used to give effect as a means of a child's self-
expression.
"The Children's Musical Christmas" booklet can
be obtained from the educational department, Aeolian
Hall, New York.
THE "ALMOST" FAMILY
IS A VERY LARGE ONE
One of the Ingenious Advertisements of the
Late John Wanamaker Created a
Figure that Persists.
John Wanamaker, founder of the great retail stores
in New York and Philadelphia, was the first general
merchant to install a piano department. It was in the
Philadelphia store and the Chickering piano was for-
tunately secured as the leader. Mr. Wanamaker was
a keen writer and some of his own advertisements
displayed a unique order of originality. One of them
introduced "The Almost Family," which was recently
reproduced in a New York paper. It was as follows:
The Almost Family is one of the largest in the
city. There is
Mr. Almost-on-Time,
Mrs. Almost-Ready,
Master Did-Not-Know-It-Was-So-Late,
Miss My-Watch-Stopped,
Willie Wait-for-Me,
Store Buyer Have-It-On-Order,
Saleswoman Excuse-Me-One-Minute.
What a pity to contract a habit of being always
behind time when, in the main, it is quite easy to
be prompt by starting at whatever is to be done a
little earlier.
History tells us of a battle that was lost by the
bad work of a horseshoer which crippled the com-
manding general's horse and prevented his being on
the battlefield at the critical moment he was needed.
SOME LATE DOINGS IN
THE RETAIL TRADE
Items of General News Value from the Field
Throughout the Country.
James W. Hopkins has purchased the interest of
B. O. Yaull in the Purity Music Shop, Wymore,
Neb., the name of which has been changed to the
Hopkins Music Co.
The C. C. Fehr Piano & Radio Co., Geneseo, 111.,
has given up the lease on its store and is conducting
a removal sale.
Pianos, talking machines and radios have been
added to the stock of furniture carried by Von Qua-
len & O'Connor, Dwight, 111.
A radio department has been added by the Spiegel
Music Co., Clinton street, Fort Wayne, Ind.
O. E. Johnson, Kanawha, Iowa, is erecting an addi-
tion to his building.
James P. Lacey, music merchant of Peoria, 111.,
plans to erect a new store building in that city.
The Bailey Music Co., Spokane, Wash., will re-
model the building at 710-12 Sprague avenue.
The Howard Piano Co., M. H. Cohen, proproetor,
moved last week from 818 to 924 Walnut street, Des
Moines, Iowa.
Henton & Knecht, music merchants of Philadel-
phia, Pa., are established i new quarters at 24 South
18th street.
S. Ernest Philpitt & Son, Miami, Fla., who operate
a chain of music houses in Florida, is prapering to
open a branch in Coral Gables.
Silas Maxson, Jr., piano merchant of 233 Bank
street, New London, Conn., is erecting two store
buildings in that city.
STRICH & ZEIDLER, b e
GRAND, UPRIGHT and PLAYER
AND
HOMER PIANOS
CINCINNATI
INDIANAPOLIS
LOUISVILLE
INCORPORATED
CHICAGO
DAIXAS
6T. LOCI0
DBNVBR
NEW YORK
SAN FRANCISCO
740-742 East 136th Street
NEW YORK
TURNING THE PIANO INTO
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Prolonging the Tone May Be Desirable, But
the Hurdy-Gurdy Effect Was Geo.
P. Bent's Years Ago.
Descriptive articles concerning the new organ-piano
have appeared in Presto. While the invention of
John Hays Hammond, Jr., of Boston, has attracted
great attention it has not yet had serious considera-
tion in the industrial or commercial sense. An arti-
cle which has been widely quoted was written by
W. J. Henderson of the New York Sun.
"The piano has its own inherent weaknesses," says
Mr. Henderson, and the principal of these is the
tendency of the strings to diminish the tone volume
once they are struck. To prolong the tone and en-
rich its color is something that younger wizard of
mechanical invention, Mr. John Hays Hammond,
Jr., has tried to accomplish with a new device. Mr.
Lester Donahue gave a piano recital recently in New
York whose chief interest was the exploitation of
Mr. Hammond's invention. In Mr. Henderson's
account of the proceedings we learn some secrets of
the piano and its masters, one fact of which seems
to point to the new contrivance as an invasion of the
field formerly mastered by the pianist's skill. It is
the player who "produces the impression of a singing
tone who is the artist to be admired and envied."
This is no new thing in piano-playing:
As far back as the time of Karl Philip Emanuel
Bach it was deemed important to get the singing
tone. He wrote about it and said he always tried to
acquire it and to write for the piano so as to make it
possible. Mozart, who always thought vocally, held
that piano passages should flow like oil. The inven-
tion of the pedals helped players, but something was
still to come in the creation of the third or tone-
sustaining pedal, which permits bass notes to pro-
long their vibrations while both hands are busy with
other keys.
But there have been scores of other inventions
looking to the production of a really sustained tone
by the piano. Some genius made a set of revolving
brushes which stroked the strings and practically
turned the piano into a hurdy-gurdy. The present
writer had the felicity once to play on one of these
instruments. He prefers the xylophone, which is at
least an honest cackler.
What Mr. Hammond's invention may prove to be
worth will better be known when it is used as an
accessory and not as an end. Mr. Donahue was
evidently bent on displaying its powers to the full,
with the result that he frequently distorted the music
and misrepresented the composer. Furthermore, he
accomplished little that is not achieved by masters
of the keyboard with the means existing before the
new invention arrived. There were some few in-
stances in which the volume of a chord apparently
increased some time after the impact of the ham-
mers and there were others in which notes struck
softly had more than the expected duration.
These instances suggested important possibilities.
But they were confined to the low and medium regis-
ter of the piano. This writer was unable to detect
any improvement in the singing quality of passages
written in the upper treble. Whether this was due
to a weakness in the invention itself or to a want of
mastery of it by the player cannot be told. But
on the whole, the great virtuosi seem to go quite as
far without the new contrivance as Mr. Donahue
did with it. And perhaps even that statement is
equivalent to saying that he proved a great deal.
SURE OF GOOD TALK.
Last year the British Federation of Music Trades
invited a member of the House of Lords as principal
guest and speaker at the annual dinner and he proved
a lemon. What he didn't know about music shocked
the diners. This year the Federation has invited as
guest a member of the House of Commons, "Tay
Pay" O'Connor, the only Irishman in Parliament,
and who represents an English constituency. Com-
menting the London Music Trades Review says:
"Mr. O'Connor's presence should be a decided draw,
and he can certainly be relied upon to speak as bril-
liantly with knowledge of music as last year the noble
Lord spoke in ignorance, assumed or otherwise."
WILLIAMS
PIANOS
The policy of the Williams House is and always
has been to depend upon excellence of product
instead of alluring price. Such a policy does not
attract bargain hunters. It doet, however, win the
hearty approval and support of a very desirable
and substantial patronage.
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E p w o r t h PiluIO8 a n d
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