Presto

P R E S T 0-T I M E S
semble that the entire layout would seem to be
absolutely incomplete without the piano.
Rut outside of the exposition manufacturers, manu-
facturers' representatives and Chicago music dealers
are displaying instruments in an attractive fashion.
All the "loop" music stores show special displays of
pianos, band and orchestra instruments, publications
and music goods generally. This array of "outside
exhibits," if they were all placed together in a suit-
able location in the exposition, for instance on a floor
of one of the general exhibits buildings, would make
a representative showing of the instruments displayed
and show musical instrument manufacturing in a way
that would be a memorable event in the records of
A Century of Progress Exposition.
Lyon & Healy show a magnificent line of Stein-
way pianos in all models and many special designs.
Their Chickering display and showing of their entire
line is very attractive. The Steinway relic exhibit
showing early pianos made by Henry E. Steinway
and other interesting souvenirs is extremely interest-
ing and well worth visiting.
Story & Clark, at 173 North Michigan avenue, Chi-
cago, have a display of their present-day models. The
showing has attracted numerous dealers who have
been visiting the exposition in passing through
Chicago.
Kimball Hall is an "open house" for exposition
visitors where the entire Kimball line is shown to
advantage.
An interesting exhibit of Schiller pianos is on dis-
play at the Chicago Schiller agency, the Wyman
piano parlors in the Republic building.
Not any of the Wurlitzer product was on exhibition
at the exposition this year although several Wurlitzer
and Apollo pianos are used on the exposition
grounds, but which are outright purchases and not
placed there for exhibition or display. At the Wur-
litzer store. 329 South Wabash avenue, a very com-
plete line of Wurlitzer pianos are on display and
also a line of C. Kurtzmann & Company pianos, the
latest acquisition of Wurlitzer, are on exhibition.
P. A. Starck"s new store at 16 South Wabash ave-
nue offers, opportunity for a splendid display of the
P. A. Starck line of grands and uprights.
At the Baldwin branch store, 323 South Wabash
avenue, is a complete line of the Baldwin and the
Baldwin-made pianos, the Hamilton, the Howard and
other notable names made and sponsored by Baldwin
The Baldwin window display is in part a replica
of the Baldwin booth and exhibit at A Century of
Progress Exposition last year and makes an exceed-
ingly attractive and interesting showing.
TWO AUTHORITIES SUGGEST AMERICAN-
MADE HARPSICHORDS
Gavin Williamson and Philip Manuel, who during
the past season gave several recitals on the harpsi-
chord along with two-piano recitals, the program be-
ing made up of solos and duo-piano numbers for
harpsichord and harpsichord and piano, say that there
might be a demand in this country for an American-
made harpsichord; that many homes would be glad
to have a harpsichord if one of superior quality and
fidelity to the earlier instruments could be made in
this country. At the present time Pleyel-Wolf, the
piano manufacturing house of France, manufactures
probably the most superior and almost all of the
harpsichords used the world over, and the ones used
by Williamson and Manuel are from the Paris factory.
The import duty on these instruments is about forty
per cent and the transportation charges are a con-
siderable item. Mr. Williamson believes that there
will be some demand for a harpsichord made in the
United States. Mr. Manuel and Mr. Williamson have
four beautiful instruments from Pleyel-Wolf at their
studios, 4931 Lake Park avenue, Chicago.
The piano and harpsichord recitals given by these
gentlemen are exceedingly interesting and their per-
formances are well worth hearing. They claim that
much of the music written from the time of Bach,
Handel and other early composers, practically all of
which was composed for the harpsichord, gives much
better response and is more delightful to hear on a
harpsichord of superior quality and proper construc-
tion than on the piano of today.
STORY & CLARK PERSONNEL—PERSONALS
July-August, 1934
AN IMPORTANT WURLITZER
GATHERING
Successful Branch Store Meeting at
Chicago
President Farny Wurlitzer Announces
New Executive Staff Additions
f TIIK last ses-
sion of thethree-
(1 a y Wur'.itzer
Sales Conference
held at the Me-
dinah Club. Chi-
cago, one ot the
re]> r e s e n t a-
tives, a veteran
Wurlitzer store
manager, made
t h i s comment:
"This has been
the m o s t con-
structive s a 1 e s
gathering 1 ever
attended."
At
President Frank F. Story, who is summering at his
cottage at Green Lake, Wisconsin, comes to his office this Wurlitzer get-together conference there
at the Story & Clark building, Chicago, semi-occa- were upwards of fifty gentlemen in attend-
sionally. Mr. L. P. Bull, vice-president, is just about
ending his two weeks' outing, and Office Manager ance representing the Wurlitzer branch stores
Robertson is just leaving on his annual outing tour. throughout the country and executives from
The junior members of the house, Frank F., Jr., at
the home offices and factories.
the factory in Grand Haven, Michigan, and Edward
F. Story, at the Chicago offices, are carrying on en- Rudolph Wurlitzer, Chairman of the Board, Discusses
tirely to their credit while the seniors are away.
Business Conditions
Rudolph Wurlitzer, chairman of the board, discussed
CHANGES LOCATION FOR BETTER
business conditions generally and the music business
FACILITIES
in particular. He also reviewed briefly the history of
Mason & Hamlin piano manufacturing has been the Wurlitzer Company, touching on some of the
transferred from Dorchester-Boston to the great more interesting experiences and incidents of the early
Aeolian-American factories at East Rochester, N. Y., days and the establishment of the bouse of Wurlitzei.
where better facilities are at hand than were found The phenomenal growth of the Wurlitzer Compar-
at the Hilltop street factory at Dorchester, the build- and the manifold operations of the house of Wurlitzer
ing which was occupied by the Hallett & Davis- in manufacturing, wholesaling, importing, exporting
Conway Bros, piano manufacturing enterprises before and music business in general is one of the romances
James F. Langan, who is publishing music at 8219 that aggregation dismembered itself.
of the music business and industry of two hemis-
Woodland avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, has several ex-
pheres—of Europe and America.
cellent sellers on his list, among them "It Doesn't
TWO KALAMAZOO FACTORIES INCREASE
Seem Like Christmas at Our House," "Good Night,
A "Brass Tacks Conference," Says Farny Wurlitzer
PRODUCTION
My Rose, Good Night," "The Dancing Girl" and
The Gibson Musical Instrument factory at Kalama-
Farny Wurlitzer, president, plainly stated the meet-
others. One of his latest publications is "In My Old zoo, Mich., which during the past year or two has ing was a "brass tacks" conference and that he was
New England Homestead Far Away" and has had been given over to a great extent to the manufacture firmly convinced the retail organization could secure
a good sale.
of toys and other similar lines, is again using most a larger volume of better business the coming year
of its factory for the manufacture of musical instru- by instituting a more uniform sales procedure through-
The opening of the Pearson E^ano Gvnpany branch
ments.
out the branch organization. To do this. Mr. Wur-
store in its new location at 423 South Walnut street,
Another Kalamazoo musical instrument enterprise litzer stated, both his brother, Mr. Rudolph Wurlitzer
at Muncie, Indiana, was quite a gala event. The man-
(chairman of the board), and himself had for some
is the Vivi-Tone Company, producing an entirely new
ager of this new store is F. L. Banks, a gentleman
time felt the addition of executive talent of high
type of instrument called the Vivi-Tone Clavier.
who has been connected with the Pearson house for
caliber was desirable as the uptrend of general busi-
a long time and is w r ell-known in the music trade of
In a gathering of Grunow radio dealers at the ness conditions is seen. This would make possible a
Indiana. The Pearson Company formerly had a store
Kenwood Country Club, Chicago, recently, Duane more intensified operation so that henceforth the
at Muncie and this re-opening of their business there
Wanamaker, director of publicity, stressed the possi- various retail outlets would receive better and more
is like coming back to old friends.
bility of all-wave radio sets, supplementing his talk frequent merchandising help from Cincinnati head-
with demonstrations by tuning in foreign stations. Mr. quarters.
Wanamaker is well known in the music trades and
The new Grinnell branch store which was set in
industries and years ago was associated with the R. C. Rolfing Appointed Vice-President and General
operation recently at Midland, Michigan, is under the
Manager; Herman Fleer, General Retail
music trade press.
management of Mauley D. Morris.
Sales Executive
The first step of the "New Deal" program, Mr.
Wurlitzer continued, was the appointment of Mr. R. C.
Rolling as vice-president, and general business man-
AGAIN MERGER CONSOLIDATION TALK
agement fitted him particularly well for his new post.
He has also been made a director of the company.
Meager Details Only Now Obtainable.
Mr. Rolling, after outlining certain new policies and
It is reported that plans for a piano manufactur-
Certain concerns continue to keep alive and will merchandising plans, introduced Mr. Herman Fleer
ing consolidation are being considered which would
go on in some way or another while others will be as the newest member of the home office staff as
general retail sales executive. Mr. Fleer's fine record
include about all of the medium grade (so-called)
resurrected and get back into the race where they is known throughout the trade. After his noteworthy
piano factories now in operation. It was agreed, as
left off so that with better conditions new activity operation for many years of the C. C. Mellor Com-
the report goes, that Chicago is the most advantageous
will come to life where recently quiet and desolation
pany of Pittsburgh. Mr. Fleer became vice-president
location for such a big combined manufacturing plant
and general sales manager of Lyou & Healy in Chi-
have prevailed. There are, in fact, a good half dozen
where the massed lot of pianos of the syndicate could
cago. More recently he has been actively engaged in
be produced. One Chicago factory in particular
prospects of revivals seen in the offing.
the refrigeration distribution business in New York
capable, it is presumed, of ample production is looked
Anent this merger report a communication came
City as vice-president of White Fnamel Refrigeration
upon with favor. Two or three other plants in and to the Presto-Times office a few weeks ago asking
Company. Aside from Mr. Fleer's responsibility as
about Chicago are in mind but it is desirable that
for certain information that may have some bearing
a sales executive at Lyou & Healy he was drafted
production be almost entirely under one roof.
on such a movement as above indicated. This letter
asks for advice about what would be the largest piano into association work and .served as secretary of the
The number of piano factories vacated since the
National Music Merchants' Association and later as
factory possibly available in or near Chicago. The
first of the present year either by giving up manu-
letter specified that a building under one roof or president of the Illinois Music Merchants.
facturing entirely or by transfer of production to other
closely united structures would be more especially
factories to be furnished at "so much per" or by some
Mr. Rolling also announced a promotion from within
other manner of sharing in the profit of such a "get- desirable. Other information requested by that cor- the ranks that met with hearty approval of the entire
respondent seemed to indicate at the time that some meeting. Mr. John Weis. for many years general
together" arrangement, is considerable, in fact an
sort of plans were in progress toward a consolidation auditor, was advanced to the post of comptroller and
enumeration of these shut-down, semi-closed and
or an aggregation of several piano manufacturing in- secretary of the compain. In point product-transferred establishments requires the digits
terests in one extensive manufacturing plant.
of both completely finger-tilled hands to compute.
Weis is one o; the oldest employes o\ the company
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