Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29
CLARENCE GUSTLM
HAS IDEAL STUDIO
sTEINWAY PIANO ALMOST SOLE
ADoRNMENT
Workshops Of MusIcIans Vary from
Porch and Rail to Coal Bin
Of Apartment
House
BY GEE o,JAY

The musicians studio!
Depend upon 1t, the real musician con-
siders his studio in the same light that a
carpenter considers his shed-a workshop,
pure and simple. The dabbler, the seeker
of blatant effect, the insincere--these are
the people who gaudily decorate their
walls with the gewgaws that nauseate-
the people who blind the eyes of their
friends, and sometimes themselves. with
vulgar display of things alien to real
music. They omit the real tools of the
craft-they hide incompetences under q
load Of superfiuous junk
But there are studios and studios. One
noted English composer occupies room
severely whitewashed-with but plain
deal table, a chair and q small upright
piano to relieve the whitened expanse.
Another man / know-a young American
has written complete opera on his
front porch, with his feet on the railing.
q drawingboard with manuscripts sup
ported on his knees and pipe firmly
gripped. Yet another-surely deter
mined fellow-persuaded his landlord to
use less space for coal in the basement
allowing room for piano and a few
books. This last chap had to do 1.-THE
other romers objected to the noise-there-
fore he buried 1t in the basement
All of which Is merely preliminary to
the real purpose Of this article. / merely
wish to assert that the studio which ie
somewhere between Turkish harem ans
an opium den is not the abode of the rea
| musician.
| You'll find musical atmosphere in nc
place-unless you carry 1t there yourself
That's the reason why Clarence A. Gust
lin passed by the allurements of the city
to establish his workshop in Santa Ana.
There he has studio that is a model.
Within it's four walls is every bit of
musical atmosphere one energetic pro-
ducer needs
Comfort is the keynote Of Mr.. Gustlin's s
studio. Furniture made to use, decent
picture or two and just few souvenirs
of very dear friends. No argumentattve
color clashings, no striving after the
effects of the slant-eyed oriental or the
slant-headed dazzler of the clairvoyant
type.
A Place TO Work
Just a place to work-that's ALL Seems
to me the only bit of musical bric-a-brac
around the cosy room is bust of
Beethoven.
OF course Mr.. Gustlin possesses, and
always uses, a Steinway piano. The in
strument installed in his studio Is style
B Steinway Parlor Grand.
This is the instrument of which Pa
derewski said. writing from London: Il
must tell you that. although 1 was de-
lighted and inspired with your pianos at
my first concert, my enthusiasm and in
spiration Increased at my second concert,
and became still greater at the third.
and thus it went on crescendo until my
Joy In the grandeur, the power and the
ideal beauty Of the tone. and the per-
lection of touch and mechanism was
unbounded."
Mr. Gustlin purchased his Steinway
from the George ]. Birkel company of
345-S47 South Spring street. He recently
wrote the following unsolicited testi-
monial:
'In my opinion steinway and plano per-
fection stand for one and the same thing
I have never seen anything to equal them
and never expect to find superior"
How much this Steinway Is priced can
be gathered from Mr.. Gustlin's remark
the other day: II am going to Europe for
a period of study, but I do hate to leave
my Steinway at home"
But Mr.. Gustlin need not worry. He
will find the Steinway in every musical
center of Europe. for it is the only piano
that really great teachers will use-and
Mr.. Gustlin is used to great teachers
hasn't he just finished a strenuous course
with the accomplished Herr Thilo Becker?