Saturday, January 14, 2017

Soul of The Maker


Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul. 
-W. Somerset Maugham



Our beautiful piano has breathed her last. My heart is heavy. 

The soul of the maker is in the wood. Perhaps an immigrant from another country? A man who learned his craft from generations before him? It was built in 1895. I can almost see the craftsman at work, carving the wood, the details, placing the keys, the strings. I wonder what he thought of as he worked? The Old Country? Did he worry about his children? Did he pray? Did he hum to himself to pass the time? His hands, stained and sturdy, deftly creating a masterpiece that would be treasured for over a century. 
When the instrument was complete did he run his hand across the keyboard? 

I yearn to reach across the divide and shake that hand, to thank him for giving his soul so perfectly.

What was the first melody that spilled forth from the soul of the piano's first owner, infused with the soul of the instrument, created by the soul of the maker, joined with the soul of the composer? 






xo

Andie

11 comments:

  1. It is a beauty Andie. I dream of old pianos I have stored somewhere in rooms.

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  2. I don't understand this post, Andie. The instrument LOOKS perfectly beautiful.

    If the "works" have gone bad, they CAN be either rebuilt or replaced.

    With a case that special, it would be well worth the effort and expense to restore the instrument.

    If no one in your family actually plays, why not keep it as a piece of "Domestic Sculpture" –– a Thing of Beauty to enjoy seeing as part of the history of our house? You might even want to consider removing the working parts, then using the interior as a place to store things not in frequent use.

    Surely the case alone is a genuine work of art. Please don't even think of getting rid of this unique piano, unless a serious musician wants to buy it at a good price, recondition it, and use it as a musical instrument once again.

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  3. I STILL want to know exactly what you meant when you said, "Our beautiful piano has breathed her last?"

    Did it ROT away?

    Was it BURNED to cinders in a fire?

    Did VANDALS break in and chop it up with axes?

    Was it CARRIED AWAY in a FLOOD?

    Dud a SINKHOLE open up beneath it and swallow it up?

    What HAPPENED to it that would make you say "She breathed her last?"

    I'm DYING to know!

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  4. Yes what happened! I play the piano nearly everyday when I get home -helps me to relax and 'disconnect' from the world.

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    Replies
    1. I play the piano too –– a LOT actually. But I could go either way on this, because I am an ardent Furniture Freak too. Never in my best days could I have kept up with Andie, but I have furnished several houses with "finds" from Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, and The Woman's Exchange, as well as yard sales, junk shops, –– and occasionally from a legitimate antiques store.

      Thanks to Andie, I recently started using Craigslist, and found a beautiful oval glass and brass teacart for 50 bucks –– and a great oriental runner in perfect condition that just fits the hallway between the master bedroom and connecting bath.

      Most of the available stuff on Craigslist where I live though is really out-and-out JUNK.

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  5. Now we're all dying to know WHAT HAPPENED?!? I mirror FreeThinke's opinion about her still having a Life as something, even if she cannot be played, that Case is Divine and so well Cared for. At our Antique Mall someone Created a Lovely Dry Bar Storage inside of a gutted Piano while preserving the exterior so Storage of some kind would be an excellent idea. I myself would just Display it Proudly whether in working condition or not... it's Magnificent. Happy New Year... Dawn... The Bohemian

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    1. Thank you, Bohemian! It's good to know I'm not just talking to myself –– a feeling I sometimes get out here on the blogs. ;-) I hope the New Year treats you well.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry about that. I discovered an error that had to be corrected.

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  7. _ We All Should Wish Them Well _

    For all the quips and jibes and taunts
    And brutal castigation
    Our First Family's image haunts,
    And begs new valuation.

    Both elegant and wholesome
    This group radiates great charm
    We should feel proud they reached a goal some
    Tell us did no harm.

    Their image, lean and lissome,
    Does great credit to their race.
    To know them might be bliss. Some
    Might wish to kiss each face.

    The father’s been a failure
    Many say with unchecked bile.
    Rated as the Holy Grail your
    Welfare class adored his style.

    Conservatives despised him
    And insisted he must fail,
    While the the Left who idolized him,
    Thinks the Right belongs in jail.

    And so we’re now divided
    Many saying we’re at war
    With those we have derided
    Thus forgetting what Life’s for.

    Although his leftist stance
    Has been essentially perverse
    We should not want to dance
    Upon his grave. That make things worse

    By deepening the chasm
    That now between us yawns
    We kill enthusiasm
    Thus darkening all our dawns.

    So please try to remember
    Barrack with charity;
    His legacy’s an ember
    Now. Let’s pray Trump sets us free.


    ~ FreeThinke (1/18/17)

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  8. Yes what happened! I play the piano nearly everyday when I get home -helps me to relax and 'disconnect' from the world.


    gclub
    สล็อต ออนไลน์ ได้ เงิน จริง

    ReplyDelete

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