The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-29
THE PIANO IN THE HOUSE.
From Me nsa Mau e6zelte.


adopts s-eEasasse this or that novelty in time
killine/bya system of mutual imitation, is not
m2fe remarkable than the constancy of its
t&vor for certain articles fashion and custom
turning them at last into absolute ''necessa-
ries.' IL is the correct thing for instance
to have piano in your dtawing-room, as
much as TO have an armchair. The furnishing
is incomplete without it. You may have no
ear for music, you may even regard with
horror as did Ella, the measured and appor-
toned confederation of noises called by that
name; but you must have piano neverthe-
less. Fashion in town mansion, respecta-
bility in a suburban cottage, alike demand it.
Hence the immense and increasing outlay
upon these Instruments, from the modest
twenty-five guinea cottage warranted (to
disappoint you in every way, up to that no
blest of its species, the hundred and eighty
guinea grand" Hence, also, innumerable
prancings thereupon, carried on especially at
our evening reunions with regularity, an
absence of interest, and futility of meaning
which must surely be puzzling to visitors
from other climes. One can imagine the
court circles of Siam or Java enlightened by
their ambassadors in this wise:-"These
people in the North have another most singu-
lar custom. In all their dwellings we found
a cunningly devised framework of polished
wood, the abode of strange and indescribable
sounds, called forth upon applying the hands
violently TO certain black and white levers
symmetrically arranged in groups having ap
parently some symbolical signifcation. When
these people meet to entertain each other
rational discourse is continually interrupted
by one or other of the guests being compelled
by the rest to operate violently upon this
machine. We often felt for those (and they
were chiefly females) who were so treated
There was evidently some disgrace attached
to it, as they always hung back with many
pleadings and excuses, until absolutely forced
to the machine; when the rest of the company,
apparently from motives of delicacy. turned
their backs on the victim and talked loud and
.cheerfully to distract attention from her. In
vain we endeavored to discover the origin
and meaning of this singular superstition,
which probably has a religious origin ETC.
Englishmen are sometimes conscious of SINH
lar bewilderment when their attention is dis
! tracted by the current kind of 'drawing-room
music with its conversational accompani-
ments. More OF less we have all writhed
under the fantasies of the young lady with
brilliant left hand, have shuddered at the
advent of the person Generally curate or
young person in the civil service) who ''plays
little, and have wondered at the hostess
'thank you, that is so charming" And in
moments like these, most of us have pondered
why it is that this peculiar form of musical
art should be degraded into wretched clap
trap exhibition, to be wreaked upon unoffend-
ing people who accept invitations given with
apparent kindness and good faith. Why is
the piano, of all other instruments, to be a
corpus sste for all persons, with or without
musical organization, to play fantastic tricks
upon? A man does not learn to play
upon the organ or the violin unless
he feels moved thereto by some spe-
clal faculty, some innate yearning
With the piano, we begin by making
1T necessary article of furniture; and
when We have got it, of course we must show
we EI1n hot &c oh,
- 1t is the pride, the ambition the business of
ladies to be agreeable and entertaining in the
drawing room; music is agreeable; therefore
the manipulation of the piano must be part of
finished" young ladys education. A boy
may have sincere love and an obvious taste
for music, and find under our present system
of school and university education scarcely
any encouragement for his taste or opportu-
nifty for his talent; rather it will be stigma
tized by grave and reverend seignors as a
mischievous temptation, incompatible with
serious aims in life. But let girl betray
the most hopeless incapacity for compre-
hending either harmony or melody-it is all
one, learn she must 1t is part of her edu-
cation, of her duty in life, that she should be
able to play rafting fantasia at least as vigo-
rously as her neighbors, the Misses Brown
and Jones. Hence the murderous sounds
which go up to the gods from thousand aca-
denies daily; and thus it is that countless
young girls, to whom we look for the mainte-
nance or the elevation of the tone of society
in England, spend a large part of the best
days of their youth in what to many of them
is but dreary mechanical exercise, and to all
is a sacrifice of time and trouble quite dispro-
portionate to the end attained. The time
which might be employed in gaining real
knowledge and cultivation of mind and char
acter is employed in achieving talent for de-
basing beautiful art. into a snowy mechani-
cal display distasteful to themselves and wea-
risome to others.
But it is not law of nature that the piano
in the house should be merely an instrument
of wood and wire for the exhibition of digital
dexterity. OF itself, it is the portal of an
ideal world, an ivory gate" of dreams, af-
fording to the jaded spirit easy refuge from
the work-a-day world. And the very causes
which have combined to make it so popular
an instrument-namely, its facility of manipu-
lation and its versatility of effect-are just
those which render 1t so peculiarly happy a
means for bringing musical art into our homes.
The powers of the instrument are restricted,
it is true; nevertheless, it is capable to great
extent of initiating and recalling effects only
to be attained through more ample and costly
media. The many-voiced symphony, the
chorus which has awakened the echoes OF
4 Exeter Hall, the organ and anthem which
shook ''the prophets blazoned on the panes
at the Abbey, may all be recalled on the piano
in manner bearing somewhat the same rela
4 ton to the original effect that engraving
bears to painting-giying form and outline
and leaving the colors (and much besides
alasD to imagination. One of the most re
. .,;ov;eto Of tho tip,a told the xuritar N