My dad, my grandfather, two of my dad's cousins, their mother Carin, my mum, me and my grandmother. As Nils is not in the picture, I suppose he may be the photographer.
In spite of me looking rather determined to learn there at age 1½, I never got any good at it. My parents bought a piano of their own when we moved to a bigger house in 1965, and I did take piano lessons through grade 4-6 in school - but quit after that. I just didn't have a natural talent for it - unlike my little brother, who turned out to be a lot more musical than me. Here he is at Christmas 1968 (~ 7 years old), at the piano in our living room. (Christmas tree in the background.) This piano was brown, I'm not sure what kind of wood.
In my maternal grandparents' house there was also a piano, but I have searched my albums in vain for a photo that shows it. In my mind, I can see quite clearly though: Big and black, opposite the fireplace; and at Christmas, the Christmas tree to the left of it.
In my paternal grandparents' house, there was no piano - but when I was little there was a small old pump organ, which I think fascinated me even more than pianos, as besides the pedals to tread, it also had that row of little buttons (or whatever you call them) to push and pull. I can't find that organ showing in any photo either. It looked a little bit like the photo below (found online from some auction site) - but simpler, without the fancy decorations. I can't recall either of my grandparents ever playing it, though - nor my father.
Great to find those two old photos of your early interest in music...and playing at the low end of the scale at that! Boom boom boom! I took many years of piano, and would practice and sing my heart out with tunes from Oklahoma, Show Boat, etc. My family probably had chores to attend to outside!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I was never a great singer either - especially not solo. As for my piano performance at 1½ - well, one probably has to be that age to get away with it without someone abruptly closing the lid on one's fingers!
DeleteAt least you managed to find 3 pix of the family at a piano. (you were a cute little tyke) Too bad you couldn't find one of the pump organ, but the likeness gives an idea. And it reminded me of a church service many long years ago when the congregation was in the middle of singing a hymn when the church organ suddenly went silent. It was a combination electric and pump. So after a moment or two the organist simply began pumping and the music swelled as she played. Well, it sort of swelled and ebbed & swelled & ebbed - the organist not used to pumping and I remember not being sure exactly what key we were singing in from swell to ebb and back again. Gosh, I hadn't thought of that in a long time. Thanks for helping bring back the memory & making smile! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that story, Gail - I recognise your description of the sound :) Back in my early school years, there was also a small organ like that in our classroom, and every school day still started with singing a hymn. I think teachers back then had to be able to use the organ, but no doubt their skills varied...
DeleteI think many years ago it was a rare family that did not have a piano or organ in their house. My grandmother played piano well enough for Sunday school tunes and arranged for my mother to take lessons throughout her high school years. It was my mother's musical talent on piano that first inspired me to pursue music and she accompanied on me several times for solo contests at school. Later as I developed an interest in woodworking I became fascinated by antique musical instruments. Over the years I've successfully restored a few pump organs which I discovered are very complicated mechanical devices. Few organists today will play reed organs because, as NG describes, they require a lot of physical effort to play well!
ReplyDeleteMike, before I was born, my mum was a junior school teacher; and as such, she no doubt had to learn to play a pump organ as well. I think she preferred the piano, though - but we did not have one in our own home until I was 10.
Delete