Scan 29
Musical Courier 1894-08-29: Vol 29 Iss 755, 1894
64 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 30. See the scan on archive.org.
1miles from the shores of England to the mouth of the Scheldt and yet the musical instrument makers of Great Britain did not muster sufficient energy to cross over and make a decent display:
2Bishop & Sons, E……London: Pianos.
3Bournés Timber and Molding Mill……London: Material for Pianos.
4Lachenal & Co……London: Concertinas.
5And that is all, except the
6Hiller Organ Co……London: Reed organs.
7Would it not be preferable for a nation to relinquish all participation in an Exposition than to make such a beggarly display! Already the English market is completely overrun by German pianos, and it seems that this is only the beginning of a piano inundation, if I may be permitted to apply such a damp metaphor to our favorite instrument.
9MISCELLANEOUS.
10In the German Department the most remarkable individual exhibit is that of the Lochmann Musik Werke (Music Works) of Leipzig-Gohlis, Germany, the Kiosk being a very artistic creation of itself, filled with the latest designs and styles of the "Symphonion," the musical product of this company. It is driving the Swiss music box rapidly out of the market, and for the very best of reasons. The interchangeable disk giving an owner of an instrument every variety of music consisting of a practically unlimited repertory, would in itself be sufficient to banish the Swiss stationary cylinder box with its constant repetitions and substitute the "Symphonion." But the latter has, besides this, tonal and other musical superiority over the old Swiss box that appears to settle its doom.
11The exhibit of the Lochmann Company is a superb illustration of the possibilities of an energetic and intelligent modern musical instrument producer.
13* * *
14In the Norwegian Art Department I found a strong portrait of the composer Ch. Sinding, painted by Jacob Bratland, and Gustav Group, of Stuttgart, contributes a powerful portrait of Hans Richter, while one of the weakest and effeminate efforts at portrait painting is Pablo de Sarasate, by James McNeill Whistler. I cannot perceive why we want any idealization of the portrait of a human being even if he plays as well as Sarasate. What we do need is a "counterfeit presentment" that gives us some intelligible estimate of character by means of faithful portraiture.
16* * *
17The "United States Building" is the shabbiest and most disgraceful adjunct of the Exposition and some kind of law should be incorporated in the United States Statutes that would make it a crime for speculators to use the name of the United States to get up such a "fake" and humbug as this, which brings the blush of shame on the cheeks of our home visitors, no matter how hard they may be. A pine building, a few exhibits, commonplace and of no consequence, an American bar with no American and no foreign patronage, I am glad to say; some terrible pictures and a torn United States flag—that constitutes the "United States Building!"
18I should also like to add my condemnation of the exhibit of American paintings which pass muster before the visitors as the expression of our contemporaneous art feeling. There are a few Bridgmans, a few Weeks and a few odds and ends, and the rest seem to be as poor a collection of oil paintings as ever distinguished the salesroom of a second-rate auctioneer. These mutual adulation societies to which Professor Huxley just alluded in his reply to Lord Salisbury at the annual meeting of the British Association at Oxford last week, are the destruction of real art among our painters and musicians. The hanging committees hang for favors, for at the next hanging, the mutual adulation society, of which they are members, hang them, and according to an understood program, and the result is the hanging of paintings that represent merely an amateurish struggle instead of an artistic result.
19M. A. B.
20(Conclusion to follow).
22—A Düsseldorf violin valued at $100 was stolen from the showcase in William V. Pezoni's shop at No. 108 Court street, Brooklyn, Wednesday. A man entered the place and asked Mr. Pezoni for a violin bridge. On receiving it he said it was too large, and asked the instrument maker to reduce it. Pezoni went into the workshop, which is separated from the store by heavy portières. The man, who had been left outside, thrust his head between the portières and said he'd be back later for the bridge. He evidently had the violin under his coat, for he walked straight out of the place. The police were notified.—"World."
24SPECIAL NOTICE.
25The last opportunity to secure space in the special European (international) Edition of THE MUSICAL COURIER will end on Friday, August 31.
26The first forms for this special issue are now closing, and no matter can be received for insertion after the above mentioned date.
27The enterprise has up to the present time far exceeded our expectations, and those whose business is of an international character should avail themselves of the greatest opportunity ever presented them to place their wares before the music trade and the musical people of the entire globe.
28Prices quoted upon application.
30Musical Instruments' Strings and the Tariff.
31THERE seems to be considerable uncertainty and more or less confusion regarding the new tariff on musical instruments' strings. The wording of the bill on gut strings reads as follows: "Catgut, whip gut or worm gut, manufactured or not further manufactured than in strings or cord," free.
32The musical instrument clause reads as follows: "Musical instruments or parts thereof (except pianoforte actions or parts thereof), cases for musical instruments, pitch pipes, tuning forks, tuning hammers and metronomes, according to material, 25 per cent."
33"Strings for musical instruments, if catgut, 25 per cent."
34"Strings for musical instruments, if metal, 25 per cent."
35The question "What constitutes a musical instrument string?" came up shortly after the McKinley bill went into effect and was decided by a test suit before the Board of General Appraisers.
36By the provisions of the McKinley bill musical instrument strings come in the same as musical instruments, at 35 per cent.; and also under the McKinley bill catgut, whip gut or worm gut manufactured or not further manufactured than in strings or cord came in free.
37John F. Stratton & Co. and others decided to test by a suit against the Government the distinction between a musical instrument string and a gut string as specified in the bill.
38An invoice of gut violin strings, upon which the duty of 35 per cent. had been paid under protest, was contested. The plaintiffs claimed that a violin, 'cello or double bass string was a piece of twisted gut, and, although used on a musical instrument, should not be considered a part thereof, as strings similar were used in the manufacture of tennis rackets, la Crosse rackets, clock cords and in other ways, which were as much a part of these articles as a string was part of a musical instrument, and these strings were admitted free. The board decided that a gut string for a musical instrument was not further manufactured than a string or cord and came within the provisions of the clause, and they were admitted free.
39Should the present bill become a law the same controversy will arise, for one of the large importers has an invoice of violin strings recently shipped and the goods will not arrive in port until the revised tariff bill is either vetoed or goes into effect by limitation. In either event the bill will be sent to the Custom House marked free. Should the revised bill be in effect, the invoice will be returned unquestionably to the importer marked 25 per cent. duty. This will have to be paid, but under protest, and proceedings will be begun at once against the Government for reimbursement.
40The Board of General Appraisers may reverse the decision of the board which passed upon the previous controversy and decided that musical instrument strings are further manufactured than the specified strings and cord, in which case the duty of 25 per cent. will of course stand.
41Another complication is liable to arise if the Board of Appraisers affirm the decision of the previous board and admit gut strings free.
42Silk wound strings used on guitars and other instruments if appraised as musical instrument strings come in at 25 per cent., but if the term musical instrument string is not recognized and gut strings come in free under the general clause, then silk strings must be appraised as manufactured silk, upon which a duty of 45 per cent. will be imposed under the new tariff.
43If gut strings are not musical instrument strings; if silk wound strings are not musical instrument strings, then wire strings are not musical instrument strings, and will come in under the wire clause, which imposes a duty of 40 per cent.
44There are two ways of looking at this tariff question on strings in its effect upon the dealer.
45In one way it is a benefit. It will to a very great extent debar musicians from sending abroad for their strings.
46When they were admitted free and the only expense was that of transportation, musicians would club together and purchase a bill of $50 or $100, and get them as low as the legitimate importing dealer. With the added expense of duty and the trouble and delay at the Custom House, the probabilities are that nearly all musicians will patronize their home dealer.
47From this point of view the dealer benefits, but loses when the question of actual profit in selling the strings is taken into consideration. A bunch of 30 strings costs the dealer, we will say for illustration, $1.50. He sells them for 10 cents a piece. Now add 25 per cent. duty and the strings cost the dealer about 1 cent a piece more, but he cannot charge 11 cents, that is an odd figure, and he does not feel like putting the price to 15 cents, because that would be too great an advance, consequently the dealer will be at a disadvantage.
48It would seem that there was little or no occasion to impose a duty on gut musical instrument strings. They are not manufactured in this country. The climate—with the exception of Lower California, perhaps—is not suitable to the raising of the goats the intestines of which are used for strings. There are no industries to be protected, and under the circumstances it will be a long time before there will be.
50Bradbury in Newark.
51"IT is the unexpected that always occurs."
52One would have said that with the fine store Mr. Smith already had in Newark he should be satisfied; but with his aggressive and progressive policy one knows that he will not stop short of the best. While almost unfit for business, and indeed the last transaction before his doctor ordered him to the mountains, he secured the lease for eight years of the large store at the corner of Broad and Park streets, the finest location in the city. Extensive alterations are already being made and when completed will furnish a home for the Bradbury that will be in keeping with its popularity, and prove that Mr. Smith is not only keeping pace with the times in the quality of his goods, but that his stores will soon confront us in every leading American city.
54Otto Wissner Back.
55MR. OTTO WISSNER arrived at New York on board the Normannia on Thursday last. His sudden home-coming was due to his complete restoration to health. When Mr. Wissner went away he avowed that he should remain only as long as his health demanded and should return immediately upon complete recovery. When last heard from he had about made up his mind to remain away from New York another month, but feeling well the old desire to get back to business overtook him and he boarded a ship and came back.
56Mr. Wissner went directly from the ship to his summer home at Glen Cove, L. I., and will stay there until Thursday. He is looking exceedingly well, brown as a berry, and he is indeed a great picture of health. When seen by a representative of THE MUSICAL COURIER Mr. Wissner said:
57"I had a most delightful time. Going over I realized that it was indeed well that I gave up business when I did. Nervousness in the extreme bothered me, robbing me of my rest and rendering me totally unfit for heavy work. When I left I tried to forget that such an institution as that of Otto Wissner's existed, but had I been able to have sufficiently controlled my thought to have accomplished this I should have failed, as I found that my house was well known over there.
58"On the steamer plans for the coming fall would force themselves upon me, but I refrained from working them out. When I arrived in Germany I visited my brother, who gave me a royal reception. In fact I saw so many people I knew, and enjoyed myself so well socially, that I began to think I was not getting the needed rest I had gone in search of.
59"Shortly after I left Geisen your Mr. M. A. Blumenberg called with a large party of eminent musicians and critics. I was exceedingly sorry to have missed him, as well as his distinguished company. That's about all there is to my trip. The results accomplished you can see for yourself. I am bronzed and feel strong, and well conditioned for a heavy winter's work.
60"I shall take Mrs. Wissner for a three weeks' trip to the White Mountains before actively engaging in business again. That is my plan for the next three weeks."
61When asked about his concert grand, Mr. Wissner said:
62"I have not heard it, but those who have praise it highly. I have read the critical article on it in THE MUSICAL COURIER, and feel that the instrument must be a great success. I shall go down to Brighton Beach to-night and hear it played by Anton Seidl. You know the concert grand will be played by Mme. Rivé-King at the Worcester Musical Festival, September 28.
63"I cannot discuss the plans I have for the coming season just now, but will have something interesting to give out shortly."
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