Scan 19
Musical Courier 1891-06-03: Vol 22 Iss 589, 1891
73 lines. Read by computer on 19 September 2026. Printed page 592. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE MAN IN THE TOWER.
3THE man in the above illustration is as well known to-day in the musical trade of the United States as any of the prominent piano manufacturers. The illustration represents him at work in the tall tower of the Century Piano Manufactory at Minneapolis, where the celebrated Mehlin pianos are made.
5Mr. Paul G. Mehlin has arranged in this tower an experimental department, in which he can pursue his varied occupations of testing all kinds of scientific machinery in relation to piano construction. All kinds of interesting tools, tables and formulas are here to be found, and during the odd moments Mr. Mehlin rests himself by taking in the views of the surrounding country, and if possible tries to see some old friend from New York roaming in the dense crowds of the busy city. The photograph from which the above illustration was made was a snap shot, and we publish it in compliment to the maker of the Mehlin pianos.
7IN TOWN.
9AMONG the out of town visitors last week and among the callers at our office were:
11Mr. H. J. Frees………………………….Dallas, Tex.
12Mr. Henry M. Brainard…………………Cleveland, Ohio.
13Mr. P. J. Healy…………………….Lyon & Healy, Chicago, Ill.
14Mr. C. A. Williams…………………..Worcester, Mass.
15Mr. C. Hohman………………………..Johnstown, Pa.
16Mr. Marklove…………………….Buckingham, Moke & Marklove, Utica, N. Y.
17Mr. James Cumston…………………..Boston, Mass.
18Mr. J. G. Ramsdell…………………..Philadelphia, Pa.
19Mr. Wm. F. Boothe…………………..Philadelphia, Pa.
21Changes of Salesmen.
23AN unusual number of changes have occurred within the week in the ranks of the retail salesmen in New York. Mr. Geo. H. Zincke has gone from Horace Waters & Sons to Kranich & Bach, as before noticed by us, and his place with the first mentioned firm has been taken by Mr. M. Hudson, for many years with Hazelton Brothers and later with Chickering & Sons. Mr. Chas. F. Hammerschmidt, with George Steck & Co., leaves them to join the forces of the New England Piano Company of New York, and is replaced, so far as retailing is concerned, by Mr. Kent, who was with Lindeman & Son until they failed. We understand also that Mr. Wm. Munroe, of the New England Piano Company of New York, has resigned. A. H. Tyler has ceased traveling for Chickering & Sons.
25Norris & Fletcher, Boston.
27THIS enterprising house was established some 20 years ago, when they began in a small way to manufacture pianos, determined from the start to produce the best they as experts knew how to make, disposing of nearly their entire product in their own locality at first. Their pianos have steadily gained in public favor, until now they reckon many of the best dealers in the country as their agents, all of whom are warm friends of the firm and the pianos they manufacture. At the present time their plant consists of two factories, one where they manufacture the cases and do all their machine and mill work, the other factory where they do the making and putting together and completing the instruments. In this factory also are located the spacious warerooms and office. Mr. Norris is a thorough mechanic, has made a life study of the piano, and has embodied his ideas in improved scales, simple method of separable case, music desk, design of case, and the thousand and one little details which enter into a finished piano. Mr. Fletcher is a very able business man and popular with the trade.
29These gentlemen are no believers in shams, but prefer merit rather than pretension, even if the pecuniary rewards are less for a time, feeling assured of the most lasting results.
31Mr. Parsons and the Brett.
33METROPOLITAN CONSERVATORY,
34New York, Nov. 11, 1890.
36Brett Piano Company:
38GENTLEMEN—Permit me to express my great interest in your novel patent tuning device. Its combination of immovable solidity of adjustment with lightness and ease of manipulation seems to involve a mechanical paradox. Yet your inventive ingenuity has enabled you to solve the problem in such a manner as to remove the tuning of a piano from the sphere of forearm athletics to that of musical pitch alone. Given a correct and practiced ear and the tuning of a piano supplied with your device is physically considered the merest child's play, being absolutely less laborious, as far as any one single string is concerned, than the tuning of a violin or banjo. I think your device has come to stay and that it will have much to say concerning the future construction of pianos in general.
40Yours very truly, ALBERT ROSS PARSONS.
42For Stealing Pianos.
44MARY MILLER, 25, a handsome blonde, yesterday pleaded guilty to petty larceny and was sentenced by Recorder Smyth to one year in the penitentiary. On April 16 last Mary purchased a $350 piano of the New England Piano Company on instalments. She failed to pay, and later the piano was found in a Philadelphia auction room. In sentencing her the Recorder urged her to divulge the name of the scoundrel who had induced Mary and other women to work the game, but Mary only smiled in response and was led away.
46In Part III., General Sessions, Judge Fitzgerald had a very similar case, Henry L. Holmes, of No. 216 West Thirtieth street, pleading guilty to obtaining a piano under false pretenses from Hamilton S. Gordon, No. 48 West Eighty-fourth street. Holmes was sent to the penitentiary for two months.—"Press," May 30.
48—The latest news from Albert Weber, who is in Paris, reached here on Monday.
50—The piano department of Oliver Ditson & Co., of Boston, was never in a more prosperous condition than at the present time. This important branch of their business is under the immediate charge of Mr. S. A. Gould, who has a lifetime experience. Mr. Gould is well known in musical circles, public and private, and he has already secured a host of friends in Boston.
52Pipe Organ Notes.
54Organ building is an ancient art, and a fascinating one. Indeed, it comprehends many arts in one. A large organ factory must have its workers in wood and its workers in metal; it must have nearly every branch of mechanical work and complicated machinery, and for much of the work highly skilled and painstaking mechanics, voicers and finishers.
56The early history of the organ is very obscure, though mention is made of wind instruments in the classical times, and even apparent actual drawings of a pneumatic organ are found in a treatise by Hero of Alexandria. The first keyboard was introduced in the 11th century, but it was centuries later before the organ began to assume anything approaching a perfect state. From the sixteenth century, when the instrument attained great completeness, the English and German instruments have continued to improve in detail. The English builders more recently took the best features from their neighbors, and their organs became more perfect and probably superior to those of any other country. But that time has passed. We find the American instrument embodying the best features of all other styles combined, while having the superiority of American mechanical improvements and the attainments of two generations of American art, science and thought in bringing the noble instrument to as near perfection as man may reasonably hope to see.
58Organ building in America dates back hardly more than 125 years. The "Paganish organ" found little favor with the Puritans of New England. An English organ taken to Boston in 1714 remained the only one for many years. In 1752 the first American organ—a small one—was built. In 1805 Mr. W. M. Goodrich began organ building, and in 1827 Mr. E. Hook, who had studied with Mr. Goodrich, commenced to build organs in Salem, Mass., with his brother George. Soon after the brothers established themselves in Boston and earned, by excellent work, a high reputation. In 1855, when 19 years old, Mr. F. H. Hastings became engaged with them, and 10 years later was admitted as partner. Both of the old partners have passed away. The house has been in existence for over 60 years and has achieved an honorable reputation by continually applying advanced scientific and artistic principles and studying the most practical and economical processes of production.
60The magnificent organ of St. Mary's Cathedral, built by Hook & Hastings, of Boston, is of unusual size, and ranks among the largest American organs. It occupies a commanding position in the front gallery, and presents to view an imposing front 40 feet wide and about 35 feet high, comprising groups of many pipes of largest size, and casing of California redwood. It has three manuals, CC to A, 58 notes; and pedals, CCC to D, 27 notes; with 55 stops, 12 pedal movements and 2,942 pipes.
62"We have built a score or more of organs of this size," said Mr. Hastings, "yet I think this is one of my very best. No organ ever gave me more real satisfaction than this and the one I built at Hartford, Conn., and none were ever more effective for their size. I am told that His Grace Archbishop Riordan gave us the order without getting other bids."
64Near Boston is the pretty rural village of Kendal Green. Here is the organ factory—the largest of its kind—and here live the prosperous, thrifty people whose work is sent far and wide throughout the land.
66Many instruments from the hands of these careful workmen now have a world wide reputation. The grand organ in Boston Cathedral—the largest church organ in America—has no rival in the completeness of its parts and the grandeur, power and exceeding beauty of its many tones. The large and powerful Hook & Hastings "Centennial" organ ranks among the famous instruments of the world, and has been admired by almost every nation for its wonderful power and effectiveness. Their grand organ in the Cincinnati Music Hall is the largest in America. It may easily be imagined that in such a perfect establishment, around which the Kendal Green community has grown, there are unequaled facilities for building organs. Here are new machinery, large lumber houses, drying rooms, all modern labor saving devices, and in fine a perfect manufactory on a large scale.
68The number of experts and skilled mechanics employed is very large, and many of them have been there for forty years. Organs made by them are found in every part of the world. For durability and for beauty, fullness and purity of voicing, their crowning excellence is universally recognized.—San Francisco "Call."
70—By the will of the late E. D. Buckingham, of Utica, N. Y., he requests that the firm of Buckingham, Moke & Marklove be continued, and asks that the surviving partners will buy out the interests of his heirs. Such an arrangement will probably be consummated.
72—The insurance people have settled the fire loss with Denton & Cottier, Buffalo. They allowed $27,908.94 for damages to the stock; $1,733.05 for the furniture and fixtures and $2,986.49 for damages to the building. This makes the total insurance received by the firm $32,499.08.
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