, 1881-11-13
PIANO-PUNCHEltS.
A Booming Profession in Spite Of
the City Ordinances.
Who They Are, What They Are Paid,
and What They Do. -
Sketches Of Some OF the Veterans OF
the Noble Army.

I /
Every issue Of THE TRInuSE for month G
! more has contained under the head of wants
: from one to half dozen advertisements to
pano-playcrs. and enthusiastically tho sam
''ads appear In other daily publications. Th
lads" urc often curious productions, whic
the render does not always peruse attentisels
but there Is nevertheless II tund of information
wit. and humor to be obtatued from them. Her,
| some jeweler bus for sale watch. ana b.
ndycrtlses it us II it. belonged at som,
time or other to ~ solid gold, OPEN fuce.
lnuy. and over yondcr your neIyhbo
is perhaps giving you tho first iutimation thai
his wife has left his bed und board without just
cause, and thut he vii! ITO longer be responsible
for debts contracted by her, In tho ins,ruc-
ton column onu is numonished to seek busi-
| ness education i'll the toptnost story Of somG
downtown building. aud In the very next
column is offered in view OF business qualtilca-
dons attained in some such way, situation us
bookkeeper md cashier for some petty mer-
chant prince ut the right roynl salary of s. pcr
e a'e a pure ,ns you in "f 'he as scohs shs
Also unlcr the head Of rstruction m fhe 'n,,s:
| cnl Conservatory maEipuator inserts his - AL
jn which ht Offers TO make young old good
twenty lessons; and to teach by Ills new method
in precisely that humber Of lessons what requires
years uf study anu hard work " the old
methods. To some it might looh rs il this same
| musical lklaiipt1latti. was n chnr:ttAu Who. b,e
continually advertising for piano -playurs, WAS
scrvatory nur it is NOT thus The piune- player
| ls aetuulIy the I1ls,u with the boom. and
| No LESS i PERSON THAN Tiff: MAYOR
appcars to have the management of it. 1t is
impossible to suppose that Mayor IIHrris01l,
after having done his best t.' co.ci!i:.1c every
nationality, every sect, and tho men Of every
potitical creed into voting for him. hns now
| reaclie1 out after each individual trade and
| profession. and has bcgtin with pian0-plnyers.
| But when he shuts his eyes to the provision
printed on every saoon- license, that music will
nor be permitted, he encourages the concert
Saloon system. and the rapid growth ol these
public nttisnnces is whit creates tho ,leiu;lud
Of Of p,no- paycrs VINO vii I0' consent nae efo 10
perform n such resorts and TO such audiences.
'piano-punchcrs would be Il far more apprn-
priate u;me ft>r them, for players they cerinu!y
are not with scarcely Single exception.
Whence do they CONG: From the musical
conscrvatories ubnve referred to? Scarcely, or
tit least not direct. The piano student must, it
appears pass through several transition stugts
after leaving the conservatory. Tie must ut.
tempt some ieHlti1n,te pursuit in the way Of
business Or the professions: make a fmure of
it: take to stron. drink for ii time: anu then
city. city, lie T !: then @ 0 as we'll Il fric fns '11Ge ISr
cot,eert-hall pinno- playing lis any OF his
fellows. and, to bc 1ncrciful 10 the "nrofcsh,' Il
little better thin some Of them. He will navt
no trouble In obtaining Il situation in this city.
or in Milwaukee, Which is also sulounkeepers
paradise, and will
EARN WAGES OF From $50 TO s.
per Jayas much the young, man ,vl1o takes
tho business rnut. referred to earns III week.
The hours Of labor only from to $50 ii, the
Afternoon. and from : In the evening unlil mid
nlEbt-css than eight hours per tfay- Tie work
will be hard md i1.eessant, it Is true, and bis
taskllaster will he continually standing over
all the nuse it is ca pab!e Ut making. but !
in compensation for this be will have free
cigars and dri1lks-luite an item OF itself In
pianist is almost inctssantly thumpi1l.. away. |
He heSins with It'll overture, as he calls IT. and,
wien this is finished, an accompaniment fur !
each in turn of the .etnnc yocalists employed on
the premises. This donc, h. begins over 4sain.
WITH VI sss or Etner . jane ~ Ss Y Hd the s
some other popular piece But the Anvil
Chorus IS his employers farorit- y small bny
rnent with Z. tat-iron and II ban.1cr, aud tue
patrons Of the PLACE are sure keep time by
humping their beer glasses On the tables.
All! NOW THE PROPRIETOR Laughs,
for he knows full well thnt with this din he
completely browns out the noise. alias music,
in the rival ranch next door. unless there too
they happen to be playing the same piece, i'll
suffer untold agony. 1t lis said than the chief
attraction for time OF two OF the liveliest con-
cert h'ls on sta.e street IT,, s s1Iy ne1 be-
saloon sandwiches into I'M addition
e e., the other, and there Is only i
two. The piano- players were dcndly enemies.
and 1t was simply Il toss-up as to which would bo
,ut music. anu whoever got started irst Simply
banged away us hard Us he was abie at half
inZen nvertlircs i'll succession. having com-
,letcd which he paused for the fellow next door
o repeat tho dose II be was able. Tue crowd {
.lthered nbotlt each ns thcy woula Il prizc-
ing and the duel cottinlctl with great excite
nct,t until midnight. Tho duel his lun.e since |
:ntlcd- One ot tho rlnno-pi1lycrs went crazy, |
md the proprietor Of QUE place moved, uud the !
Of tho other changed to 1hcatricuts.
t was more than even their humanity could !
tnnd-
PERHAPS THE MOST CURIOUS CHARACTER :
Il ull this troupe Of stro1iing players Is an &C.
'rofcssor'' lie is a man St ,ni,iiie~asc, NJ thin bin
ut wlry, with long straight hair anu beard, ,
FI,ich he never deis,'s to comb save with his
nEcrs and Is always scrupul',usly neat, though !
oMcwhat shnbbily attircd. Like many others
tho have wandered far from tho ideal walks in !.
fc which they i'll youth marked ont for them i,
elves, ':she Professor - Is ln.si with il secrc. !
orrow. His tntellect has warped with many , ,
ears .s u d,'eiul nroetttnEs pa1t occasionally
tsslonnicty foil.l Of slipping, as ii Frcuehmuu ,
oc5 his wine, the ar1or Of his youth returns =
li:npscs Of his past. story of dtsappoifltncEts
i ything-tntlsIc, his chosen profession;
'vc. unrtnluited though often Esnire. by some !,
lue-cycl, taxen- -haircd Ats;l1ian rll:litl; and -
,rtu1le. because ut IL pelchunt for absinthe anu .
1t noir- When through with the recital of
Is woes, gloomy dcsponde.lcy again closes In q
pt,t h and hG is accustomed 20 to his Ecotsl5
nd hamsncr out his irt. upon his only cuua- +
auion. the piano: 1t is this which causes him = =
be Stunned by his neYhbors, who caIl him Il j
neui, and by most of his artlunintnpces who :,
link him slightly daft And II you engage In ~
with him he will not hesitate to tell
3u ~
''ZIs les ZE Way IT Will. -AL14 ENr,'' \
the same time DRAWN" his hand sa1ggcstfvcly 4.
ross his throut. and making unpleasant e.
luud. crt,ss between a cultural and s,ienk. O.
his may he eoui-oc. rs to whether he means | o.
zor or rope. tut III one ea1l mistake III what fl
ay tho Professor intends tn end his days. | y
There is another. rultly fuced German, wf1o 4,
'eaks English very we'll. and who is just the | q
'posit ct the sneiauchoiy Alsatiau. {e thumps i.
5 piutlo nercesly, but IN good ht,tnar, and {;
G Instrument seems really to like 1t; Mt any a.
c tie nusic it enlits is fnr more IL: recubtt. Il
an the other. The = Professor all the better q
sss OF performers III the business have that | "
ic-!ikc5 his beer. likes tu chat with his III
lends, nnd, unlike his professionals.
.yCr nukcs love to the yDc,ll!sts. lie is free |
III, care and i Jolly eoot! fellow. Put Il violin
TO bis has,ds, aad hc will show you how tho
Arkansas Traveller" ought tn he played. and
II try hard To MAKE. you believe .hat the In r
'u'nent witiuu a1lythsnG hut sp1uk. ASK him
.frt