The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1911)

42 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. FROM Our Chicago headquarters ROOM 806, NO. 156 WABASH AVENUE, E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, MANAGER. Business for the Past Month Has Been Most Active — Some Interesting Comments on Use of Taltcing IVlachine with Player-Piano — Reference to Music Rolls Specially Made for Use in This Connection — Interesting Chat with Chas. D. Allen Who Has Given This Matter Considerable Attention — Clever Victor Exploitation with Ernest Johns as Impresario— Columbia Co.'s Handsomely Arranged Quarters — Wiswell's Eastern Trip — Executive Committee and Officers of the National Jobbers' Association Meet in Chicago February 19 and 20 — Reasons Why Talking Machine Co.'s Quarters Are Such a Magnet for Talking Machine Men Found in Illustration on Adjoining Page — Other Items. (Special to the Talking Machine World.) Chicago, 111,, Feb. 9, 1911. January was a great big surprise to the majority of the Chicago jobbers and to those elsewhere in the West, so far as your correspondent has come in contact with them. Trade moved along lines which proves conclusively that there had not only been a large hoiiday trade, but that stocks had been reduced to a minimum. Creating Music Roll Accompaniments. Chicago has cultivated initiative as a habit, and this applies to the talking machine and allied lires, as well as to everything else. Charles Duncan Allen, who for the last two or three years has been representing player-piano concerns on the road, giving recitals, as well as meeting with great success from a selling standpoint, found that great interest was always excited whenever he found a place for the Victor machine in his program, playing the accompaniment on the player-piano. He found it very difficult, however, to get especially arranged accompaniments from the manufacturers of perforated rolls. He has now started out to remedy this lack. He recently took the matter up with the Q. R. S. Co., which is the music roll cutting branch of the Melville Clark Co., manufacturers of the Apollo player-pianos, with factories at DeKalb, III, and general offices at Chicago. In co-operation with Ernest Clark, who is in charge of the musicroll cutting department, Mr. Allen has secured a number of music roll accompaniments, which he is using with great effect. From Mr. Allen has been obtained the following list of music rolls specially made for accompaniments to Victor records, and which are now available : Q. R. S. CO., CHICAGO. Roll. Record. 70099 Rigoletto Quartet 96000 70060 Traumerei (Maud Powell) 64134 70036 Voi che sapete (Melba) 88067 70114 The Rosary (Schumann-Heink) 8810S 70094 Ouesta O Quella (Caruso) 64069 70098 Celeste Aida (Caruso) S8127 70100 La Donna Mobile (Constantino) 64072 70096 Sextette from "Lucia'' 96200 MELOGRAPHIC ROLL CO., BUFFALO, N. Y. 0849 La Donna Mobile (Caruso) 87017 01217 Sextette from "Lucia" 96200 0860 Caro Nome (Melba) 88078 . The Universal Music Co. have a few accompaniment rolls arranged for this -work, but they are not listed in their catalog. There are some twenty rolls being prepared now by the Q. R. S. Co. which will be on the market very shortly. Mr. Allen is now in charge of the exploitive work for the Schaeffer Piano yiig. Co., who produce a player-piano containing their own patent pneumatic action. He is a thorough musician, has studied abroad, and for many years was a pipeorganist and director of boy choirs. He says that he knows of many instances in which he has aroused a realizing sense of the musical value of ifoth the Victor machine and the player-piano in tfie minds of people in his audiences who were previously apathetic as to both instruments. At a recital in Indianapolis the other day he secured a perfect ovation at the start of his program by introducing the Victor "Rigoletto" record, accompanying it on the player-piano. Chas. D. Allen's Views. In a chat with The World Mr. Allen remarked : "Accompany the talking machine with the playerpiano? Why not? The wonderful records of the world's great singers and instrumentalists are infinitely more beautiful when accompanied by the piano, and as only the few who have spent years in the study of music can play these accompaniments manually, why not the player-piano? Someone has dubbed the records of the great artists' voices as 'canned music,' and possibly the suggestion of combining two varieties of 'canned music' may arouse another brain storm, but what difference if the results obtained justify the means? And when one stops to consider the manifold advantages and pleasures to be derived from this perfectly normal combination of music producing devices, one cannot but be convinced of its great possibilities. "Many musicians of sterling qualities are but indifferent accompanists, because of insufficient practice in this work, and besides, to accompany well, one must not be hampered by technical difficulties. The highest musicianship consists of something more than mere ability to execute difficult passages correctl}', but should rather manifest itself in temperamental interpretation. We must not allow ourselves to confuse the words musician and technician, for they are not synonymous, and many player-pianists, with practically no technical knowledge of music, have developed a far greater musical knowledge and interpretative ability than is commonly realized. To these is opened a new field, rich with beauties, and one in which the possibilities are unlimited. "For the budding musician one cannot imagine a better educational means, one which will develop him in the broadest sense, than this delightful pastime of accompanying the work of a great master sung by a world-famous artist. Were it necessary for the student to read and execute this accompaniment from the score it would be next to impossible without years of hard work and great expense. If, on the other hand, one's taste leads them to the songs of our childhood, or to the simpler ballad, these, too, are at the command of the merest amateur. "One should not imagine that the ability to accompany the talking machine requires no practice, but one is well repaid for the time and effort spent in acquiring this ability, and each new endeavor is easier than the one before. The modus operandi is extremely simple; the leading manufacturers of rolls for player-pianos are showing their interest and are at present issuing these accompaniments, and it is to be hoped that this is only a beginning, and that the work will develop to its fullest fruition. It means to the real music lover great pleasure, and furnishes the means for a wonderful musical education for his family and friends.'' The "Victor Theater." The "Victor Theater," which has just closed a nionth's successful run at Cincinnati, will make its Chicago debut next Monday afternoon at Victor Hall, Lyon & Healy. It consists, as The World readers know, of admirable set scenes, with "tableaux," production of operas and concert recitals by Red Seal artists. The voices issue forth, of course, from Victors and Victrolas, and the stage lights are managed in the most scientific manner, producing most realistic results. Mr. Johns, the stage manager of the theater, and who accompanies the performances by illuminative pictures, is here completing arrangements. The Victor Theater will be on at L3'on & Healy's afternoons and probably evenings for a month. At any rate, both matinee and evening performances will be given all of next week. Handsomely engraved invitations will be sent out to Lyon & Healy's friends for each performance, different lists being used, according to the limits of Victor Hall, until all have had an opportunity to enjoy this remarkable entertaining and educational medium. A. V. Chandler III. The trade will regret to hear that A. V. Chandler, the popular and efficient representative of the National Co., is ill at his home in this city with what is feared is incipient pneumonia. Mr. Chandler, however, is a man of excellent physique, and no doubt is entertained by his friends here but that he will successfully weather the storm. Candidate for Judiciary Honors. C. N. Goodwin, a prominent Chicago attorney, who was at one time connected with important talking machine litigation, is a candidate for judge of the Superior Court. He is a man of distinguished ability and will honor the high position should he be successful, as he no doubt will be. Mr. Goodwin is a brother of C. E. Goodwin, manager of traveling salesmen for the National Phonograph Co. Co umbia Notes. In their new headquarters at Washington and Wabash avenues the Columbia Phonograph Co. occupy as handsome, well arranged and equipped quarters as can be found anywhere in the country. The company have had great success locally with the new ten-cent demonstrating record, which has been liberally advertised in the local papers, and has been the means of familiarizing vast numbers of people with the excellence of the Columbia product and is securing many new customers. The demand has exceeded the supply. C. F. Baer, manager of the Chicago office, is enthusiastic regarding this latest exploitive method adopted by the company. W. C. Fuhri, district manager for the Columbia Co., is now on a trip, including New Orleans, Little Rock, St. Louis and other Southern branch house and distributing points. Among the visitors at the Columbia headquarters here the past few days were H. H. Niehaus, successor to Phelps & Niehaus, Columbia dealers of Quincy, 111. ; M. Nassau, East Chicago, 111. ; J. C. Randall, Geneva, III, and Tom Butler, Marion, Ind. Wiswell's Eastern Trip. L. C. Wiswell, manager of the talking machine department of Lyon & Flealy, returned a week ago from a trip to the Victor and Edison factories, both of which he found enjoying a fine business. The past month was the best January that the tal:<ing machine department of Lyon & Healy has ever known, and Mr. Wiswell and the officers of the company look forward to a most excellent year. The company's new stock cabinet for dealers is meeting with a most excellent demand. Visitors. Geo. Ornstein, manager of travelers of the Victor Co., has been in Chicago for several days. He was led here by Sam Goldsmith, who has charge of the travelers in this district, and also by Mr. Baisch, who has formerly traveled in Minnesota and the Dakotas. He will now cover Iowa in place of Mr. Fiss, who has resigned from the service. James Pickens, head of the John Hoyt Piano Co., Davenport, la., a large talking machine dealer, is in Chicago this week. Large Talking Machine Co. Business. The Talking Machine Co. is another concern which had a record-breaking January. February has opened up with vim and vigor, and the company entertain large expectations for 1911. Among the visitors who called at the company's " headquarters during the automobile show were the following : A. P. Griggs, Davenport, la. ; John Onken, Chapin, III; August Peters, Benton Harbor, Mich.; Chas. E. McLeran, Mt Pleasant, la.; Mr. Butler, of Butler Music Co., Marion, Ind.; Mr. Bergh, of Bergh Piano Co., La Crosse, Wis.; A. V, Lyle, Janesville, Wis.; Mr. Schaeberle, of Schaeberle & Son, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Henry Hahn, Dalton, III; Wm. J. Voss, Appleton, Wis.; F. D. Watson, Leland, III ; J. E. Wixon, Mendota, 111. ; A. D. Swanson, Galesburg, 111. ; C. A. Fenn, Bloomington, 111 (Continued on ' page 44.)