THIRTEENTH EXHIBITION

OF THE

MASSACHUSETTS

Charitable Mechanic Association,

in

BUILDING ON PARK SQUARE, COLUMBUS AVENUE,

AND PLEASANT STREET,

BOSTON

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1878

The judges find it remarked in all previous reports of their predecessors that their examinations have from necessity been made during the midnight hours, and their experience has formed no exception to the rule. They would sucggest that, in future exhibitions, there be provided special apartments for the display and examination of musical instruments, at lead of pianoforts and organs remote from the busy throngs of visitors, may there not also be constructed a judges' apartment, whose acoustic properties shall be such as to afford equal facilities to all for an impartial test of their exhibits? We found the location of the pianofortes unfavorable for a thorough trial of their merits. An apartment constructed for the purpose should be of moderate size, so as to obviate confusion from echoes ; it should not be occupied with extraneous objects, nor should there be recesses or galleries, nor any object to disturb or absorb the sound and prevent its free propagation. The walls being as entire as possible, the instruments arranged around the sides and contiguous to the walls will be in a position the most favorable for the reënforcement of the sound and for its longer duration, the conditions resembling in effect the two sides of a large organ-pipe ; whereas, if the instruments are placed in or towards the centre of the apartment, the tone waves being unobstructed will die down more rapidly. The apartment should be constructed of such proportions that the times for different echoes may be as nearly equal as possible, and such that the echoes shall not return back upon the principal not in a way to produce dischord ; it should, if possible, be remote from all outward causes of disturbance, so that the investigations may be carried on by day, as well as in the small hours of the night. With such advantages, the competition would doubtless be greater.

PIANOFORTES. - This exhibition found the manufacture of pianos not in its best estate, although apparently not so much depressed as it was four years since, when the number offered for award was only ten. The tide of interest seems now to be settling in, as we find at this exhibition twenty-five offered for inspection. One prominent cause for depression in the business is that there are too many cheap contrivances thrown upon the market, whose chief province seems to be to spoil the ear, deprave the taste, and drive honest makers out of the business. We desire to discountenance all stencil-plate productions and pianos of low grade, in which the quality and durability are sacrificed for cheapness. But in this the public are much to blame ; they encourage practices that retard progress and are positively ruinous to the trade. No maker can, to-day, stand by his catalogue of prices based on this sound makim of trade : A reasonable price for a good article. There were offered for inspection and award, two concert grands, fourteen uprights, and nine squares. They were all examined carefully and thoroughly with regard to tone, tune, action, material, and finish. They were regarded as excellent specimens of their respective classes, of refined musical tone, of good materials well put together, and of good design and finish.

GRANDS. - The Concert Grands of Messrs. Chickering & Sons are the only instruments of their class in the exhibition, but they are noble representatives of that class - of good power, brilliancy, and volume of tone - and their action is deserving of especial mention. We think that in fluency and responsiveness to the touch this latter quality surpasses anything of the kind we have ever examined, whilst it possesses all needful power and reserved force. As regards tone, they are even, brilliant, and surpassingly sweet in the upper register, not so even and pure in the tenor register, nor in the bass quite so full and resonant as we remember them in former exhibits. Whilst we are aware that the fashion of the present day demands the over-strung style in a portion of the bass in grand pianos, we cannot regard it as an improvement in this class of instruments, nor is the change called for by any need of economy in space. We regard the plain or "flat" scale, with its harp style of plate, preferable, as much more conducive to evenness and sonority. This innovation is not germane to the Chickering grand, which we have always regarded as, all things considered, a masterpiece. We believe it has proved its superiority over all instruments of its class in average evenness, power, sweetness of tone, responsiveness and fluency in the action, and in durability.

246. To CHICKERING & SONS, Boston, Mass., for their concert grand, a

Silver Medal.

UPRIGHTS. - The exhibit of upright pianos surpassed all previous contributions of this class, both in number and quality. The difficulties incident to the construction, especially the need of a strong, well-braced frame, and the imperfect damping, seem at last to have been mastered. A device for convenient tuning has long been needed ; but this seems in a fair way to be overcome by the inventive skill of one who has devoted much time to the subject. Our opinion was unanimous in regard to the superiority of the uprights exhibited by Messrs. Chickering & Sons. The improvements they have made are valuable, and they have done much to bring the style into notice in this country. For the superior specimens of this class of instrumetns, and for their valuable inventions and improvements, we make the first award.

246. To CHICKERING & SONS, Boston, Mass., a

Gold Medal.

The upright exhibited by Mr. William H. Ivers, of Dedham, was regarded by the judges as worthy of commendation.

161. To WILLIAM H. IVERS, Dedham, Mass., a

Silver Medal.

The upright pianos exhibited by the other contributors of the class were, some of them, fine instruments, of remarkable delicacy and sweetness of tone under a light touch, but lacking volume and reserved power.

163. To GUILD & CHURCH, Boston, Mass., for their upright pianos, a

Bronze Medal.

395. To the ROGERS UPRIGHT CO., Boston, Mass., for uprights, a

Bronze Medal.

273. To ROGERS & BACON, Boston, Mass., for uprights, a

Bronze Medal.

SQUARES. - The square pianofortes, nine in number, were well up to the standard of past times ; and the specimens exhibited by Messrs. Chickering & Sons, and A. M. McPhail & Co., would have been pronounced first-class instrumetns at any of the world's fairs. We have rarely seen their equal at any exhibition ; they were powerful, as well as sweet and brilliant, in tone, quick to receive the thought, and ready to render it in their own beautiful and expressive tone language.

246. To CHICKERING & SONS, Boston, Mass., for their square pianoforte, a (first)

Silver Medal.

361. To A. M. McPHAIL & CO., for their square pianoforte, a (first)

Silver Medal.

258. To WOODWARD & BROWN, Boston, Mass., for their square pianoforte, a (second)

Silver Medal.

161. To WILLIAM H. IVERS, Dedham, Mass., for his square pianoforte, a

Bronze Medal.

163. To GUILD & CHURCH, Boston, Mass., for square pianoforte, a

Bronze Medal.

335. To A. ADAMSON & CO., Boston, Mass., for square pianoforte, a

Bronze Medal.

273. To C. E. ROGERS, Boston, Mass., for his ratchet and screw tuning device, for tuning upright pianofortes, a

Silver Medal.

...
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. - None of these were deemed worthy of commendation, except the tuning device exhibited by Mr. C. E. Rogers [see Pianofortes], and the sheet-music file and binder.

181. To the FOYE FOLIO AND FILE MANUFACTURING CO., Portland, Me., by B. F. Trufant, Agent, Boston, Mass., for sheet-music file and binder, a

Bronze Medal.

...

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