The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-16
TEE IMPORTED PIANIST
NOT ALWAYS BROUGHT HERE
FOR ART ALONE.

NOV ALH AfS HERE
FOR ART ALONE.
Sometimes They Are Made to Serve n,
Purposes Of Advertising -Complica.
ttsas Ariang From the Prsctlc.
Less Competition OF the Kind Nov
This IL the season Of the year when thu
agents and the managers and the i'm.
~prosarios and the others connected with
the task Of providing concert music for
the public raise their voices in the land
saying that they have engaged for a
tour Herr Clavier Pauoher. the noted
German pianist. or Mile. Touch Tolche.
the well known French pianiste. Then
the people who think of these thinps
admire the musical genius and foresight
Of these discerning agents and think that
the country IL safe 30 long as its music
IL In their experienced hands.
OF course the popular view of such
Incidents OF the musical season as tho
arrival Of these distinguished pianists
d altogether different from what actually
happens. Mr.. Tenprozent Booker does
not travel through foreign countries
searching here and there like Diogenes
for the honest talent that he may bring
Il ovsr 10 show to his country people
10 their delight and his profit.
The modus operandi Of bringing
forsim planists to this country" one
Of tho agents explained the other day to
Q 6uN reporter. lis quite different from
what It has boon supposed to be. They
arc al Gus Lure. with a very few e1-
captions, by the piano manufacturers to
play on their instruments and thus adj
yertise their merits to the world.
Suppose. for instance. there In a noted
pianist In Europe. The piano house
which wants it's instrument advertised
The following year sends over somebody
10 engage this pianist. say for thirty con-
certs at q guaranteed sun Of $500 for each
appearance. That Is about the average
sum paid to the lesser lights and Is about
ten times what they could earn in Europe.
"sSometimes much larger sums are paid.
Ono pianist here two years g received
$500 for every appearance. and he had
nearly forty Of them. Next year he will
receive $500 and have a. many Appearances,
In view Of the small number of pianists
that make money these terms are liberal.
After Tie pianist has been engaged, or
maybe bsfore he h engaged. the plano
nfm that b 10 pay him engages one Of the
local musical agencies to book him
through the country on q basis OF 10 per
csnt. Tho agent must Of course get a.
much ~ he can for him, as there are 60
ing to be many occasions when the piano
firm will lose money on him.
Few Of the concerts given by pianists
at Carnegie Hall or Mendehsohn Hall
ever realize any profit for the piano house
that Is paying the salary. and 1t not infre.
quently happens that even the expenses
are not covered. The money made by the
piano Arm Is most likely to come from the
engagement OF the pianist by the large sym.
phony orchestras in the principal cities.
Sometimes the pianist, IL he is big
enough, may come here o his own hook
and will reoeivc a fixed sum from the
plano house for using its instrument, while
the management Is In the hands OF his own
Sometimes this sum may amount
to as mucn a. $500 a concert, but it takes
. pretty eminent person to get such
1t IL not the money paid to the pianist
alone that makes such y venture expen-
sive for he piano houses. They ave to
send along apiano tuner and men to look
after tho instru ment, and sometimes sew
eral instruments must be in commission.
Then II may be that q piano must be sent
into . territory In which the piano house
has NO branches, and that means that a
grand piano must be carted from city TO
nj tv which ia coetlv.
Tn Q pianists are not the only artists
who receive these premiums for using
belonging to certain firms. Singers
and violinists are also in the happy group
that may earn money through the desire
Of the piano firms to have their instru-
ments advertised. In some cases a prima
donna viii receive 500 a concert and a
to accompany her II h uses
q certain kind OF piano. Such terms are
only for the best known among the
singers.
The piano houses also pay a certain
amount for the privilege OF having their
the orchestras and smaller chamber music
Such organizations are
compelled to allow the soloist TO play
the piano furnished by the firm he is en-
gagged by. 1t Ia often difficult to arrange
tho situadon when a soloist is under COM
ldCt W pay on ono lnstfuHIeut WHO
the organization 10 under contract to use
ut tA concerts another instrument.
This question 10 usually decided by a-
lowing the soloist to have his or her way.
This sort OF business comes to its highest
absurdity at the so-called musical festivals.
one instrument after another is
drawn out into the middle of the platform
40 the different soloists appear. 1t is not
uncommon to have as man as half a
dozen instruments in use during one
The expense involved in the engagements
of artists and the uncertainty Of the adj
vantage that results nave made the piano
In recent years less keen
about the advertising that the imported
brings. Pianists are still brought
lere, u there is NO longer the same
over the matter there used
be.
IT may be- one Of the musical agents
aid to The Sun reporter. that there are
persons 90 ingenious as to believe that
his or that pianist plays a certain piano
BECAUSE he lkes II better than any other
n the world. say there may be such
persons. But / doubt 1t very much.
~ this tim that pianists are paid to select
certain instrument and that II they could
rot enough money for 1t they would be
FILLING 70 play ON Q tin N.
IL y 5uR this view that is leading the
'ssSo hoaissS 10 question the wisdom OF
aging out 20 much for the artists they
'rtn9 . tnls country, What does the
,ubhc think, for instance, Of a singer
mo doclaree every year that such and
uoh . piano-the one she happens to be
leing at the time-is better than any