“Remember me in the family tree
My name, my days, my strife;
Then I’ll ride upon the wings of
time
And live an endless life.”
~ Linda Goetsch
When I was younger, I don't think that I gave much thought to family history or various artifacts passed down from past generations. But as I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the enrichment it has brought to our family's lives. Just in time for Christmas, Jordan and I decided to have the old family piano shipped from Winnipeg to Toronto. The piano was Jordan's grandparents and I feel like having it in our home means that a little piece of them is here with us. I asked my father-in-law for a short piece of history on the piano and so the following is an eloquently written post by my father-in-law with just a little history of our piano:
"[The piano] was the first significant expenditure my parents made after we moved [from Ireland] into our home on Withrow Avenue. The piano, purchased before the purchase of a car, was made in England under the name of Knight. It is very solid and decent instrument of what we might now view as an apartment size. Virtually none of the instruments made in North America of this size were worth the price of the raw materials, so by way of comparison the Knight piano was both an affordable and good instrument. My mother, though not accomplished, was a decent pianist with a very good ear, and musical. She insisted both [my brother] and I study piano and I began at a young age. I was a relatively good pupil...
For
me, it seems that significant hours of my youth were spent at this
instrument during which I was introduced to the magnificent worlds of
classical piano repertoire and Gospel music. These were remarkable years
particularly for the child of an Irish immigrant of the labouring
class. Can you imagine such a child coming to love Beethoven, Mozart,
and Brahms? What magical worlds they were and are...
The piano may have had another history [in the years between being in our house and yours]. If there is a
future history worthy of record, I know nothing of it and it is a story
to be told by another."
Earl Davey (my father-in-law)
This piano has been in the family for quite awhile, and between that and the various
moves over nearly half a century, it's body holds the markings of
history and character--it may be a little banged up with scratches, a
missing wheel and broken hinges on the bench. But with some fine
tuning, it has the most majestic sound.
For now, we have put the piano just off the kitchen where it can be played the most. So Gabriel has been tinkering away over the past week, experimenting with loudness and softness, high notes and low notes and all of the black keys. He occasionally puts his head down close to the piano "Glen Gould style." As of late, he is particularly enjoying being serenaded by his Grampie (my dad) while eating breakfast or lunch.
And so, we are delighted to carry forward this treasure and create the future history of this beloved piano, leaving behind our own grooves and dents of character while filling our house with music.
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For now, we have put the piano just off the kitchen where it can be played the most. So Gabriel has been tinkering away over the past week, experimenting with loudness and softness, high notes and low notes and all of the black keys. He occasionally puts his head down close to the piano "Glen Gould style." As of late, he is particularly enjoying being serenaded by his Grampie (my dad) while eating breakfast or lunch.
And so, we are delighted to carry forward this treasure and create the future history of this beloved piano, leaving behind our own grooves and dents of character while filling our house with music.
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