The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-06-14
LANIBERTVILLE, N. j., WEDNESDAY, JUNE II, 1899

ton was arrested by n cloud, passing
over the face of the moon You know
how fanciful man will get at times
well, | thought that cloud had the
shape of Elsa's head and then, as 1t
passed, II seemed TO me as If, for
moment, the moon WAS not 50 bright
rs 1t was. 1t was as II one had
turned down the light %. Lady of
Night. | laughed drcas, ~ myself.
thinking it was Il trick &C my eyes and
| dc not know that Ii MAS not. am
merely telling this as 1t happened.
well. as | say. | was about to close
the window and retire. when | was
suddenly assailed With the conviction
that the room was not as | had left II.
Something was different; could not
say what, but | had Il distinct idea
that there WAS Il difference. Puzzled,
l started to light the lamp, when |
most plaihly heard the sound of low
minor chorda chord struck with Il
slight roll from treble 10 bass u chord
that was the beginning and the ending
as we'll of a little song, II poor little
thing Mt best but one that | had com
only she and had ever heard.
Il turned savagcly toward the piano
| knew there WAS but that one piano In
| hearing distance, and | knew | was
alone In the room. | knew il that pi-
ano was the origin of the sound | had
just heard that 1t was produced by
some other than ordinary means. l
lighted the lamp. There stood the pi-
ano. lid open. Just as | had left II 81
lent MS | had left 1t with the excep-
tion that there was the overtone Of II
pedal held bnss note stlll vibrating
| softly in the mir, | looked. lnyolun
tarlly. ut the pedal. Gentlemen, that
pedal was held down! 1t is monstrous,
II Is incredible, but II Is fact-that
pedal was held down ana even as |
looked 1t was released and came slow
ly back to its natural position, rs If the
foot of the invisible performer was
taken carcssngly from il.
TO say that was startled would be
TO put 1t very mildly. | was thunder
struck and not little frightened not
of bodily harm, but frightened MS we
usually are of things we cannot under
stand
81 took step toward the instrument
As | did SO | not only heard that chord
again, but saw it struck | repeat,
saw the keys 80 softly down and
heard the sound, soft, low, but clear rs
a bell. ! storped, pctrlfed. l turned,
walked an uncertain step toward the
door. turned again, and then dropped
weakly into chair Well | thought,
Il am either dreaming or ] have gone
crazy or | am seeing "A miraclel | must
brace up and do something But even
rs | moved to do something there
stole through the air the prettiest
strain of music, the softcst, sweetest
merriest strain | ever heard. | listen
cd, spellbound had never heard
anything like II before nor have ]
ever since. You have all heard that
composition that has made me what
ever | am II is called my best compo-
| sitlon-but ! am n failure as n com
poser. bccnuse haun n"par since been
| able 10 do anything so good
"rhe music continued for some ten
minutes, the piano behaving In all re
being. The keys were struck with
every note, the pedals worked as If
pressed by II foot Of flesh, and then
with that rapid trill that ends on 4
fiat the music broke off as abruptly ms
1t had begun and | seemed to hear
mind. | say | seemed. to hear II low,
sweet laugh Elsa's laugh But | am
quite willing TO lelieye that this might
have been all Imagination How do |
linoH the whole thing was not lmagi-
natlonf We'll, In tine FIRST place.
know ii from my consciousness of
what Is real and what Is II dream |
know Ii from the music, 80 strangely
played for me and which have never
forgotten. although | have never been
able to play II with the power 1t had
when first heard 1t. but lest you say
TINT ! have only mental. personal
proofs, | VIII tell you this: | had just
had my piano put In perfect order,
newly tuned, yet that \ fiat, on which
there * a long tlill at the end of the
composition, that Hat was II full
minor third out of tune. had dropped
that amount in an evening and yet
the three strings of that middle regis
ter A fiat were In perfect tune to-
gcther.
'"fhat, gentlemen, Is all there Is to
my experience. IT was my first and
my last. Perhaps | should say that |
told the story to the Judges before play
Ing the compt sition in competition for
the Elliott prize, but they evidently re-
gardcd me as a harmless lunatlc. Any
way, they let me play II ns my own,
and 1t won the much needed 5000, en-
abling me to complete my course and
win whit success has come TO me. |
have, as | told you, no explanation to
offer. 1t Is as mysterious to me as 1t
must be to you. | have asked often
for help to solve the riddle, but have
never come nearer the truth than at
frst. shall be very glad Of amy light
any Of you gentlemen can throw on
the subject. Washington Post.