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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1907)
51 THE .OREGdN SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 10, .1207. ft T Shannon 11, . Aoleaj Hall I pianola PianIot 1 AMP lOKHUTMlUf ' " This was the way It happened: - At certain little - Portland woman, Jealous for. her city's fair name, said to me in tone . of Injury "t . you know, a stranger must think that we haven't a single work of man to be proud of In this town? When a distinguished stran rer visits Chicago, he Is taken to the rsrdrantJ -shown a modern pack- lng plant: In New York he Is taken to the Art Museum and other similar -centers; but In Portland he Is taken to the heights and shown the scenery as If we had nothing- but scenery!" . "And what else have-we?" I asked. " She gave me one accusing look. ""Have you. been through Ellers Piano House since it was remodeled T" I said I had not and was at once pi loted hither. i It wasn't a special dayof,any kind . and no one was expecting us.' so that . the treatment we received was only that accorded all interested visitors. As we entered the large double doors in the center of an extensive plate-glass show window display full 60 feet of plate glass, I should say, at a rough esti mate we were , met .. by a. courteous - salesman; whom ray- companion In , formed: "We are ' going through the house." Re asked no questions, but put us in the hands of a gentlemanly young man. The sales room from which we started, on the main floor. Is filled with a mag. nlflcent display of grand pianos, pianola pianos and organs. While a large num ber of instruments are in this room, they are so arranged as to give a pleas ant open appearance suggesting in a measure the- mualc-room rather than the ordinary salesroom. Its attractions were enhanced by a musician who was bringing forth melodies from sv sweet toned instrument. Inviting one to lin ger, but my friend pushed on. To the right st the rear we entered a talking machine and record room. Cloning the door, we were treated to an undisturbed eonoert provided by examples- of the latest improved machines and staged by a most accommodating manager, who very kindly produced numbers at the special request of members of his audi' once, for quite a number of people had gathered in the cosy room., where seats are provided and mualc furnished at all hours. Ladles down town . shopping "drop in nere rreeiy tor a Jlttle rest and ' recreation, we were told, and as new records are constantly being, added to the large record library, something new is to be heard every day- Another talk- lng-machtno . salesroom . la Just across the aisle. The private offices, the tun ing, delivery and Inspection 'rooms are also on this floor, all commodious and complete In every detail. . . .. Next we were conducted to' the elr valor, a mnmmoth affair, constructed for the lifting end lowering of the. larg est Instruments made concert grand ulanos snd bulky pipe organs and slso user! for tho acoommodallon of passen era. One flight up. on a mexsanlne floor we found the general offices, pri vate telephone exchange and mailing room: another flight, and to the west of a large hallway, a convenient stairway leads to the reed and hureh organ department. Which has been placed on a gallery built on ths second floor. One room d"voted to the dlsplsy of sll manner of parlor -reed organs, which, so our rotvluctnr Informed us, sre snJd In many carloads la the remote districts or Idaho, southeastern Oregon. Wyoming and northern California. In another commodious room there is a most ex tensive dl!ay of chapel nd school organa, notably those tnnie by Kimball, .Ihe Htirdet.le company. tle Crown oora vany and ITie Ellers Pin no- Houss the litter being known ss the Paclflo Queen. Viuiilntly aiti active were these chapel si f ' f 1 .. -... t . ,i ' . VI VV i ' I .... til ' Ths ' "Roort -'.- Tamcv r7" Upright KlANOiT. A Nook, op the chapel organs,' in this mimeroos family of modern musical 'instruments,, stirring ons's memory and. reminding one., of those daya when an organ was the most familiar mode of ' mustcsl expression. Then there are carefully fitted up reg ulating and tuning rooms, -also a hand some salesroom devoted to tbe display of used instruments , ef the : pianola class. . . ' - ,' I had already begun to wonder If. there was any limit to the scope of a modern piano house, and this one in particular, so elaborate were the arrangements for handling every branch .or. the-business,' when our conductor hurried as away from the interesting chapel, organ room, down the stairs snd.scross tbe hall to a display room more spacious and beau tiful than anything we had yet seen. The ceilings are high, there are many windows on two sides, and the walls are most artistically finished In blue and gold, with oriental rugs and furnish ings in harmony with the general color scheme, Here the finest creations of the piano makers art are to be seen; - j ; I v St" it. ft! Hi n IM 7 7J alii. W3LIMPSE. or TH1 CkAMO Room. -' there was the pianola piano, upon which, by means of "Metrottyle" and "Themod "1st" any novice can play, acceptably, . tbe works of the greatest masters; there were superb . orchestrelles, - valued, ao ... our conductor informed us, at from S1.S00 to I3.B00, beautiful in finish and marvelous in variety of tone effects; - - there were other pianola pianos repre senting a much smaller figure, soma T 'as low ss tSOO. ' The magnificence of -this splendid collection of modern In . struments is not excelled In any piano display I have ever seen In any eastern '-wtyr very"tntnr"I heT,"anr-at ntr best the product of over, it different high class American piano factories, so . we were Informed. t "The recital hall adjoins this room, a hall of proportions suitable for a public recital, and fitted with a targe stage. ready for use but for the seating, which, we were told., was wrecked In -shipment, -theretry delaylng-lta eomple-4 tion. A splendid Kimball two manual and pedal bass pipe organ baa been in-1 stalled, also other Instruments, making! r. 'Hi- 2: Mill A - ' - XTo-IaVa-. Ax.t THE VteT. , the' hall' Ideally furnished' for 1tg i"1 purpose; - Concerts will be given here, - new makes of lnatrumenta tried before .critical audiencea, and a mualcal atmosphere In gen eral created and maintained. The hall la beautifully finished as to interior decorations, as are sll the many rooms of , the great' piano house, We stopped for an-, other musical treat in recital hall and heard the wonderful new . German Invention called, for want' of a more appropriate Tlme,TJi,WeltATtIstic : Belf--Playlng Klectrlc Piano." .. Rolls for this ' Instrument ' have beSh made.. we are told, by. nearly, all the - living master, pianists.' A Chopin Polonaise' by, Paderewskl , was - Inserted, and., played,, ex actly .. with ;all the . fervor. - fire, passion, - and . sweetneas that the greet Pole - -throw into his ' work. ne sums Inter- preutlort was rendered a D"Albert roll, perfectly' le"-' r-cr. -'a. - :4V -?J icvl I - -irt-mw lew '. ' : .r. v w5S -t)RGAN5 ? 4 x 2 : ?-;;r f;.t Iff THT KtpKoom- i cpnv 1 ICMicKcmK&l AD U)auci I VPJbtCKTXl -til- VLE4"ftOOM, reproducing the Individuality of the player.. -It was a treat for "us, but how much greater ' for the muelo stu7 Who Is hereby given, for the first time In history,, en opportunity to have a concert by several greet masters, or to hear the same selections played by dif ferent masters, thus portraying the In dividuality of each. ' Tbe lnatrument Is almost superhuman in its truthfulness and exactness: while In tonal beauty the piano is a marvel. On. the same floor with recital hall are located studios of prominent Port land musicians, each one fitted up In keeping with the elegance and tone of the house, and each one a center Of In terest, both from an artlatlo and mu sical standpoint' One could spend an afternoon among the studios alone, so unique and Individual are the fnrnlah Inir. Occupying these are Mr. Wf Olf ford Nash, Mr. Arthur Alexander. Mr. txuls Boll, Mr. Ilaryld Bayley and Mist Ksthleep Law I or. - - - Adjoining these art found two' large rooms devoted to wonderfully; Interr eating Institution celled the Pianola Circulating Library, which is conducted on the same principle for owners of Pianolas, in supplying them muslo rolls. res books sre supplied at trie public uprsry. jurv ww iueq, k.v, mat in Oregon alone over (,000 Pianolas are in use. . v Another extremely Interesting depart- , ment is that of rare' and old violins, in . charge of Mr. Beth Storeya place where the dreamer may dream dreams of other times sud pt hers fingers of' magic now turned, to dust; where age old Instruments lend their mellow sweet ness to hallow our modem life and re mind us that wit all. our wonderful In- . ventlve genfus' we can't compete with -the work of Father Time. " " . " Our "conductor" nowVtook'us, . Via the . great elevator, to the lower aalearooms -of the establishment, situated in a semi basement portion of the building, The marvel here was their extenslveness and. the vast variety of goods on display. Each room Is costly sppointed, all In keeping with the beautiful rooms on the upper floors. There Is the "green" room., devoted principally to the dla- nlav of KlmbalL llobart M. Cable Schumann upright pianos, superb mas terpieces of these renowned . factories. both musically and architecturally, speaking. Here Is seen almost a limit- is variaty of an tna cnoicsst ana rar- est of woods used only in nign-cisss plano-maklng. .Then-there is ths "blue-" roonvwhere-'a.magnlflcent array of that modem luxury of wealthy music-lovers, baby and small grands, are displayed. We -saw tsplendld selected samples nf the fsmous Chickertng quarter grands. Chickerlng parlor -rfrrands. else Weber art grands, many of tnem in maescTlb- blv .beautiful figured wooas. otners in the plainest of glossy eboniaed oases. and still others in rich red mahogany. . There were also peclraens of the Ma le) ton grands, a unique American piano, -which In a quiet unpretentious wsy has become the favorite- In many music-loving circles. . The "red" room Is the home of - superb Chlckerlng uprighta There are dainty baby uprights, simple In design ret thoroughly attractive, and. massive, heavily carved uprights, all in : varhMia rare-end beaHtlful- woods. A other part of the room is given over to Weber uprights, ranging from the small baby upright, "the blrreat little piano ever made. to apeciai crwtuom in genuine rosewood, marblewood. figured mahogany, quarter-sawea iraponw or American osk. English burl walnut, all highly polished and In. strong contrast with those finished in the new, French orffalTeffect In COlOnUnnd: WllsiOrJ- designs. f " While looking t tnese Desuiirut n strumsnts. ws were entertained by mu sic from a self-plsylng electric plsno, which closely resembled the work of a competent pianist, playing witn won- derfuV- precision snd using both loud i, and plsno pedaL This type of electric piano Is an American invention. Another Division is qTno w ur pianos, many of which sre received in pert payment for higher grades, baby ' grands, or pianola - pianos; -another,- to tha nmalrlnt nf talking maohlnes: an other to stationery and catalogues. sjyi1 large fireproof safety deposit vault. such as is found In - large banking houses. "Our firm's experience In San Francisco last April." explained - the conductor, 'undoubtedly - prompted ths tnataJlatlon-of this part of ur office equipment." He - wenti, on to explain that the Ellers people were, one of the very few business houses-in San Fran Cisco -that saved- all Its records and ac count . i . , ; There are other departments, all In teresting and Individual, to say noth ing of the big receiving warehouse on the terminal tracks where ' all ship ments are unloaded and examined,' the extensive repair shops and factory oh the corner of yMorthrup and Thirteenth streets, and the complete and efficient delivery service all of which we In spected later. It Is a story for a vol ume rather than a page thia atory of how, the best thought of many minds has been devoted to' establishing la Portland an Institution that la unique In the musical instrument trade of t.'nlted States, and whose annual sales are said to eclipse. In volume snd the trial) tv of Instruments sold. - that of sny one of 4 he largest Institutions of ths kind in the United States. The '"men behind the gun" are always 7mm tvr more Interesting than the gun itself, t realised to my friend's satisfaction that here was a great Institution, and I -was curious to meet the men who had made It possible. Fortunately Mr. Hy. Ellers, the president of the company, as well as Mr. 8. J. McCortnlck, the vice-president, and Mr. A. H. Ellers, tha secre tary, were found In the office. " They are genial, pleasant gentlemen, young to be at the head of so great an estab lishment, but for that matter the estab lishment Iteelf Is young. f'Here Is a picture of our First street place of busi ness, when we sterted Jnst eight years ago," said Mr. A. It. Ellers, handing me a snapshot of the - small modeat sp peering front "Tes, our growth hsi been splendid. I admit.' We have a chain of 17 such piano and organ selling es tabllahments, as this one, throughout the Pacific coast. For soma time we have been in. a stats of disorder here, owing to the extensive rebuilding that has been going on. but now everything Is fairly well completed and we are car- tainiy pleased to have visitors come in and see the improvements, listen to the muslo, which csn be heard at all hours, and examine anything that may be new to them or to try tha old favorites." . These men are full of the rajld-flre spirit of modern progress, stvl certain it Is that Portland, through such enter, prise as this, should lsck nothing that could add to its name as a music center. - r I I - ' ' 11 '
