, 1873-04-27
THE PIANO NUISANCE,

THE PIANO NUIsANCE. |
novel suit has recently been brought in
Paris, which has attracted considerable interest
IN that city, as it involves the piano nuisance,-a
nuisance, By tho way, which is not confined to
Paris. In the gay capital however, it is more OF
q nuisance than elsewhere, as most people there
live in flats and thin partitions are the rule, and
there is nothing to prevent piano-plaging on all
six floors at once, il there should happen to DO
o piano on each floor. An enterprising land
lord, the owner Of one Of the handsomest
houses in tho fashionable Boulevard Hausmann,
who had endured the nuisance until patience
had ceased to be virtue, recently brought an
action against one of the piano-pounders, and,
for time, at least, has eienced the jlngling in
strument, and dwells in peace. His tenant,
Madame Chaises, widow lady, it appears, has
daughter whose devotion to the pinno
WAS something remarkable. In his dec
laration he stated that the young lady
plays all day. from in tho morning
until far into the night He complained that
the ga1nut and chromatic scale, and simple e1er-
cises, are followed by merci1ess conce1tos, SON
atas fantasias and variations, with every variety
Of adagio, andante, allegro, md presto, most afro
cious1y performed. The counsel for the land
lord pleaded the old legal maxim, sic utere tuo
ale1,un. non l1das C'use your own property 80
as not to abuse your neighbors"). Ho
acknowledged the right OF every person
to have u piano. at home, and play
it, but denied the right of any
one to use it excessively so as to disturb whole
neiehborhood, md, therefore, asked for an in
junction. Thelaud1ord had meanwhile offered as
compromise that 1nademoiselle might play from
II g. m. to p. m, and from P. m. to 10 P: m.,
which would give her neighbors an opportunity
to enjoy their breakfasts and dinners, and sleep
without disturbance. The decision granting the
Injunction affects the piano-playlng, how
ever, only temporarily. The question must
come before 9 higher tribunal for. ul-
innate settlement, and the eventual dispo-
sition of the piano maniac is looked forward to
with great interest: Many s3mpathlzing suffer
ers in this country and in this city will also watch
for the decision and pray that it may be in favor
Of the landlord. There can be no kcener torture
than to ba compelled to listen from o'clock IN
the morning until 8 o'clock nt night, to mod
erately muscular young woman, who dotes upon
q piano and pounds away upon the Monas-
tery Bells" or "Battle Of Prague" sweetly
oblivious that there are sad, suffering souls IN
the vicinity who can't eat or sleep, that there
aro nervous people going through various forms
| Of distraction, that there are emphatic people
who are plunging themselves into dreadful pro
family, all on her account. Tho NUISANCE is with
| ont excuse. There are ct present about five
great femalo pianists in tho world who have
reached their position by -ircessant practice
and hard study. There are at the sano time
! probably millions upon millions OF young women
who are Jealous Of these five, and are striving to
reach their position, NTH the prospect that five
| more out Of these many millions may succeed
Is this any reason why every neighborhood
j should be afflicted with fve-fnger exercises
from enrly morn to dewy eve, with
running Accomplishments Of sonatas, songs, and
mazurkas. There was q time when the
| hand-organ was an unmitigatod curse, but that
dispenser Of tunes is peripatetic. 1t can be
moved on by pennies and policemen, but tho
piano is stationary. No couuter-irritant has yet
been invented which Gun stop it, There was q
lover Of his kind who once invented dummy
piano, upon which embryonic artistes could
pound away and run scales all day
long without making any noise, but
the invention was frowned down i'm
tinuee. To those who I've in apartments, OF arc
foreordained to dwell in boarding houses, where
there are pinnos Of the tn-pan description, and
who have exhausted every species Of argument,
such as pounding with poker, executing war
dances on the floor above, diabolical threats in
anonymous letters, and plaintive epistles set
ting forth tho low condition OF q mothor-in-law, +,
it will come like poul1ce to heal the blows Of
sound il the final decision III Franco ahall be
| against the piano nuisance. 4 piano, properly
played, at proper timos, is 3 very tolerab1e
instrument; and as long as human nature is 30
| constituted that no young woman's educa-
lion is complete without being able
to execute the '"Bluo Danube On the
piano, and children cry for it, J: pianos
will be both made and played. But this does
not excuse the abuse Of them; nor is there any
! young poraon yet born in Chicago 80 proficient
that ahe has the right to interfere with the COM
fort Of whole neishborhood. II re must hare
| piano, let it be pianssimo. =
|. ~. .:WAgHE TO BLAME7
= A very curious, or at least very interesting
case has recently come before the London
courts, which, although very ordinary and even
| com1nonn1aca. in itse]f has nevcrtha1ass anna