The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-01-20
From the New York Music Trade Review, Decem
Der 3, lsTj.l
FRAUDS IN THE PIANO TRADE.

A Scathin Expose Of the Frauds Perpe-
trated by interruptions Persous ON the
Leading Pianoforte Makers-The State Of
The Law-Necessity for n Trade Protective =,
Association-The History of the Decker
Piano.
The time has come when the frauds perpetated by
INSCRIPTIONS persons on the leading pianoforte
makers of this country have assumed such d1men-
siOns that they can no longer be endured in silence.
Not only the trade, but the public, are suffering
from them every day, and we have, therefore, taken
upon ourselves the onerOus duty of once for all I'M
masking those per, Ons who, under the guise of some
great manufacturers name, boldly flood the market
with worthless instruments. The houses of Chick
ering, Steinway, Decker, Weber, Knabe and Haines
are the principal firms whose names are either d-
rectly or in some mutilated shape put upon the in
struments which never saw light in their factories,
but have been turned out wholesale, like so much
sausage-meat, from the workshops of men who look
upon the construction of a piano much in the Eight
Of a carpenter who makes cheap bedsteads by the
score, and considers the whole affair as involving so
much material, which, being knocked together any
tation.
alive Indifference and supineness of the leading man.
ufacturers hitherto, inasmuch as not only do these
bogus instruments inJpre their reputation, but, fur
ther, they depreciate the value of their pianos in the
estimation OF the public, who are continually treated
parties offer to sell Instruments, Purporting to be
genuine, at prices far below the market value Does
i II ! to have a piano, stated to be Of His make, ad.
vertised as being for sale at sijOT" Does Mr..
Steinway imagine for a single moment that he can
afford to rest under the public imputation that one
of his grands - can be got at ANY price?" Does
the Decker Brothers think II no injury that a new
instrument, advertised as theirs to all appearance,
and as having cost 81 1000, can be got for s6W, or
That the aforementioned firm have been forced to
take the matter up and give it their most serious
promising Cnly that we have devoted the rest of this
article, which is the first of a series on the subject,
f. srd 5hs De Wifh t RRIainG usual snn an I r gsisa' SaV es been csSt the
tirst to enter the field eht,i il ia a G sGnte st from o. T indnau Ss
which we can bring to bear we have enabled the
honest frnm tb PiS onsI m /" ct Enays eS a Prdpf foaus sls business
s1 AT t Who P slsi% 70 'i msEt sR tSs sTa nG lsi' p 5hnn ,h nSS
t. t}t have a right to Of using mn.g S e name TRi Si1b hf n for Or nearly SniI.
sre1l. DECKER Brothers, of % Uaion Square. New
33OOrrff; and do :, Decker { Brothers, Of 8 BIe,scFsr
street, New York. We now proceed to investigate
make a : Decker ~ piano, and to which Of the firms,
in the estimation Of the press, the public, and the
mmsde the name of :Decker% respected, popular and
valuable. To do this we shall in nOwise intrude our
give the record of each house as we and others are
prepared to substantiate it.
MEssRs. DECKER BROTHERS,, OF % UNION SQUARE.
This firm consists of two brothers; John Jacob
Decker and. David Decker. John Jacob Decker
1851, with the late firm of Bacon a Raven, In 1854;
on ont the ned death Of 4; MI iI Bacon, the f tig@ was R Ts9TgS ! c@
yonnG Mr.. Bacon taking his fathers place, and Mr..
S oStaiS n n an INTEREST rens IN in the business sim sp by reason Of his
raye skill and Judgment. Thus MIR. John j. Decker
started in business for himself in varick street lin
the very house where Steinway started) in cOnJunc-
date had been quietly working his way along, year
in and year out, as a Journeyman.
The two brothers started On q small capitalize
l savings of their steady industry-and with no other
l desire than to make 3 few square ? amos for the re-
: humble their aim, however small their beginning,
: they were not e;tined e to bloom unseen, - for the
= their very first instrument, and stamped them, in
: an autograph, letter las manufacturers of the very
highest class" From this moment their fame rap.
y after they had started in varick street, enabled &c
e move to more ca pacious premises on Bleecker street
where, thsy remained six years, till 1859, when they
street, and in 1870 opened separate warerooms il
f the magnificent premises they now occupy at 3
superior mechanics, they early entered upon thu
q most worthy design of improving the manqiactuTe9
6 III Il P SeieSti = m HnIeris ss p1 snoSe IN \ t y 3she it III,
u Ssrmsss praise Of a valuable improvement they hat
fecting the manufacture of the instrument wer
most raPid, and they obtained patents in 80, IS, 81
6g, 20, ~ and 70, which called forth the most un
= cquiyocal praise from the press and the public, AM
mainly, helped them to produce those instrument
: In 1864 the Tribune, in a highly laudatory account O
a one Of their improvements, stated that it had ena
e once admirable for its purity, fullncss, prolouga
J. tion and sweetness. and the high estimation j
which their improvement is held is well shown i
lie the rapidly increasing business of the firm. In ISL
the same paper; in an article reviewing the Who'll
~ pianoforte trade in the country, observed that til
n Decker Brothers have won their success by soil
l. merit merit and h Tb it by unTeml lhil EFFORT + in the sam
lie the musical critic of the Tribune, have aided TO max
:. that paper the highest authority on all musical ma
Up tiers, and we find its constant praise of the instru
. ments of the Decker Bros. supported by tue rest
Or p rRs pFf sdcp neSde%in Ho 1%s Jd d,rlsii s %Sdi%; T HSrs,a Ire e,
dian, Chicago Tribune, Boston Ggsene, PhilSdelPhi
solicited, the firm hold testimonials of high regaI
and honest appreciation from Theodore Thom9
BOnawitz, Henry J. Andres, Ed. Mario, Julia Riv
n, and many other distinguished, members of the mi
-, steal profession, it can not be doubted that the pre-
m as Well, had, wifRcut i%nddniging in any inSidious con
we'll known makers, paid deserved tribute to i
10 ability and industry of John Jacob and Dav
~ next on our list, namely, that OF
1t. Which consists OF MIR. Myron A. Decker and of NJ
I'd Barnes, and was formed in the spring of lS7l, Al
ID IL. I2g and i3l Third avenue. Br. Barnes had be-
for many years in the employment of Messrs. Chic
ut leaving them in ISL, went into partnership with NJ
n, Myron A. Decker, with whom he has continued ev
since.
Mr.. Myron A Decker, who. by the by, is in IL
Il wise related to the Decker Brothers, started in
10 Of Albany, in conjunction with one MixseiI. At 1
TO- expiration of a year he bought Mr.. Mixsell out al
q ran the business himself, selling his pianos wherev
no he could to other parties, who put their names upc
he them and sold them to the public. In 1855 he ma
ng State it"I Fair held at I s SGs a / In Is5s, R Rndins !
business Improbable, he broke up and came to NJ
u Broadway and Fulton, and had some difficulty wi
lit IA rival restaurateur concerning the. appropriate,
lis !" Live We and Let e Live. IN Toward T the ci kseU Of the ye
er lo6l, he started as a piano manufacturer in Twent
or the instruments he made to the firm of Ilsley
Coz upon them. Thus he continued until jul
lis 1863, when he persuaded Mr.: George llsley to
mr. into business with Lin as piano manufacturer
and to turnlSR the necessary CApital, lie, on [
ng other hand, was to give his name to the ne
lie. had, which then amounted to the sum of eigh
dollars and eighty-lour cents. We have it from NJ
ne a. Decker, which induced il m to consent to ii
NJ arrangement, was the fact that the Decker Bro
IL had made the name Decker popular aud thereto
valuable, and that us his name was also Decker
. might enable them to do a good business, Thus
eli which ran till TS6S, when it moved to Union Plae
where it failed. After ore year, that is, in 1850. N
III & Co, ana employed Mr.: Myron A; Decker as for
10 TO 1871, Mr., NJ. A Decker was. more or less, out
'oi related.
ed We now come to the firm of
Il DECKER 4 BROS, OF 81 BLEECKER ST., NEW YORK.
IL This house il boldly stated by one of the leadi
ri CONNIE: cial agencies to be doing business on /
Square, with whom they are neither in any way
=, s sonsht htH To- cc SUHR az eiose In as S S6ssiSIe 1tT The sf fTm e 90
he sists of Mr.. Marcus A. Decker, who is the son of N
va Il. Is. Decker, VINO was O well known tuner, a
died last winter. This Mr.. T.. Is. Decker was t
US, brother of MyrOn A. Decker, of Deck
III l. Barnes, and started in business in the year 1865
HI a small store in Blocker street as a retailer
pianos. lie made an arrangement with anOtf
- brother, IL. b. Decker, a farmer, now living ne
eS- BinghamptOn, to use his name, and so put up t
al firm name of Decker Il Bro. This concern new
~ made a piano during the whole course of its ext,
lrS ence. In 1869, MIR. +. b. Decker's son, Marcus, {
no only present survivor of this branch of the fami
NC was taken into the firm, which two years af, erwa
IN. changed its Eame to Decker and Brothers, thou
T.. with no moral or legal right to do so, and
moved from Broome to Bleecker street, where o
readers will remember the Decker Bros. made tn
reputation. Their reason for doing this il III,
obvious. On Mr.. +. b. Deckcr's death Mr.. Marc
A. Decker, his son, continued the business unt
the old firm name.
- From this account it is most clear
US J.. That the only firm entitled to the honor q
ed credit of having obtained Il great reputation for
ice Decker" piano are Messrs. Decker Bros, OF
y Union Square.
.. That Messrs. Decker d Barnes, though part
d. manufacturers Gnasmuch as they do not make
the parts of their iustrumants), are not justified
es, asserting, as they do in their catalogue. that tn
Myron a. Decker WAS the one who made
an Decker" instrument known, seeing that next
- none were made in his name till July, 1865, three f
Is years after the Decker Bros. had started. New
on theless they are fully entitled to their firm nan