The Washington herald., 1909-02-28
GEMS OFTEN LOST IN PIANOS
Tuners Sometimes Make Peculiar
Finds in instruments in Homes.
Those Of the Profession Born, Not
Made-Have to Deal with
Artists with whfms.

graduated from plano factories" says
one OF them in the Philadelphia North
American. While the piano tuner is re-
Quired 10 know every part In the make
UP OF a plano he Is not necessarily a
piano Tepairer. Nor can the average
piano maker or repairer tune a piano
There are hundreds Of expert makers
and repsirsrs Of pianos who wouldn't be
able 70 tell one tune from another.
The piano tuner is born. not made
His acute sense os the vibrations OF sound
is given 10 him at his birth, and the man
who hasn't got this sense can't become
plano tuner.
Like any other piano tuner who IN
derstands his business and whose ear has
been made normally acute by practice
and training. I can detect a falseness Of
a tenth OF a tone In piano even II I am
only passing the house IN which the
| instrument is being played. and 1 never
have such an experience that 1 don I
/ feel like going into that house and set
/ ting the thing righ--
Most piano tuners have 20 run away
( from the barrel organs and street pianos,
! their falseness and discord are generally
so nerve-racking.
/ Some piano tuners work on their own
hook. but the majority Of them are at
/ tached 20 the piano establishment and
get pretty fair salaries. Il costs from
$50 TO sc to have plano tuned, the
average being about s. for q bit Of care
ful. painstaking work
! For a laborious and exhausting task
Of tuning. such as getting ar instrument
.
/ tuners get goOd-sized fees once I tuned
a piano for PadereWsld- The JOB took
me six hours, as I did the work under
/ the almost constant supervision OF Pad
erewsh himself. He was pretty fGssy
al first. but after hating me several
1 times he finally concluded. suppose,
that I knew my business pretty wen and
let me 90 ahead.
] Quite a number OF years ago when
Hans Won Bulow visited this town.
tuned the piano upon which he played.
He Wouldn't allow the instrument TO be
tuned In the wareroOm. one OF his whins
being that even a short removal OF a
piano knocks Il all out OF tune: some
thing IN that theory at that SO I tuned
it upon the platform upon which he was
TO perform
He stood over me al the time. letting
out agonized whoOps and German cuss
words. until ] couldn't help but laugh n
( his face
FINALLY. when had the piano almost
tuned. he gave a few more shrieks. and
grabbing the wrench began doing the jot
all over again let him 60 ahead. and
Inside of three minutes he had the plsnC
so hopelessly cut OF tune that Il took ne
three hours 20 get II irto shape again
Herr Won Bulow had 70 pay double FOL
this little exhibition Of temper.
IF I had kept and converted intC
money all the articles or value that I've
found in pianos I've tuned Il would make
a very neat sum for me 20 fail bach
upon IN my old age This is especially
true with reference 20 grand pianos IN tho
homes Of the wealthy
"A few years ego vas summoned L
tune q triangular plano IN the residencs
Of q wealthy family, and on making z
preliminary run over the keys ] instantly
detected the odd jangliig in the upDel
register. The jangling. II seems, had slst
been detected BY the young women o
the family. but none OF them had taker
the trouble 20 investigate the cause ot
the unusual sound
Tt didn't take me very long 70 pick ou
I lANall bGaANoAt l44r cAAAiiAE n AAoAitbttu aAAt
ruby bracelet A servant OF that house
hold was even then lansuishi1g in prison
on the charge CT having stolen tha
= bracelet.
When bangle bracelets were fashion
able I used often to find between TIT
I piano strings and even sometimes under
meath the keyboard small coins and med
ais that had been lost from the bracelets
4 famous Chicago woman. prominent IL
society In this country and abroad. suf
fered such a loss while visiting here SONS
years ago
1T was a small gold Roman coin, Will
the head of Domitian, valuable from thr
numismatic point OF view. but OF man!
times greater value to the Chicago wo
man because Il had been given to her b!
Carmen sylvia the Roumsnisn Queen
She had lost Z from her gold bsngl
bracelet Of antique coins.
'I found the coin underneath the key
board Of the grand piano In the hous
, at which she had been visiting here. sev
ersl months after she had missed u
When the coin was restored to her tn
lady sent a most heartfelt letter o
thanks and a substantial check The let
ter contained an intiuation that I nigh
DO pretty well as plano tuner In Chi
cago. which didn't stir me 20 any VII
depths OF enthusiasm. however. for II
F,aav, 70 Chicago once