Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-06-08
A Dumb Instrument.
TANNHAUsER on FOURTEEN PIANOS.
now GoTTsCHALK FOOLED A SAN FRANCIS
co AMATEUR

IANNHAt SEh On FOURTEEN PIANOS.
now GoTTscHALK FOOLED SAN FRANCIS
co AMATEUR.
| am wanting a pianist, says Gottschalk
in his diary Of happenings at San Francisco.
| had executed on fourteen pianos the march
of "Tannhauser," arranged by myself Its
success had been so great that had to an
nounce another concert on fourteen pianos.
On the eve of the concert one of my pianists
fell sick. What am | to do? Put off
the concert ? Never. A warmed up din
ner is never worth anything. In the matter
of concerts YOU must never put Oft. The
public is fighty. capricIous, ptiless. The
public wish to hear fourteen pianos, and #
YOU give 1t one less it will think itself
robbed. Ii demands fourteen pianos in
full view on the platform. Should you place
some manikins on II. ii will be satisfied,
provided that il sees there the number of
pianos that we're announced. The difficulty
was becoming Insurmountable. San Fran
cisco, although filled with all the corruption
and with all the plaques arising from civil
zation, did not then possess but thirteen
hrst.class planoforte players. The pro-
prietor Of the hall, seeing my embarrass-
meni, offered to speak to his son, an anna
teur pianist, he said, Of the first class. who
PLAYED Ghabcrg. List and Gutlschalk with
out difficulty, aud for whom il would br
only play 10 take thr part that vas wanted
for the march Of Tannhau.er Experience
has fer long time taught me that IL is well
for An artist 70 beware Of the cooperation
Of amateurs IN general. and especially Of
those who play everything At irst sight, and
make havoc IN PLAYING the pieces of li-zt
and lhalbcrg But the father spoke Of him
with such assurance tha, accepted his sons
assistance.
The concert was % take place IN the even
ing. suggested that a rehearsal would De
necessary The son. who in the interval
had been introduced to me, expressed sur
prise and said II was useless. The part
va. very easy he PLAYED the fantasies Of
LisEL | replied that II was less for the
difficulty of execution than for playing to-
gether and that. II he wished, | would
play With him 10 point out to him the move
ments He then placed himself At the piano.
and. like all amateurs, after having executed
a nu,s, flourish attacked with the boldnrss
Of innocence the piece Of Iaruhauscr. Al
the end OF two bar, my mind was made up
| knew What had tn rely on, and assure
tpu that II vIs not pleasant !, IS not that
be PLAYED badly Il be played at all The
most compll.slnt ear would have hardly
been able 20 distinguish any shred, Of Nag-
pcr's theme Nh.Ch we're floating here and
thcrr. Like Naif, 10 the midst of an ocean
Of false notes, ,n a deAienins storm Of CON
,,uuou. pedal the storm cannot b, dcscrib-
cdI, and Of the complete wreck pf the
measure and spirit nf the author IL NJ,
no longer 70 be- Thought uf Nv position
became horrible. 10 refuse hi, assistance
the assistance of the frs, amateur Ia San
Francisco elegant and rich, whp had prob
abl, caused % BE- circulated among all hi-
friend. and all the good society of the city
that he designed % give me the of his
talent TWAS impossible The rehearsal
was short. ! d.d not even make remark
il = o4.d have been uf a. much use a. mak-
lux a AIonI, 81 .t,op The father,
bclul.ng ,th pride, Vas looking at me, and.
uiptug BIZ forehead, after the piece, sand
/ "Ha, ha What did ,cl. you Z"
The Young man seemed convinced ~ hg-
worth and, with the ease which amateurs
only posses, when the public !. II question.
repeated % me many times, graciou>.y
smiling ~tih satisfied .it,.e air "Oh, yr,
| think that that does very well b,-IdVs, it
j, very easy :" We parted. | thought ,e-
/ riou,ly Of 1t putting of the concert under
+ the prrtcncr Of .nd..po,Iuon, when my
+ tuner, a man Of resources, said 10 ne: 'S.r,
/ Il this Young man plays, trouble is newt
able ~.th the other pianos II 3. absolutely
+ necessary 10 prevent hi, beng heard, and
+ the only way 10 do Il D, th,,'-and at the
same moment hr pushed a crochet IN the
piano designed for the amateur, vertical
piano, took olt the y hole Of the interior
! mechanism and. looking lriumphantly at me,
added The KEY board remains. but | as
sure YOU that there will be no more false
I notes The node vas excellent.
The evening came. The hall was full.
My amateur. 10 white craSat and evening
dress, was showing himself in the hall. Hi,
friends waited the moment Of his entrance
with impatienoe. lie requested me to give
I HIM piano 10 full view. placed his dumb
piano ia the middle of the stage, close To
the prumpter Before gong on the stage
made my thirteen acolytes take notice that,
IN order 10 produce the greatest effect, it
was indispensable not to make any pre!udes,
that thus The public might BE- more surprised
. on hearing all at once the fourteen pianos
attack the flourish Of trumpets with which
the march IN Ianuhau,er commences.
One, tn 10. .thrce-we begin. Ii goes on mar
yelously. In the midst OF the piece look
ed at my amateur; be was superb he was
sweating great drops he vas throwing hi
his eyes carelessly on the audience and per
formed with miraculous the passages
apparentl, the most difficult. His friends
we're in raptures. They applauded TO eN-
cess. Some enthusiasts even cried out,
"Hurrah for" 1.-THE amateurs namel,
/ Encore Z" Encore :" We must repeat the
piece. But at the moment of commencing
the amateur forgot my recommendation not
TO prelude, and could not resist the tempta-
ton 10 play little chrOmatic scale. ! see
him now. The stupOr which was printed on
his countenance is lnexpresSible. He re
| commenced his scale. Nothing. The piano
was mute. For an instant he had the idea
that the ardor with which he played had
/ been fatal To the strings, but throwing
glance inside he saw them all right. With
out doubt II is the pedals, and, after some
shakes impressed on the pedals, he began
again his little chrOmatlc scale. Then, pur-
suaded that the piano was just out OF or
der he strove to make me understand that
We could not begin agar the march.
"Pst psf - said he with a wild air, but
had seen the damage, and without loss of
time had given the signal and the march
was recommended. Ny young man, to save
appearances before the audience, made the
pmtomime of playing, but his countenance,
which saw from below, was worth paint
ing II was a mixture of encouragement
and of spite. The fury with which he
struck the poor instrument, which could do
nothing, was very funny.
THAT was very well done, gentleman" |
said on entering into the artists room, "but
the effect was less than the first time"
"The mischief" said my amateur to me,
''my piano broke all at once"
Proposing.