The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-01-23
CONCERT PITCH.

ISan FrancIsco Argonaut.


Tunes are no more to be comp pared TO con-
cert than is jewsharp to trombone, or the
creak of batydid to a CUmanche war
whoop. 81 l bid farewell tn "Araby's
Daughter" and '.'rhe Girl l Left Behind
Me" can stay there.
Now, I have known man who could
pitch ton of hay on tine high beams Of the
barn in two minutes. aud another who
pitched a burglar ont OF a two story window
in L. 81 time; aud also knew jolly tar who
was able 10 pitch the hull of snip. But all
this is nothing TO concert pich." The
concert can pitch higher than any of them,
though it takes little longer 20 do iJ.
Concert pitch didn't use to be SO high as it Is
now. A few years ago the musicians pitched
il 10 A sharp, and at has remained a very
sharp thing To this day. But we live in an
age of reform and refinement. 1 au quite
sure OF that. for have been reformed several
times though | was never tTu y refined ill
L went to a concert
bJugbt ticket to Madame Meponis
concert l thought the ticket rather high,
but guess IL wasn't. IE is more likely that
| was fat. Toe house was OveTH Jwing-Wlth
i'm parience. But at last the prima donna
aud her accom- panimsntist came forward,
aud filed into position. Their faces were
very neatly embroidered with smiles of the
lat. st pate IN. My expsc 'ations were high.
[ always expect good deal, and this time |
got il. | could hardly realizs that these two.
So calm, SD friendly. and full OF smiles, were
soon TO meet in furious conflict.
The accompany man slit himself on the
stool in front of the piano, raised his hands
over his head, and whacked them down OH
the white keys in the most vigorous manner;
then he whiebe Ell the black keys, and then
he whacked all the Keys at once. 1t was a
charming display of atheism and agility.
But this was only the call to arms, as il were,
the slogan of the charge.
Maln-nni lnnka al a him n
with due solemnity, as if she realized the
task before her: then turning to the audience
she braced herself for the conf ct. It took
quite a spell to get all her braces set, but
when it was done she parted her pOuting
lips and poured forth such an exquisite,
liquid, melIi6uous medley of Migratory yelps
that each particiar bar on the top Ot my
head stood on end. AM particular about
particularizing each particular hair on the
top of my head, because they went up one
at time, and were easily counted.
IL was magnificent, but it was a sumner to
the accompany man, and he retorted with
vigorous cnrOmatic scramble up the whole
length of the key bOarj, ending on G. She
saw him aud went one better lie threw up
his hand, and then there was quarter rest.
The audience clapped its hands vigorously,
but whether it was with delight, or whether
they did it to scare the creature away,
could not say. l confess that | felt some
concern for my safety, and looked about for
some means Ot escape In case OF any catas
trophe. The audience hemmed me in on
every SIDE, and exit by the door was not 10
be thought OF. but there was an open window
near by, aud determined To make for that
window at the first approach of DAGGER.
The anne now began in earnest. She
chased the gamut up 10 c, caught il on the
fly md on the way down dropped upon "A
startled baritone, and heavens arill-ry
rushed in ut the Windows, and the glass
prisms on the chandelier fittled an extra
accom- naniment. Then grabbing a minor
seventh she turned il, tril.ed il. sweled il,
tied il to the octave aud then sent iG sereech-
ing with delectable agony amongst the audi
ence, who received it with becoming cheers.
With an effort kept my seat, but / also
kept my eye on that open window.
During this gush of vocal subiimity the
accompany man was not idle by long shot.
he had been brushing the hornets from the
key board. and having all clear he entered
upon desperate game. He was sure of
being tGk and the deuce. was in his hand;
SO while his fingers were clawing the en-
trancing confusion ont of both ends OF the
key board, he brought bis nose down on the
middle octave with vOluptuOus bang, and
this brought down the house.
1t was q very celestial performance, any
way. He played thunder wi h his fingers,
and her eyes q ished the lighting. Toe
with il. | looked toward the window-it
was open-and 10 make sure thing of IL
got out OF the pew and stood in the nave. ]
felt ike a knave myself.
Melphonl gave her antagonist one uneasy
glance, and then faced the audience. A
defiant smile was ambling along her under
lip, and could see that she meant business
Now came sudden burst of choice notes
which made the ruby medal on the rim of
her necktie rise and fall like a buoy on the
bounding pillows. She threw her arms over
her head and clawed down the trembling
legatos till the liquid melody dripped in
lauguishing rills down the whole bosom of
the enraptured audience. she shook her
fingers at the dome, and the crystalline
siaccatos ratified down in shower of mel
odlzed hail. She leaped To her toe tips, and
scudding along the high C's the forte Gre
scendOs surged, and swelled, and reyerber-
ated through the hall in floods OF Tartarean
ecstasy.
IBever saw anything ike it.
Victory Not yet The accompanying
man WAS losing ground. buE ne was doing
his best, aud his nauds fitted up and down
the keys like yoke Qf haliucinated ka1gg-
rOos, aud when the above burst of cresGendos
poured their wrath upon him be brought up
the forlorn hope. He.leaped upon the KEY
board with both feet and kicked; he turned
sOmersaults upon II; he stood on his head
ami buttsd. she rcbutted with an + r hold
and she held him. She was now high game
TO his low jack, and SO far il Was draw
game.
AS nothing serious had yet happened, L
ventured TO return 70 my scar, thinking the
| worst was over, but was mistaken.
At the next bour- But ii il not in the
| power of common ink 10 describe this
| looked throu&h Webster and there was not a
word that reached il; not even all the
| aej 'ctives together would do justice To this
whirlwind of musical skill. IL might b.
( done In Cboctaw or Italian, but don't I'M
| derstand these tongues
| Again say let the tunes of our grand
mothers go with them. For real ecstacy