Presto
Issue: 1928 2207 - Page 7
November 17, 1928
P R E S T O-T 1 M E S
Qtortetma*
•ffifls twfackard
two newest Packard Instruments,
the Louis XVI, Style XX, Art Grand
and the Louis XVI, Style B, Upright,
have brought real Christmas Profits to
all Packard Dealers.
HTHE Packard Free Piano Lesson Ser-
vice is helping to make every month
of the year as good as the Christmas
Season. It works all year.
^ I ,
,_. ftV—
3335 Packard Avenue
The Packard Piano Co.
THE PIANO FLAG
IS STILL WAVING
Scares About Other Things Supplanting It
May Come and Scares May Go, But
the Good Old Piano Goes
On Forever.
A piano man in Chicago who reads Presto-Times
regularly commented one day this week on the re-
marks of W. M Shailer printed in this paper last
week telling how the piano industry was harder hit
in the great panic of 1893' than at any other time.
The Chicago man recalled many periods of fright—
childish shudderings at bugaboos that some dealers
declared had entered the arena to utterly destroy the
piano business and wipe it off the face of the earth.
In his reminiscences he went back as far as the
velocipede, which he said did not seriously ride
against the piano business and make slashes at its
throat with a rusty tin sword. But the outgrowth of
the old high-wheel—the modern bicycle—did take
away a good deal of the cash that otherwise would
have been expended for musical instruments. Yet
the piano business did not go down or lose ground.
Original Fear of the Phonograph.
The next goblin that made faces at the piano busi-
ness was the phonograph, in its various forms. Well,
"after all is said and done," to use a phrase from the
Hill Billy idioms, the phonograph helped rather than
hindered the piano trade.
Then came the playerpiano—first as an attachment
to wheel up to the piano; later as part and parcel
of the instrument itself. Here was a Siamese twin
that had. a new set of vitals in its abdomen—a heart,
a gizzard, a medulla oblongata, an esophagus, a
larynx and a pharynx, lungs and anastomosing ves-
sels—and oh, my! this was to take the place of every
upright piano in the universe. It sold well; it contin-
ues to sell well, and it has been wonderfully improved.
But its great popularity has only served to increase
the call for upright instruments.
Radio an Educator.
And now the radio has been pronounced by some
not correctly informed persons as inimical to the
continuance of the piano as the master instrument.
But is it hurtful? The man who skimmed over the
ground of the past says it is helpful, ever so helpful.
And why? Because every listener to radio, how-
ever ignorant on the start, gets education from it.
He believes that the gain in intelligence just from
hearing orators using good language in the recent
political campaign would run something like 2y 2 to
,3 per cent. Every notch gained in intelligence by the
masses is an aid to good music and ultimately to the
sale of pianos.
Not So Many Sales, but More Dollars.
The average price at which pianos are sold today
is two or three times as high as in the 70's or 80's.
In those days the average piano sold at from $250 to
$350, while today, as the greatest trade is in grands,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
sales run all the way from $550 to $750 and even
up to $2,500. The units of sales are not so many,
but the dollars are more.
The gist of the arguments used in this article is
that the piano flag is still waving victoriously in the
breeze; that there is trade for the man who gets out
and hustles; that the man who is unwilling to get out
and hustle must step aside.
NEW WISCONSIN FIRM
IS INCORPORATED
O'Connor-Lazar, Inc., Milwaukee, to Deal in
Music Goods and Radio—Fond du
Lac Firm Expands
A new Wisconsin corporation is O'Connor-Lazar,
Inc., with headquarters in Milwaukee. The company
will deal in musical instruments and radios. Signers
of the articles of incorporation are A. B. O'Connor,
vice-president of the Music Arts corporation; W. T.
Lazar and Leon E. Kaumheimer.
The Sandee Music Shop at Fond du Lac, Wis., has
been forced to enlarge its quarters because of in-
creased business. The enlarged quarters became
necessary, acording to James Sandee, when the store
decided to offer a larger line of pianos and other
musical instruments.
Sales of the company last year totaled approxi-
mately $60,000. In addition to now occupying the
entire first floor in its present location, the store has
a service department on the second floor. The sales
force has been added to and all general facilities have
been increased.
O. C. Jones, who for many years conducted a piano
and music store at Randolph, Wis., has discontinued
the music business.
Irving Zuelke, Appleton, is financing the erection
of a 10-story store and office building to be erected
in that city and which will replace the building de-
stroyed by fire last January. Mr. Zuelke has operated
a music and piano store in Appleton for many years
and since the fire, the company has been located in
temporary quarters. The new structure will cost be-
tween $350,000 and $400,000 and will be known as the
Irving Zuelke building. It is expected to be com-
pleted and ready for occupancy in about eight or nine
months.
BANK 'ROUND THE CORNER.
"Next Door to Music's Greatest Trading Center."
is the heading of an ad of the Straus National Bank
& Trust Co., Chicago, printed in newspapers this
week. This is said: "Less than two minutes from
Grand Headquarters of the Music Trade to a friendly
bank that is eager to extend to all within the Chicago
Zone the finest banking service they have ever had.
If you are one of the thousands whose work calls you
daily to the Lyon & Healy Building, the Steger Build-
ing, the Cable Building, the Kimball Building, or
any of the other nearby buildings dedicated to the
advancement of music, plan today to pay us a little
visit—because we ARE so accessible—and thus save
time and countless unnecessary steps by making us
PIANO AND ORGAN
ASSOCIATION MEETS
Retiring President Roger O'Connor Tells of
of the Work Done in Group Instruction
in Chicago Schools, and Other Inci-
dents Add Interest to Event.
Last week's meeting of the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association, in addition to electing the officers,
reported in last week's Presto-Times, was fraught
with enterprise and good cheer. Not a moment was
wasted in pifiie-paffle not a thought projected that
would suggest Grover Cleveland's famous phrase,
"innocuous desuetude."
Roger O'Connor, retiring president, spoke of the
great amount of work that had been done in group
instruction activities in the schools of Chicago and
among children generally who wanted to learn to
play the piano, and said that much of this work did
not appear on the surface. The organization re-
gretted the loss by death during the year of two of
its members—J. O. Twichell and F. S. Spofford.
Letter of Thanks.
Mr. O'Connor read a letter from L. Schoenwald,
manager of the Chicago establishment of the Amer-
ican Piano Company, thanking the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association for sending a great bunch of beau-
tiful flowers to welcome it into the Chicago trade
at its opening week. The flowers were on display in
the front window of the new store during opening
week. Mr. Schoenewald said in the letter that he'd
be glad to join the association. A few minutes later
L. Schoenewald of the American Piano Company,
and R. A. Burke, of the Story & Clark Piano Com-
pany, were voted into membership in the association.
An obstacle to carrying on the work of teaching
piano lessons in the Chicago schools was found in the
lack of pianos for the pupils to practice upon. This
difficulty had been obviated by the promise of 150
pianos to be loaned by local piano men.
The report of the treasurer, Adam Schneider,
showed a balance of $1,703.17 in the treasury.
Promotion Committee Reports.
A report by the special piano promotional com-
mittee was given by Eugene Whalen, who told of
work done to ultimately impress the parents of pros-
pective piano players and of the increased interest they
had begun to show.
Walter Kiehn, of Gulbransen's, also complimented
the daily papers for services rendered and spoke of
the good work done by the Group Piano Instruction
Committee and B. B. Ayres, its chairman.
Henry E. Weisert, of the Bissell-Weisert Piano
Company, called attention to the smallness of space
the daily newspapers devoted to piano "news" in pro-
portion to the "news" given the automobile industry.
This, Mr. Weisert said, was a comment on the pro-
portion as compared with the amount of paid adver-
tising space of the two industries. A committee will
call upon the newspapers to ask for more write-up
matter.
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/
P R E S T O-T 1 M E S
Qtortetma*
•ffifls twfackard
two newest Packard Instruments,
the Louis XVI, Style XX, Art Grand
and the Louis XVI, Style B, Upright,
have brought real Christmas Profits to
all Packard Dealers.
HTHE Packard Free Piano Lesson Ser-
vice is helping to make every month
of the year as good as the Christmas
Season. It works all year.
^ I ,
,_. ftV—
3335 Packard Avenue
The Packard Piano Co.
THE PIANO FLAG
IS STILL WAVING
Scares About Other Things Supplanting It
May Come and Scares May Go, But
the Good Old Piano Goes
On Forever.
A piano man in Chicago who reads Presto-Times
regularly commented one day this week on the re-
marks of W. M Shailer printed in this paper last
week telling how the piano industry was harder hit
in the great panic of 1893' than at any other time.
The Chicago man recalled many periods of fright—
childish shudderings at bugaboos that some dealers
declared had entered the arena to utterly destroy the
piano business and wipe it off the face of the earth.
In his reminiscences he went back as far as the
velocipede, which he said did not seriously ride
against the piano business and make slashes at its
throat with a rusty tin sword. But the outgrowth of
the old high-wheel—the modern bicycle—did take
away a good deal of the cash that otherwise would
have been expended for musical instruments. Yet
the piano business did not go down or lose ground.
Original Fear of the Phonograph.
The next goblin that made faces at the piano busi-
ness was the phonograph, in its various forms. Well,
"after all is said and done," to use a phrase from the
Hill Billy idioms, the phonograph helped rather than
hindered the piano trade.
Then came the playerpiano—first as an attachment
to wheel up to the piano; later as part and parcel
of the instrument itself. Here was a Siamese twin
that had. a new set of vitals in its abdomen—a heart,
a gizzard, a medulla oblongata, an esophagus, a
larynx and a pharynx, lungs and anastomosing ves-
sels—and oh, my! this was to take the place of every
upright piano in the universe. It sold well; it contin-
ues to sell well, and it has been wonderfully improved.
But its great popularity has only served to increase
the call for upright instruments.
Radio an Educator.
And now the radio has been pronounced by some
not correctly informed persons as inimical to the
continuance of the piano as the master instrument.
But is it hurtful? The man who skimmed over the
ground of the past says it is helpful, ever so helpful.
And why? Because every listener to radio, how-
ever ignorant on the start, gets education from it.
He believes that the gain in intelligence just from
hearing orators using good language in the recent
political campaign would run something like 2y 2 to
,3 per cent. Every notch gained in intelligence by the
masses is an aid to good music and ultimately to the
sale of pianos.
Not So Many Sales, but More Dollars.
The average price at which pianos are sold today
is two or three times as high as in the 70's or 80's.
In those days the average piano sold at from $250 to
$350, while today, as the greatest trade is in grands,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
sales run all the way from $550 to $750 and even
up to $2,500. The units of sales are not so many,
but the dollars are more.
The gist of the arguments used in this article is
that the piano flag is still waving victoriously in the
breeze; that there is trade for the man who gets out
and hustles; that the man who is unwilling to get out
and hustle must step aside.
NEW WISCONSIN FIRM
IS INCORPORATED
O'Connor-Lazar, Inc., Milwaukee, to Deal in
Music Goods and Radio—Fond du
Lac Firm Expands
A new Wisconsin corporation is O'Connor-Lazar,
Inc., with headquarters in Milwaukee. The company
will deal in musical instruments and radios. Signers
of the articles of incorporation are A. B. O'Connor,
vice-president of the Music Arts corporation; W. T.
Lazar and Leon E. Kaumheimer.
The Sandee Music Shop at Fond du Lac, Wis., has
been forced to enlarge its quarters because of in-
creased business. The enlarged quarters became
necessary, acording to James Sandee, when the store
decided to offer a larger line of pianos and other
musical instruments.
Sales of the company last year totaled approxi-
mately $60,000. In addition to now occupying the
entire first floor in its present location, the store has
a service department on the second floor. The sales
force has been added to and all general facilities have
been increased.
O. C. Jones, who for many years conducted a piano
and music store at Randolph, Wis., has discontinued
the music business.
Irving Zuelke, Appleton, is financing the erection
of a 10-story store and office building to be erected
in that city and which will replace the building de-
stroyed by fire last January. Mr. Zuelke has operated
a music and piano store in Appleton for many years
and since the fire, the company has been located in
temporary quarters. The new structure will cost be-
tween $350,000 and $400,000 and will be known as the
Irving Zuelke building. It is expected to be com-
pleted and ready for occupancy in about eight or nine
months.
BANK 'ROUND THE CORNER.
"Next Door to Music's Greatest Trading Center."
is the heading of an ad of the Straus National Bank
& Trust Co., Chicago, printed in newspapers this
week. This is said: "Less than two minutes from
Grand Headquarters of the Music Trade to a friendly
bank that is eager to extend to all within the Chicago
Zone the finest banking service they have ever had.
If you are one of the thousands whose work calls you
daily to the Lyon & Healy Building, the Steger Build-
ing, the Cable Building, the Kimball Building, or
any of the other nearby buildings dedicated to the
advancement of music, plan today to pay us a little
visit—because we ARE so accessible—and thus save
time and countless unnecessary steps by making us
PIANO AND ORGAN
ASSOCIATION MEETS
Retiring President Roger O'Connor Tells of
of the Work Done in Group Instruction
in Chicago Schools, and Other Inci-
dents Add Interest to Event.
Last week's meeting of the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association, in addition to electing the officers,
reported in last week's Presto-Times, was fraught
with enterprise and good cheer. Not a moment was
wasted in pifiie-paffle not a thought projected that
would suggest Grover Cleveland's famous phrase,
"innocuous desuetude."
Roger O'Connor, retiring president, spoke of the
great amount of work that had been done in group
instruction activities in the schools of Chicago and
among children generally who wanted to learn to
play the piano, and said that much of this work did
not appear on the surface. The organization re-
gretted the loss by death during the year of two of
its members—J. O. Twichell and F. S. Spofford.
Letter of Thanks.
Mr. O'Connor read a letter from L. Schoenwald,
manager of the Chicago establishment of the Amer-
ican Piano Company, thanking the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association for sending a great bunch of beau-
tiful flowers to welcome it into the Chicago trade
at its opening week. The flowers were on display in
the front window of the new store during opening
week. Mr. Schoenewald said in the letter that he'd
be glad to join the association. A few minutes later
L. Schoenewald of the American Piano Company,
and R. A. Burke, of the Story & Clark Piano Com-
pany, were voted into membership in the association.
An obstacle to carrying on the work of teaching
piano lessons in the Chicago schools was found in the
lack of pianos for the pupils to practice upon. This
difficulty had been obviated by the promise of 150
pianos to be loaned by local piano men.
The report of the treasurer, Adam Schneider,
showed a balance of $1,703.17 in the treasury.
Promotion Committee Reports.
A report by the special piano promotional com-
mittee was given by Eugene Whalen, who told of
work done to ultimately impress the parents of pros-
pective piano players and of the increased interest they
had begun to show.
Walter Kiehn, of Gulbransen's, also complimented
the daily papers for services rendered and spoke of
the good work done by the Group Piano Instruction
Committee and B. B. Ayres, its chairman.
Henry E. Weisert, of the Bissell-Weisert Piano
Company, called attention to the smallness of space
the daily newspapers devoted to piano "news" in pro-
portion to the "news" given the automobile industry.
This, Mr. Weisert said, was a comment on the pro-
portion as compared with the amount of paid adver-
tising space of the two industries. A committee will
call upon the newspapers to ask for more write-up
matter.
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).