The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-01-07
PIANOS.
[From the New York Music Trade Review,
December 8, 1881
FRAUDS I'M THE PIANO TRADE.

| Persons on the Leading PianO-
forte .Makers--The state of the
| tective AssociatiOn-.The History
OF the Decker Piano.
The time has come when the frauds perpe-
rat cd by unscrupulous persons on the leading
pianoforte makers of this country have as
sumed such dimensions 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 un-
masking those persons who, under the guise of
SOME great manufacturers name, boldly flood
| the market with worthless instruments. The
houses Of Chickering, Steinway, Decker,
Weber, Knabe and Haines are the principal
firms whose names are either directly or in
some mutilated shape put upon instruments
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 piano much in
the light of a carpenter who makes cheap bed
steads by the score, and considers the whole
affair as Involving so much material, which,
being knocked together anyhow, is fit for sale
so long as it will stand transportation.
We HuSt COulchb OlT dSCOniSuneIb dt INC
comparative Indifference and supineness of the
leading manufacturers hitherto. inasmuch as
not only do these bogus instruments injure
their reputation but, further, they depreciate
the value Of their pianos in the estimation Of
the public, who ale continually treated to the
| sight Of advertisements in the Herald in which
parties offer to sell instruments, purporting to
be genuine, at prices far below the market
value. Does Mr.. Chckering think it enhances
the position of his firm to have plano, stated
to be Of his make, advertised as "being for sale
at $l5O?" Does Mr.. steinway imagine for a
| single moment that he can afford to rest under
the public imputation that one of his "grands"
| can De got at "any pricep' Do the Decker
Brothers think it no injury that new instru-
ment, advertised as theirs 10 all appearance
and rs shaving cost 81 ,OOO, can be got for $500,
or even less2"
That the aforementioned firm have been
| forced to take the matter up and give it their
| most serious consideration, we shall forthwith
proceed to show, promising only that we have
devoted the rest of this article, which is the
| first OF a series on the subject, to the Decker
piano, simply because the Decker Bros, with
their usual enterprise, have been the first to
enter.the field in contest from which WE shall
never retire UNTIL by dint of every influence
which we can bring to bear, we have enabled
| the honest piano manufacturer to protect his
business from the onslaughts of knayes and
rogues.
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE DECKER PIANO.
At the present time there are no less than
three firms who claim to make the "Decker''
piano, and to have the right OF using q name
which has for nearly fifteen years stood most
deservedly high in the opinion Of the public of
| this country. These three firms are-l Deck
| er Brothers, oil 80 Union Square, New York; /;
| g Decker 4 Barnes. OF 1875 Third avenue, New
York: and g. Decker y Bros, of 56 Blocker
street, New York. We now proceed to inyes-
tigate with what justice each OF these firms
may be said to make "Decker' piano. and to
which of the firms, in the estimation of the
press, the public, and the profession, is due the
of "Docker" respected, popular, and valuable.
10 do this we shall in no wise 1ntrude our own
opinions, but shall carefully, most carefully,
give the record of each house as we and others
are prepared to substantiate it,
MEssRs. DECKER BROTHERS, OF SO UNION SQUARE
This firm consists of two brothers, John
Jacob Decker and David Decker. John Jacob
Decker worked as a journeyman for eight
years. from 1916 to 1854, with the firm of Bacon
u Raven. In 1854, on the death of Mr. Bacon.
the firm was reorganized and continued in
business as Raven, Bacon u Co., young MIR.
Bacon taking his fathers place, and Mr.. j ohm
j. Decktr constituting the company, having
obtained an interest in the business by reason
of his rare skill and Judgment. THUS Mr.. John
j. Decker continued for eight years, till the
year 1852, when he started IN business for him
self in Varick street lin the very house where
Steinway started) In conjunction with his
brother David, who previous to this date had
beeh quietly working his way along, year in
year out, as ajourneyman.
The two brothers started on a small capital
the savings OF their steady industry-anu with
no other desire than to make few square pi-
amos for the retail trade in New York and its
vicinity. However humble their aim, however
small their beginning, they were not destined
| ''to bloom unseen," for the late master mus1-
clan, Carl Anschutz, got hold of their very first
instrument, and stamped them, in an auto
graph letter, "as manufacturers of tue very
| highest class" From this moment their fame
rapidly spread, and they were, as early as
| 1853 one year after they mad started in Varick
street, enabled to move to more caDacious
premises in Bleeckcr street, where they re-
| mained six years, till 1869, when they moved
| their factory and wArerooms to Thirty fourth
street, and in 1870 opened separate Warerooms
| in the magnificent premises they now occupy
| at 33 Union square. 8elng practical artisans
| and most superior mechanics, they early en-
| tered upon the most worthy design of im-
proving the manufacture OF the piano as much
as possible, and in June, 1853, the Scien-
| tiic american spoke In terms Of the warmcst
praise of valuable improvement they had
then just patented. After this, their strides in
perfecting the manufacture of the instrument
| were most rapid. and they obtained patents in
'63, '65. '67, 49, 20, '72 and '73, which called
forth the most unequiyocal praise from the
press and the public, and mainly helped them
| to produce those instruments which have given
| them their present proud position. In 1864 the
| Tribune, in highly laudatory account of one
of their Improvements, stated that it "had
| enabled them to develop in their instruments a
tone at once admirable for its purity, fuilness,
prolongation and sweetness, and the high es-
tmation in Which their improvement is neld is
well shown i'll the rapidly increasing business
of the firm" In 1879 the same paper, in an ar
ticle reviewing the whole pianoforte trade in
the country, observed that 'sthe Decker Broth
ers have won their success by solid merit, and
hold it by unreiuitting effort in the same direc-
tion." The genius and ability Of Mr.. Hassard
the musical critic Of the Tribune
have aided to make taat paper the highest au-
thority on all musical matters, and we find iti
constant praise of the instruments Of the
Decker Bros supported by the rest Of the
press, including the Times, World, Herald
Express, Independent, Home Journal, Sunday
Times, Alcadian, Chicago Tribune, BostoI
Gazette, Philadelphia Inquirer, and others
When to this we add that, unsolicited, the ilrn
hold testimonials of high regard and homes
appreciation from Theodore Thomas, Car
Bergmann, A. B. Mills, VIM. Mason, j. III
Bonawitz, Henry j. Andres, Ed. Mario, julia
Rive, and many other distinguished members
OF the musical profession, it can not be doubted
that the press of the country as body, and tn,
musical profession as well, had, without in
dulging In any invidious comparison between
the works OF other distinguished well know