Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-19

wires or those which are attached to dis
trict messenger calls. The company is
just beginning to string the wires in the
subways and on the poles of the Bell Tele-
phone Company, with which 1t has work
ing arrangement The Telharmonic Com
pany is not controlled by the Bell Company,
however. The apparatus Is similar to that
OF the old-fashioned telephones box about
three feet by ten inches in size. The COM
pany will put ia one, or several. as pa
tron may desire. A single instrument will
produce sufficient volume of music to be
heard throughout an ordinary hotel dining
room or a residence, quite as loud as that
produced by orchestra of five pieces.
There will be no local music, only instru-
mental, and 1t can be turned on and off as
easily an electric light. The patron.
however cannot select the scores or make
up a program. He will have to accept
what the performer at the central office
gives him. and the latter. of course, Will
be expected to provide a sufficient variety
to please all classes OF people. He will
be quite as Independent as any performer
in any concert room. but his audience will
be scattered throughout the city in a thou
sand different places.
You have doubtless heard that one of the
most important uses OF the neighborhood
telephone company out west is to supply
music to it's patrons in the farm houses
scattered all over the county. During the
long winter evenings the manager at the
central Office provides singer or q pianist,
a violinist some other musician, and
furnishes program of vocal and instru-
mental numbers which can be heard over
the wires at the homes of every one OF the
subscribers. The members of. the family
take turns in hearing the music and pass
the receiver from one ear to another, but
only one person can be entertained at
time The telharmonc will answer the
same purpose. only the receiver is so ar
ranged that a hundred or thousand peo-
pie can hear the music at the same time as
1t comes over the wire. The tones are pure.
There Is no buzz or whir like that which
afficts the monograph and graphophone.
Money Spent on Music.
/ am told that $37. 100000 was spent for
music in New York last year and that there
are 5000 professional instrumental mu-
sicians who earn an average wage of $500
a day, which Is the union rate for playing
In orcheStras at theaters, restaurants no.
tells and other public places It cost Mr.
Boldt, the proprietor of the Waldorf-As-
toria Hotel. $4,000 a year for music to en-
terrain his patrons. He has two orchestras
which relieve each other at intervals be-
tween noon and midnight. and at the din
ner hour both are occupied in different
parts of the house. Delmofiico, Sherry,
Martin, Hotel Astor. the Netherlands the
Savoy. the st. Regis and forty or fifty
other hotels pay $4,000 per year or up
wards There are In New York city:
u TS,a, 1 1.sI Boarding houses ls,ess
R.sIaurants 2sza rooms. .......... 5.sat
BALLOONS 3,5oUi Dentists. 61S
Barber shops. 5.07oI Residences 49,. ga 600
Schools ....,..... 0S7lDepartment stores $50
Hospitals. asy-
iuins, etc.,. 2I6i
There are more than 300 firms in the city
who make a business of renting pianos and
the average rental charged Is $50 a year.
One firm has more than 5000 pianos rented
out The department stores have recently
begun to provide music, and in some places
regular free concerts In the rest rooms. or
waiting rooms. for the entertainment OF
their customers, and to attract patronage
In several of the large establishments you
can hear first-ciass performances of vocal
and instrumental music which are almost
continuous during the shopping hours
Wanamaker & Co. have put up In their new
store a $4,000 organ. one of the finest in
the country, and have engaged one of the
most celebrated orsansts In this country
by the year to entertain their customers.
The auditorium win seat 1.5oo people and
the concerts are free. l was told the other
day that 1t would be necessary for Wanna
maker to sell one hundred pianos day in
his musical department in order TO pay ex-
pe-ses.