Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
CHICAGO PIANO CLUB
STAG TO LIFE MEMBERS
After Athletic Entertainments, Honor Is Done
to Four, Followed by Interesting Review
of Club's Beginnings.
It was a real stag affair, the dinner and entertain-
ment Riven to the Chicago Piano Club life mem-
bers, only four in number, at 'the Illinois Athletic
Association last Monday night. Three of the four
life members were present—Anton Hospe of Omaha,
Adam Schneider, Platt P. Gibbs of Chicago—all
happy at being- the recipient of the honor, the only
regret being that Will Bush, confined to his home
by illness, could not be there. Through his faithful
friend, Geo. Clay Cox, late of the J. W. Martin Bros.
Music House of Rochester, Mr. Bush sent warm-
est regards to the club members and everyone at
the dinner. Mr. Cox said that Mr. Bush was deeply
grateful for the many acts of kindness that are
showered upon him and he sent word that as soon as
he gains sufficient strength he will be there to say
in words what he cannot delegate to others to say
for him.
In the absence of Gordon Laughead, president of
the club, who was called to the Wurlitzer office at
Cincinnati, Vice-President Harry Bibb acted as
toastmaster and Geo. L. McLaughlin of Lyon &
Healy was master of ceremonies at the gymnasium.
A wire from Mr. Laughead was read congratulating
the life members and expressing regret at not being
able to be present.
Life members Adam Schneider and A. Hospe gave
interesting five-minute talks, and Platt Gibbs thanked
the club for the honor it had bestowed on him. Mr.
Schneider reminisced to the extent of telling just
how 'the Piano Club of Chicago came into existence.
"It was not, as some suppose, started when the club's
charter was taken out," he said, "but away before
that time. Our first meetings were at the Welling-
ton Hotel, 'under the sidewalk,' as the club's section
of the basement restaurant was called. When the
Wellington quit we moved to the Stratford, where
plans were devised for the regular club, culminating
in the establishment of club rooms at 116 Michigan
1770
avenue, in the Lakeside Building, now occupied by
the Russian Tea Room."
Mr. Schneider's talk was listened to with much
interest. Mr. Hospe said that he felt honored to be
a life member and he had a lot of friends back in
Omaha who were rather proud that one of their
fellows was so distinguished. Matt Kennedy, for-
merly president of the club, in speaking of the
genealogy of its life members, said that "Will Bush
was given the honor some three years ago at Dallas,
Tex., when I visited him there. Mr. Hospe was
made a life member about the same 'time in com-
memoration of his fiftieth anniversary in the music
business. Adam Schneider also was honored on
account of his fiftieth anniversary in the music busi-
ness and likewise fifty years of service with one
house, that of Julius Bauer & Co. Platt Gibbs has
been a life member since 1921."
The entire affair of the evening, before going to
the gymnasium where there were rounds of good
boxing, was impromptu, even to the radio broadcast-
ing of "an interview with President Coolidge," where
Harry Bibb posed as the Chief Executive. The
questions, propounded by Broadcaster Ed. Benedict,
were replied to either properly and in good taste or
not at all, and most of the replies, as well as some
of the implications in the questions, w r ere printable,
but space forbids.
During the evening an opportunity was given to
sign the 'testimonial being made up for Will Bush
and a goodly number of new names were added, and
this ended the first dinner that the Chicago Piano
Club has ever given in honor of its life members.
GORDON LAUGHEAD SALES MANAGER
Gordon Laughead, who has been general traveling
representative of the Wurlitzer Grand Piano Com-
pany, of De Kalb, 111., with headquarters at Chicago,
has become the general sales manager of that com-
pany, succeeding P. E. Mason, who was vice-presi-
dent and sales manager and who resigned that
position. Mr. Laughead will continue to reside, for
a time at least, in Chicago, spending part of the
week at the factory. He also intends to visit the
trade, as far as his duties at the factory will permit.
Mr. Laughead has been at the Wurlitzer headquar-
ters, at Cincinnati, all of this week.
BEETHOVEN
One hundred years ago, on March 26, the date of
this issue of Presto-Times, the greatest composer the
world has known passed away at Vienna. His last
words were "The comedy is over," when, shaking his
fist with half-unconscious energy, the immortal
Beethoven passed away during a heavy thunder-
storm which seemed typical of his stormy life.
Beethoven, born at Bonn, Dec. 16, 1770, played the
piano in concert at 6, and at 11 was a proficient per-
former. He early became the center of intense
rivalry, but musicians who attempted to put their
skill against his came to grief. An acquaintance ac-
costed on the street Abbe Joseph Gelinek, a promi-
nent virtuoso of the day in Vienna. "Whither" re-
peated Gelinek. "I am asked to measure myself with
a young pianist who has just arrived. I'll use
him up."
A few days later they met again. "Well," asked
the acquaintance, "how was it?"
"Ah, he's no man; he's a devil. He will play me
and all of us to death. And how he improvises!"
The national celebation of Beethoven Week, in
which churches, colleges, schools and civic organiza-
tions in more .than two hundred cities will participate,
was inaugurated in New York last Saturday night by
a Beethoven Hour in the Lyceum Theater of Car-
negie Hall. Beethoven Week is sponsored by the
Columbia Phonograph Company. George Eastman is
chairman of the National Advisory Body of the Bee-
thoven Centennial.
The program Saturday night included an explana-
tory lecture on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony by Wal-
ter Damrosch, assisted by the Musical Art Quartet;
a talk by Dr. John H. Finley, formerly president of
the University of the State of New York, on "What
Beethoven Means to Our Civilization," and the play-
ing of the Allegretto and Presto from Quartet, Opus
59, No. 2, in E minor.
This week Friday there was a commmorative cele-
bration at Town Hall under the auspices of the Na-
tional Advisory Body, the Civic Forum and the
League for Political Education, and on Saturday, in
the Chamber of Music Hall of Carnegie Hall, Walter
Damrosch will give an explanatory lecture on the
Ninth Symphony, assisted by a vocal quartet. A dele-
gate from the Vienna Beethoven festival will deliver
a brief address.
Radio stations all over the country took part in a
1827
March 26, 1927.
ITEMS OF THE TRADE
FROM INDIANAPOLIS
Seems to Have Been a Knabe Week, with
Preparations Going Forward for
Approaching Events.
While every Indianapolis Music Merchant is mark-
ing time in these early Lenten days there are many
optimistic evidences of the future spring-time revival
of the piano trade.
On Sunday a large audience heard Maria Jeritza
at the Murat Theater, where she appeared under the
auspices of the Ona B. Talbott Association of Fine
Arts. Mme. Jeritza was accompanied by Maximil-
ian Rose, violinist, and the Knabe Concert Grand
piano. During her stay Mme. Jeritza was furnished
with the Knabe piano for her personal use, and
before leaving autographed the plate of the instru-
ment.
One of the new arrivals at the store of Rapp &
Lennox is the Studio Fischer with the Ampico.
This instrument is built with the spool box on the top
of the instrument, and has a finished back, permit-
ting the instrument to be set with its back exposed.
Harry Wert, president of the Indianapolis Music
Merchants' Association is very much occupied these
days, making elaborate preparations for Music Week.
This will be the first real Music Week Indianapolis
ever experienced with music merchants conducting
the affair.
Mr. Jordon, of the Foster Armstrong division of
the American Piano Company, and Fred Harlow, of
Vose & Sons, Boston, were visitors of Christena-
Teague Piano Co. during the past week.
NEW PIANO ATTACHMENT
SOON IN THE FIELD
Practical Expert Invents Another Novelty-
Designed to Reproduce Violin Effects
in the Ordinary Player-Piano.
An expert piano maker and salesman from Buf-
falo, N. Y., has been in Chicago for a week past
with a view to exhibiting an entirely new attach-
ment designed to reproduce violin effects in the
player-piano. His invention is simple, but effective,
and it in no way interferes with the performance on
the player of any music roll. The music rolls are
not changed, but operate the violin, or expression,
attachment as ordinarily, or with the added effect,
as may be desired.
There have been a number of the old-time harp
attachments, and the multi-toned effects produced
by Mr. Bent, in his "Crown" piano, will always be
remembered—even to his hurdy-gurdy, bagpipe and
bass drum reproductions. But this new violin attach-
ment is unlike anything that has gone before, and it
may prove the thing to bring back the novelty in the
piano which at one time raged, to the great increase
in sales.
The inventor is Mr. Swanson, and more will be
said of his production in an early issue of Presto-
Times.
H. H. FLEER IS MADE
LYON & HEALY OFFICIAL
Head of Piano Department in Chicago House Elected
Vice-President and Director.
At the last meeting of the board of directors of
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, H. H. Fleer was elected
vice-president and made a director of the company.
During the short time that Mr. Fleer has been
with Lyon & Healy he has made a remarkably fine
record in the departments of the business over which
he has assumed responsibility. The record estab-
lished has shown him to be one of the outstanding
men in the piano industry.
L.UDWIG VON BEETHOVEN.
week's program beginning Sunday, March 19, in com-
memoration of the 100th anniversary of Beethoven's
death. The celebration really radiated from Vienna
throughout the world, and in the United States com-
mittees of educators, clergymen, civic leaders and
artists were formed to carry out the performances of
Beethoven masterpieces.
.The New York Times Magazine Section of March
20 contained a remarkably succinct and graphic ap-
preciation of Beethoven and his works. It is a pre-
sentation of the career and death of the world's great-
est composer, whose influence upon the piano was
equally great, and it should be read by all interested
in music study and the development of the "basic
instrument of music."
J. P. SEEBURG RETURNS SOUTH.
J. P. Seeburg, president of the J. P. Seeburg Piano
Co., who has been in Chicago since the recent visit
of Prince William of Sweden to that city, returned
to his home at Palm Beach this week. Mr. and Mrs.
Seeburg left Chicago at noon on Tuesday last, and
will join their son, Marshall Seeberg, who is also
living at his home near Palm Beach, and who has
been there for only a week or so.
MARK CAMPBELL MARRIES.
The marriage of Miss Margaret Starck, elder
daughter of the late Phil. A. Starck, of Chicago, and
Mark P. Campbell, president of the Brambach Piano
Co., New York, took place on Wednesday, the 16th
inst. The couple were booked to sail from New
York this week Wednesday.
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