Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-01-31
UnmusieaI BOres.

There are some people, whose lessons
have been those of sad experience, who
would not live in q double house, though
the dividing walls were of sound masonry
and two feet thick. Their spprehensons
have reference to music. A friend of
our is particularly decided on this point.
he once lived in double house, the
walls of which were neither of solid ma
! sonry nor very thick. On the other side
lived a family, pious, intelligent aud good
looking Of we except the fact that four
or FIVE of them we're cross eyed). But
they were more odious in his estimation
than the vilest sutcast of the city, and
he would go block out of his way any
day to avoid meeting one of them. The
trouble was they had a piano. There
were two sisters, and the father had
spent much money upon them in the re-
muneration of music masters. From
early morning till late at night they
tortured the scales with O vigor that
indicated high animal spirits. The elder
one pitied those performers who played
"by the ar"-she played "by note"
The piano was of the heaviest caliber,
and was purchased regardless of
expense. She occasionally essayed
vocal efforts, and added the power
of very healthy pair of luDgs to
the volume OF instrumental melody. She
did not care to sing, but she was deter
mined to master the instrument" Not
withstanding this determination, aud the
evident attempts to humble her subject
by very harsh treatment, the piano
seemed to have the upper hand of her,
aud was decidedly unyielding. The
younger sister added to this programme
habit of touching false notes without
any self consciousness of such vsgaries
and with thin, wiry voice she INDUCED
| liz falsetto accompaniment to her
manual gymnastics. Our friend said he
would never again live next door to
"musical family" any longer than it
would take him to ascertain the fact.
The term "musical family so applied
is a misnomer. There is not a particle of
music in the whole household. From
the father who drums on the back of his
chair, under the pretense of marking the
time of the piece which is performed to
the young brother who has aspirations
relative to a flute, there is not an ele-
mentary idea of harmony in the family.
These young people are not deficient
il sense, and have not little talent OF
another sort. But they are perversely
inclined to acquire an accomplishment
for which they have no natural gifts, and
thus they torture themselves and provoke
their neighbors. 1t is not music, there
fore, bat the counterfeit which is 80 ex-
cruciatiag.
There are two other classes Of unmu-
sical bores. for whom there is even less
excuse. We allude to the man who, at
concerts or opera, always beats time with
his foot, and probably lakes pains to thus
M ark time against your chair, or does it
co ITO be seen of meH." He
tbus makes himself nuisance to others
who are enjoying the harmony and re-
ceives the least possible grstifi cation him
self a mother nuisance is that of half
grown boys who whistle three-fourths of
the time when they are not eating or
sleeping. 1t is growing nuisance, born
of negro ,uinstrelsy and the concert
saloon, but O eveloped by the unmsnnerly
ipdependsnce of Young America, proud
of the fact that his breeches no longer
button to his jacket, and that be has a.
tanned to the dig uity of boots. Detroit
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