River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-12-03
THE UNMUSICAL PIANO.
And How It Was That It Ceased
to Annoy.
Why Esthetic Mr.. Jimpson No Longer
Objects to His Lonely. Sad Neigh
bor's Musical Enorts-In
Pathetic Key.

DleSSlnS 10 modern lie. Inc opinions
seemed to be about evenly divided.
Certainly it cannot be said of the
piano, as of other instruments, that its
emusic arose with its voluptuous swell.
Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake
again
For Byron wrote that at time when
the piano was as yet practically I'M
known. Nor did Wordsworth have ref
erence to the piano when he Remarked:
'''where music dweIls.
Lingering, and wandering On as loath to die,
Like thoughts, whose very sweetness yielded
proof
That they were born for immortality
No, no; it has been amply stated
that music hath charms TO soothe the
savage breast but not piano music.
That line was penned at a much earlier
period,
'''when Music. heavenly maid, was young,
While yet in early Greece she sung
And, therefore, We brethren of the
quill, | have to cast my vote against
the further continuance of this instru-
ment of torture auricular and mental
the piano"
This harangue had been delivered by
| Simpson, the recognized authority on
/ the poets, a man who was always
suGrittr IN mode, .fortiter in re and whose
voice, therefore, was rather potent 1t
was in reply to him that Jimpson had
said:
Had a queer experience the other
day"
/ And to this a chorus had responded
with: Then by all means let us have
it,"
WELL" said Jimpson, you know l
have lived in fiat since last May. It's
coy, containing every kind of improve
ment that heart can wish, and for
about n month | felt real comfortable
in it. But one evening, just about
dusk, as was lolling in my easy chair,
heard music overhead in the upper
fiat. 1t was piano music. That in
itself was nothing to get angry about,
but the kind of music it was! Played
by some body who has never been
properly taught, who hacks away and
makes each note shrek and howl, who
has no conception of harmony, meas
ure and time, the hacllneyed pieces
which filtered down to me through the
ceiling in unRsthetic chunks by no
means promoted my post-prandial di-
gestion. Next morning / inquired as
to the identity of this modern Torque-
mazda. j was told by the janitor it was
a young widower. who had lost his
wife but recently, quiet, unobtrusive.
otherwise well-behaved man. Next
evening, as | sat at my desk, painfully
seeking for a proper denouement in
the Mot of my rax Fanual-fhfa hare
having gotten himself into an awful
hole, from which it was very hard to
extricate him-the music overhead be-
gan again. The same music, same
pieces And it was played as exas-
peratingly as ever, by clumsy fingers
and with touch that would have done
honor to a wood-chopper. l felt sick
at heart. In spite of all my efforts to
ignore this tantalizing music, l could
not. Every bar hit my sensitive ear
like a trip-hammer. ! was unable to
continue work. And that night in my
sleep / heard as an endless refrain the
trills and frills of 10 Anderson, My
Jo,' Comm Thro' the Rye Annie
Laurie and Nancy Lee 1t was
regular nightmare. Walking and
sleeping, those over-ripe tunes followed
me about-ate with me, drank with
me, slept with me and prevented me
from work. Thus a fortnight passed.
and L was just about on the brink of
lunacy.
Last Wednesday evening, as the
piano fiend above was again racking
my soul and body, l became desperate.
of course, knew l had no legal right
to interfere, nor to tell him to stop his
internal playing. But an Unsuitable
desire to see what this fieGd in human
shape looked like, and whether, per
haps, by bulldozing or by skillful flat
terry / might prevail upon him to let up
on me, had taken possession of me. i
had wasted away to a shadow during
that fortnight, and l thought he might
possibly take pity on me if threats or
diplomacy should not prevail. So /
climbed up that flight of stairs and
touched the electric button. Instantly
the playing ceased. Slow, heavy steps
as of one tired out, came. and the door
was opened. l was invited in.
"When / had sat down in his dining
room | hurriedly took an Inventory.
There was but the lighted piano lamp,
and that shed rather dim and uncer-
tain light over the rest of the room.
But noticed all sorts of "reminiscences
of his dead wife. There were pretty
embroidered tides on the sofa and
chairs; there were several tiny paint
ings-quite evidently the work of
female amateur; and there was a por-
trait of the deceased herself, draped in
4 r.F he. 4r-ur
stuck faded, dried bunch of flowers.
The picture showed a pretty young face,
whose dark eyes seemed TO look upon
me with gentle, reproachful gaze.
began 20 feel load settling down on
me and the heart within me grew
heavy. ! felt worse than an intruder
/ felt like a ruthless foe in this mourn
full home of happiness that had been.
Just then my neighbours voice struck
my ear:
What can do for your
Mechanically, following but the inn
pulse that had brought me up there, |
told him of my trials and tribulations,
due to his incessant piano playing in
the evening.
"When l had ended the man looked
dog whose last refuge is about to be
taken from him. He nodded his head.
Yes, yes he said, with voice that
seemed full OF unwept tears L might
have known it Somebody was sure to
object And as / hastily interposed
some remarks intended to make my in
trusion less painful to him, this neigh
Dor of mine with the sad mien slowly
turned his face to the light so that
could study the features furrowed by
sorrow, notice the hair on the temples
and how it began to wax thin and gray
despite his thirty-five years
'''You are quite right he muir
INJURED. Il know what good playing
means, for my wife-she played well
and I've often enough listened to her
TO know. Not that she was a per-
feet performer. She generally only
played simple tunes, those that speak
to and touch the heart But she played
than en- well ami with so much feeling