The Future of Fretted Instruments

Who has not heard such expressions? And they are the height of pessimism, to say the least.

A short while ago we received a letter from a teacher who has been located for many years in a city of 125,000 inhabitants; he complained of poor business and asked if we thought it would be advisable for him to try to find a location in a smaller town, where his talents might be more appreciated. Well, cows always think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Now let us, for a moment, look at the other side of the picture. Before us we have two programs of pupils’ recitals given by a teacher in a northwestern city, during the month of June. There are other teachers in this city and competition is keen. Yet we find that on the program of his junior department recital there were listed over thirty players of fretted instruments in solo numbers and a fretted instrument orchestra with a membership of one hundred and fifty. On the program given by the senior department of this same school, we note a banjo band of sixty-five players, a forty-five piece mandolin orchestra and an electric Hawaiian ensemble of twenty-five players. Evidently this teacher is confident that the mandolin, banjo and guitar are very much alive; and results show that he has succeeded in convincing the residents of his city of the same fact. Yes, some of you may have guessed it, I am referring to Chester W. Gould of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a fine teacher, possessing a pleasing personality and combining teaching ability and business acumen with a highly developed sense of showmanship. We do not believe that Mr. Gould’s success is the result of some secret method, of which he has a monopoly, but undoubtedly he has the courage of his convictions, believes in himself and in the cause of the fretted instruments, to which he has devoted all his energies and devotions.

And Elsewhere, Also

Minneapolis, however, is not the only city where the fretted instruments are flourishing; in nearby St. Paul, Albert Bellson is carrying on successfully as attested by the many accomplished players who have received instruction from this talented exponent of the mandolin, banjo and guitar. Out in Elgin, Illinois, Mr. A. E. Patton has for some years featured the Hawaiian guitar; and his Hawaiian guitar orchestra of one hundred players has caused surprise and astonishment by their fine performances. Mr. Joseph Pizzitola of Holyoke, Massachusetts, directs one of the best mandolin orchestras we have been privileged to hear, and he deserves great credit for keeping the mandolin before the public. His orchestra is well known throughout New England, and at the annual convention of the National Association of Music Merchants in New York City its appearance was received with thunderous applause.

Other bands and orchestras whose membership is fifty or more include the Karch Plectro Symphony of Cincinnati, Ohio; Tatham’s Y. M. C. A. Banjo Band, Detroit, Michigan; Gehman-Hunsberger Orchestra, Lansdale, Pennsylvania; McMichael’s Plectro-Phonic Band, Newark, Ohio; Dyer’s String Band, St. Joseph, Missouri; Weiser’s Plectro-Phonic Orchestra, Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Pflueger’s Hawaiian Orchestra, Cincinnati, Ohio; Waddington’s Venetian Orchestra, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Guzzardo’s String Orchestra, Rockford, Illinois; Pifer’s Banjo Band, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania; and the Halsted Hawaiian Orchestra, Buffalo, New York.

Lack of space forbids us to add many more ensembles to this list, but we feel that it has been proven that the fretted instruments are very much alive in cities where teachers are actively engaged in keeping them before the public.

If further proof is required let us look at the various events taking place during the four day convention of the American Guild at Niagara Falls, New York, July 7th to 10th of this year. On the first day there were scheduled contests for soloists, duets, quartets, orchestras and bands, concluding with an artist’s recital in the evening. The second day saw a continuation of the contests in which players of all the fretted instruments were entered. On the third day, still more contests took place in the morning; and in the afternoon the grand Guild parade wound through the streets of Niagara Falls, with over six hundred players of the fretted instruments taking part in this colorful spectacle. Excitement and enthusiasm ran high, as one band after another made its appearance. In the evening of the same day, the Guild Festival Concert took place before an audience which more than filled the large high school auditorium; the program consisted of classic and modern compositions excellently played by the outstanding orchestras, together with many solo numbers by some of the greatest artists on the plectrum instruments. The morning of the fourth and last day was devoted to a Guild business meeting, and in the afternoon occurred one of the most important events of the convention, the broadcast of the combined bands and soloists over the Mutual Network. The same evening saw the awarding of trophies to the winners in the many contests.

These Guild conventions, of which this was the fortieth, bring together, once each year, many hundreds of teachers, artists, bands and orchestras, and there is no doubt that the influence of such a gathering is felt throughout the land as visitors return to their home cities, filled with enthusiasm and inspiration that will be of great benefit to themselves and their pupils.

This reference to the Guild convention would be incomplete without a review of the artists participating in the various programs. Judging from the programs before me, the different fretted instruments were never better represented than in the hands of these top ranking players.

Here we see Carlo De Filippis, well known mandolinist; Rey de la Torre, a newcomer from Cuba and pupil of Miguel Llobet, classic guitar; William D. Bowen exponent of the five string banjo; Peter Vournas, mandolinist; Anthony Militello, tenor banjoist; Eddie Alkire, Hawaiian guitarist; Harry Volpe, American swing guitarist; and Nick Lucas, the American troubadour.

When we add to these names those of Giuseppe Pettine, mandolinist; William Place, mandolinist; Anthony Antone, tenor banjoist; Frank C. Bradbury, banjoist, Jorge Oeller, guitarist; Vicente Gomez, guitarist; Albert Bellson, mandolinist; and William Foden, guitarist, we have here a galaxy of stars in the fretted instrument world of which we might well be proud.

What is sorely needed is a concert bureau under American Guild auspices, so that recitals could be arranged for any of these artists in order to let the general public become acquainted with the artistic possibilities of the fretted instruments when in the hands of a true artist. And what a wonderful opportunity an artist would have, if, through the cooperation of a number of teachers, concert tours could be arranged to give three or more recitals per week, if only during a period of three or four months each year. This would not only stimulate the ambition of every concert artist, but also arouse greater interest among the younger players, and thereby benefit the teachers to quite an extent. The American Guild is the logical authority to undertake such a venture, and we hope to see it take action in the near future to put this suggestion on a practical basis.