When I was a kid, it seems like every house I
went into had a piano in the living room.
We certainly did. Ours was an old
upright of indeterminable pedigree. At
some point in my teens or early twenties, that big upright got replaced by a
nice compact spinet that still sits in the living room of my mother’s house. I
took lessons on that old, big upright, but they never took on me. I just don’t have a feel for the workings of
musical notes.
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| I love this photo of my sister Susan playing the piano in 1960. |
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| My Aunt Judy (right) with my sister Judy (left), her namesake. Aunt Judy gave us piano lessons when we were young. |
My mother’s family is very musical. Of the eight of the siblings, almost all have
had a relationship with music in some form or other. But that music thing didn’t get handed down to me. Don’t get me wrong. I like music, but I really prefer the written
and spoken word.
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| This great old photo of my grandfather Oscar, center, and his twin brothers is one of my very favorites. A copy of it sits on our piano. |
We have a piano in our living room now. It’s a spinet that was Greg’s mother’s piano
so we are emotionally attached to it and it does make a nice focal point in the
room, but there really isn’t any reason for it to be there otherwise. It never gets touched except when I feel like
dusting it. But looking at it sometimes takes me
back to my youth and a time when it seems like everyone had a piano in their living room.
I’m not really sure what made me think of this
today. Could be that a neighbor of ours
recently posted on Facebook that they want to get rid of their piano together with the fact that I’m reading a really fantastic book right now, A Dance with Dragons by George R. R.
Martin and listening to Robert Galbraith’s (aka J.K. Rowling) The Cuckoo’s Calling and the way those
two can put words together is simply music to my ears.
11 comments:
great photos throughout. :) i'd hate to have a big ol' piece of furniture that i never used, though.
We had an old upright piano in our dining room and I learned to play from grade 2 through 8. Sadly, I can't play much today but I can still read music. I loved seeing these old photos.
These are beautiful photos! I learned to play on an old upright too. I wish I had it now. Now I have a keyboard. I don't play much, which is too bad. It seems like there's always something else to do. Thanks for sharing this!
Your grandfather is a real cutey, isn't he?
My grandmother had an upright piano in her living room. I always wanted it. I took piano lessons until my teacher got pregnant. Then I longed for piano lessons and never had another. One day when I came home from school, my grandmother's piano was against the wall in my bedroom. I was the happiest 12 year old on the face of the earth. I got to keep that piano and played it every night until I was 16. My uncle started college taking music and they came and got the piano while I was at school....otherwise, they'd never have taken it out of there. I would have had a breakdown. I don't know what ever became of that old piano. I know for a fact had my grandmother left it with me, I'd still be in possession of it to this day.
My Mother was told she was wasting her money by my Piano teacher :-) I didn't mind giving up the lessons at all. Sweet photos of your sister and aunt and the one with your Grandfather and his brothers is outstanding,they look like interesting men.
I like the photos from the past, the skirt and sweater on your aunt is almost identical to a set i wore back then. your post took me back to a bitter memory.
my cousin lived next door, they had money, we had none.. none at all. they had a piano, she took lessons and i cried because we had no money for lessons even if i used my aunts piano.. my cousin hated to play and would not practice, i played by ear some...my aunt said she would pay for the lessons, i took 3 and we moved to KY and i never had a piano or another lesson... in KY i taught myself to play about 4 hymns but i played on the black notes... on Wed night at church i played those hymns every wed night...
I dolove the old family photos and I treasure the ones that I have. Another great blog post and interesting thoughts again...I do enjoy your blog and the great photos that you post!
At least you have some musical talent in your ancestry -- me, not a speck! Loved the vintage photos.
I know what you mean - EVERYONE had a piano - it was the armoire to the living room suit of the day. I eventually played the clarinet, my siblings playing other various instruments as our family (on my dad's side) was blessed (however so slightly) with a musical ear. My mother couldn't carry it in a bucket and sadly the same can be said for my son.
Love these pictures.
i love seeing vintage images like this!! they are so special to have!!
Oh, how I love music...but I do well to turn on the radio. Just no talent whatsoever.
I love that picture of your aunt and your sister...just love the look in their eyes. They both look like they are just so happy.
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