The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-02-07
THE IRON PIANIST.
20 Broke the Record by Playing 40
Hours Without e Halt.

~
Hours Without Halt,
Early in 1887 an English soldier
was reported to have played the pi-
anoforte at Calcutta for twenty
three hours consecutively. We do
not know the name of that soldier,
and for the life Of us we cannot con-
ceite what his commanding officer
could have been about. But the
fact remains that the recital OF
his pianotortitude so moved Mr.. Ma
poleon Bira while be was in a bar
Der shop in Stockport, in the spring
of 1887, that in reply to a customer
who asked him what he thought Of
it, he then and there declared his
readiness to surpass the military
mans efforts without ever resting
either hand, A bet of Gl0 was
promptly laid against him, but Mr
Bird won it on June 7 and 8, 1887,
by playing twenty-five hours with
both hands continuously This,
however by no means satisfied his
soaring ambition, and on October
q and 20, in the same year, he iu-
creased his record to thirty.six and
a quarter hours, and was presented
with "massive gold watch chain
pendant, bearing the inscription to
the effect that the gift came from
the public of Stockport, in recog-
milton of his feat For seven years
Mr.. Napoleon Bird was allowed to
remain in undisputed possession OF
the long. distance championship of
the worries. But within the last
couple Of months a determined efA
fort to wrest the championship
from England was made by Ger
man athlete, named Berg, yclept
the "iron pianist"
The credit Of England was at
stake, but Mr., Bird was equal to the
occasion, and at the end of Novem
Der he entered once more the plan
istic arena, The scene of his pyra-
lnidal achievement was the Stock
port Armory, and we are assured
by the Manchester Courier that
It created interest IN musical cir
cles, besides exciting the "close at
tention Of the sporting fraternity"
For forty consecutive hours the
dauntless performer kept up an un-
interrupted flow of melody with
both hands Herr Berg's repertory,
II we mistake not, only comprised
400 pieces; but Mr. Bird played
"over 1000 seectons-overtures,
operate pieces, descriptive works,
songs and dances" Furthermore,
everything was played without
notes, not a single sheet of music
being allowed in the bond,
But Mr. Bird was happily guard
ed against the depressing influences
of monotony by the organizers Of
the entertainment, There we're
concerts every evening "to increase
the variety" and, without breaking
the continuity Of the performance,
Mr. Bird acted as accompsnist to
the singers fright away on being
told what the songs we're and The
keys in which they were TO be play
cd" On one night, as he patheti.
cally put It, I've, or rather they"
had a dance from II p, m, to 3 4, m,
His repertory of daAce music was
by no means exhausted by those
four hours, but the dancing license
came to an end at that time, and
Mr., Bird had TO continue his task
without the accompaniment Of
"twlnklng feet, still he was never
alone, lie had two doctors, who
exchanged duty while he played,
and he had a professional Auugs,
"vho never left me-" Well may
the poet sing
20, woman, IN our hours OF ease
Uncertain, coy and hard to please,
When pain and anguish wiring the
brow,
A ministerlnp angel thou"
For the professional nurse was
charged with the duty of minister
| Ing to the wants Of Mr. Bird, nc.
eording to a diet which had been
carefully prescribed, and which In
eluded "roast fowl, dry bread, bran.
dy and soda, lemonade and ices wa
ter, and, after a thirty.two hour'
play, a dozen Of oysters, He wa
never hidden from the view ~ the
public, who had thus the extreme
felicity Of seeing him taking his
food while he played, and by mcans
OF a mirror plaeea In front Of him
he was afforded the Visible proof 81