Scan 35
Musical Courier 1893-12-27: Vol 27 Iss 720, 1893
91 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 36. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHICAGO OFFICE THE MUSICAL COURIER,
2229 WABASH AVENUE,
3CHICAGO, ILL. December 23, 1893.
5THERE is a little different story to tell this week about the Christmas business; there has been lots of it, though it must be confessed greatly to the surprise of the dealers themselves. One large house had sold 49 pianos up to Thursday evening; another large house sold 12, and several have sold all the way from six up to eight in a day. In the aggregate there must have been a very large number of pianos disposed of this week, as well as music, music books and smaller merchandise; and in speaking about the better outlook one intelligent salesman made the remark that there were an extra number of good prospects for after the holidays, at the same time observing that his experience led him to believe that he could tell whether a prospective buyer meant business or not.
7On the whole, so far as Chicago is concerned, it is acknowledged by all that there is evidence of a renewal of confidence; that the people are really tired of the pessimistic view which has been prevailing and are ready to accept the idea that there is business left to be done and money left to do it with.
9So far as can be heard of now there are a fewer number of changes in business here than has ever been known before at this season of the year.
11More Testimony That the Awards Will Be Cut Down.
13Commissioner Thomas L. Williams, of Tennessee, reached Chicago from Washington yesterday with the numerous lists of awards granted foreign exhibitors. Mr. Williams will present them to the commissioners. The awards have been greatly cut down. Mr. Williams succeeded before the executive committee yesterday in knocking out the special committee which had been appointed to go to Washington and investigate certain features of the Awards Bureau.
15The above is a clipping from a recent issue of the "Tribune," of this city, and it is simply printed for the purpose of confirming a previous impression that there will not be as many medals and diplomas as has been presumed there would be.
17$10 for the Wording.
19It seems by late reports that one Merten Yale Cady, who is represented to be a former judge in the Department of Manufactures, and who is now supposed to be connected with the Bureau of Awards in Washington, D. C., has been sending out circulars to exhibitors and offering for the sum of $10 to furnish them with the wording of their respective diplomas. Ten dollars apiece from each of the exhibitors in the Manufactures Department, which was probably the largest department of the Fair, and allowing Mr. Cady the cost of stationery, office rent and postage, would make a very nice sum of money. More than one of the manufacturers who was so unfortunate as to receive an award would undoubtedly like to exchange profits for this year's business or Mr. Cady's position.
21Anderson Affairs.
23There is a bare possibility that Mr. John Anderson may locate in the city of Minneapolis, Minn., but there is no certainty as yet as to where he will locate. As has been stated in these columns, there is still a possibility of his remaining in the city of Rockford.
25Mr. Anderson is fully determined upon one point, and that is, that he will continue to make Anderson pianos, which would seem to be a wise determination on his part, as notwithstanding the short time these pianos were on the market they made for themselves a reputation which will be worth much to any future Anderson piano company, providing they are made on the same line as they previously were, which is undoubtedly Mr. Anderson's intention.
27Mr. Moses in a New Field.
29Mr. Walter D. Moses, formerly of Richmond, Va., and still interested at that point in the liquidation of his business, is now fully installed in his new position with the Lyon & Healy house. Mr. Moses' particular line will be in connection with the Peloubet reed pipe organ, with which instrument he has had several years' familiarity. He will also make business trips in connection with this line of goods, and as the business in this line is constantly on the increase he feels that he will have a much better chance than in the field in which he has been formerly working.
31Mr. Moses says his father is in charge of his Richmond business, where there is also left a working force; but that he himself was not satisfied with the limited field for business in that locality, and also that the slowness of his collections and the long distances it was necessary to travel to extend his trade were discouraging features.
33A Hardman Triumph.
35The Lakeside Club, one of the richest and most influential clubs in this city, have just erected a magnificent new club house at the corner of Forty-second street and Grand Boulevard, which will be the largest building of its kind West of New York city.
37Messrs. Hardman, Peck & Co. have placed in this club house one of their new parlor grand pianos, which will adorn the Ladies' Parlor, and one of their upright pianos for the ballroom. This was reported to have been done in competition with almost every other first-class piano in the city.
39Lyon & Healy's Window.
41The Chicago "Tribune" in a recent article on noticeable window decorations which the city contains consequent upon the holiday season placed the window of the Lyon & Healy house at the head of the list, and said of it as follows:
43One of the most attractive of the many large windows is that of Lyon & Healy's store, where the artist has shown rare skill in displaying all kinds of wind and stringed musical instruments to the best advantage. He shows everything from a bass violin to the smallest jewsharp. The 500 pieces are so well arranged on white, blue and orange backgrounds as to produce perfect harmony of colors. The centre figure is made of four large harps grouped on a revolving table. The window is made dazzling by the glare of 300 incandescent lamps.
45Chief Allison, of the Columbian Exposition, also said of this window: "The finest window exhibit I have ever seen. Artistic in design, and most beautifully carried into execution. It is appropriate, characteristic, comprehensive, instructive and complete."
47A Probable Bootless Effort.
49Notice is hereby given to my friends and the public in general that I have discontinued my relations with Hardman, Peck & Co., and I take pleasure in announcing that I have resumed business in the magnificent and spacious piano department of the Pioneer House-furnishing establishment of Alexander H. Revell & Co., corner Wabash avenue and Adams street, with an extraordinary assortment of World's Fair stock pianos of various makes, and a very complete line of regular stock pianos of the highest grades.
51Having the very best facilities now, I can furnish my friends and patrons with the best pianos at very reasonable prices and terms.
53A courteous invitation is hereby extended to visit our mammoth warerooms at your earliest convenience.
55Very respectfully,
56A. H. RINTELMAN, Piano Department.
57ALEXANDER H. REVELL & CO.,
58Corner Wabash avenue and Adams street.
60Not long since Mr. A. H. Rintelman stated personally to your correspondent in this city that he had sunk in the business of piano selling in the city of Chicago a no less sum than $50,000.
62The firm of A. H. Revell & Co. have also had some experience in the piano business which, so far as the results were concerned, proved decidedly abortive. The facts are that not one furniture house who has entered in the business of piano selling in this city made a success of it. The business was also tried by one of our largest department stores, which also proved a fruitless effort. So that judging from past experiences the present venture of Mr. A. H. Rintelman is likely to have a similar termination.
64Mr. Rintelman says in his circular that he is to have an extraordinary assortment of World's Fair stock pianos and a regular line of pianos of the highest grades. As the instruments of the highest grades have already representatives in this city the question naturally arises, where does he get these high grade pianos? He certainly is not going to have any Steinways, or Webers, or Knabes, or Chicker-ings, or Decker Brothers, or A. B. Chase, or Hazeltons or Shaws, and it does not seem consistent to think that any of the first-class makers of lesser note would feel satisfied to have their instruments represented by a furniture house.
66The probabilities are that Mr. Rintelman will follow out his natural inclination to buy cheap pianos and stencil them, as he has heretofore done the Rintelman Artist grand, which have heretofore been made by Chicago low grade makers.
68R. W. Cross & Co.
70Under the title of R. W. Cross & Co. a license has been secured by Mr. Cross to incorporate a company. The stock is to be placed at $10,000, and the incorporators are Mr. R. W. Cross, Mr. Albert E. Cross, a nephew, and Mr. Terrence J. Maguire, a brother-in-law.
72The main object of this incorporation is for the purpose of giving Mr. R. W. Cross an opportunity of using his own name in his business. The pianos which it is determined upon at the present time that this new concern shall represent are the Wissner, the Jacob Bros. and the James & Holmstrom.
74As has already been stated in these columns the new store is very favorably located on the second floor of the buildings No. 250 and 252 Wabash avenue, which has a very pleasant entrance, a very efficient elevator service, and an area sufficient for quite a large number of instruments.
76Mr. Cross has already begun to do business, and he claims that he will be able without much trouble to dispose of at least 300 pianos per year. In view of the fact that Mr. Cross is known to be a very able salesman, and that he has a large clientele among the very best of Chicago's society, it would not seem that Mr. Cross' claims were at all unreasonable; he is still a young man, and he is likely to profit by his former experiences.
78Stencil.
80Messrs. Hinners & Albertsen, of Pekin, Ill., organ manufacturers, are advertising in the "German Methodist Almanac," published in Cincinnati in the German language, that they are manufacturing pianos. From the cut which accompanies the advertisement it is a Chicago made instrument, consequently a stencil and, therefore, not a first-class piano; neither can they sell it for half the price of cheap pianos, as they state they can do in their advertisement, unless they propose selling it at cost; and as they, like every one else, are looking out for dollars and cents it is not likely that they are doing that.
82Jordan Still with Us.
84Mr. W. C. Jordan has been giving out another card. It is a slight improvement on his old one, but if he stays in Chicago much longer, instead of announcing himself as a "general broker," he will probably have occasion to announce himself as generally broke.
86Still More Stencil.
88Last week mention was made of what appears to be a new stencil in the city of Chicago, the Chicago Music Company Piano. On looking over the catalogue, an article on one of the pages attracts one's attention so forcibly by its conglomeration of idiotic phrases that it forces one to believe that Mr. Platt P. Gibbs is convinced of the fact that people who buy pianos are of the same brain calibre as himself. The article in question is herewith produced, which is all that is necessary to convince anyone who peruses it that Mr. Gibbs has a "harmonic complement," "acoustic peculiarities," "a mathematical length of the hitch" and "five sympathetic vibrators" in addition to the ordinary wheel in his head.
90In drawing the scales for the Chicago Music Company piano, every effort was made to arrange on scientific and acoustic lines and string lengths, so as to produce vibrations as perfect as possible in conjunction with the most evenly balanced strain power, and these efforts have been successful. An important feature of the scale is the harmonic complement, which adds acoustic peculiarities to the effect. This harmonic scale is perfectly new in its arrangement. The peculiarity is that the mathematical length of the hitch extends from the treble and to the centre bar, these being the only sections where advantage can be had by acoustic lengths, so that every note has from one to five sympathetic vibrators in the upper notes. This is a very valuable improvement in the construction of the Chicago Music Company piano, and is evidence of the skill and care which have been expended in the manufacture of the instrument. In conjunction with this, a plate is incorporated, the construction of which gives special strength to the centre of the instrument and forward of the line of greatest strain or tension. This is accomplished by a thorough brace system, consisting of a centre bar so arranged as to have great strength over and forward of the bridge on the sounding
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