Straight from a Musical Heart
by Lisa Elliott
Music was God’s idea. And I’m so thankful!
It was my parents’ fifth wedding anniversary, October 1968, when an 1879 player piano took up residence in our home. It was meant as a surprise for my mom. Purchased from Danforth Piano, just a few blocks from where we lived in Toronto, Ontario.
My dad especially loved the piano.
A player piano was something he fondly remembered from his childhood. It was his go-to whenever he would visit his aunt. He would tell stories of getting down on his hands and knees and using his hands to pedal the pair of, foot-operated, levers that propelled the piano rolls. Working up a sweat as sweet tunes played from above his head.
To spare me and my siblings that agony, he would often sit us on his lap while he played. Or should I say, as the piano played and he pedalled. Hosting a player piano in our home was soon to become one of my own fondest childhood memories.
Standing upright, it made a solid impression in our dining room setup with a dark, cherry wood finish and weighing a ton—quite literally. It made sense given all the pounds of additional mechanisms that it contained, unlike a regular upright piano.
Tucked beneath the 88 keys was something like a trap door operated by a little trigger hidden beneath the keyboard at the far right-hand side. Once opened, a set of heavy, clunky foot pedals could be turned down to sit steadily on the floor. Doors above the keyboard manually slid open, exposing a brass band full of 88 holes. These allowed wind to blow through when the pedals were pedalled, much like a walking machine one might find at a gym. Paper piano rolls, resembling a paper rolling pin, specially designed with holes cut out in such a way that piano keys were activated as the pedals were pumped—the piano suddenly transformed into a wind instrument.
It was magical!
My friends thought so too. I remember our house being a school trip destination. Living five doors down from the public school lent itself naturally for a nice walk in a long line of twenty-five or so students, with our teacher and me leading the charge to my home. These were always days that filled me with family pride. My mom would have Kool-Aid and cookies waiting for each of our classmates who, one by one, took turns playing a roll, or portion of one, depending on their endurance. It made me quite popular amongst my friends! Into my teenage years, it served as more of a musical abs workout.
Our small collection of QRS piano rolls grew to be a vast collection of 100 or so as the years went along. Oldies like: “Little Old Lady”, “Sonny Boy” and “Kaiser Bill’s Batman.” Then there were movie classics like “To Sir With Love,” the theme song from “Love Story,” and a medley from “Oliver.” Christmas tunes filled the air with a spellbinding arrangement of “Carol of the Bells” and some that catered more to my young siblings and me, like “Suzie Snowflake and “Here Comes Santa Claus”. Then came along some children’s Disney Classics, such as a “Pinocchio” medley and Roger and Hammerstein’s version of Cinderella. “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful.” We even had a roll that played Nursery Rhymes such as: “Three Blind Mice,” “Old King Cole,” and “Frere Jacques.” My Mom, being a gifted artist, drew pictures on many of these children’s selections to illustrate. Impressive!
A couple of my all time favourites were two that my dad would play, on repeat as I demanded, every night as I fell asleep in my bedroom upstairs. “Daddy’s Little Girl” and The Sound of Music’s “Edelweiss.” I especially loved it when he would sing along.
Were it possible to have brought our player piano to my wedding, I would have played both of these favourites as he walked me down the aisle. Instead, I settled for another rendition of “Edelweiss” played by a friend, which served as a suitable replacement.
It came as much of a heartfelt surprise when we were gifted the piano as a wedding gift. My husband further surprised me and had it refurbished.
It thrilled my soul when our four children came along and took the piano into the next generation. Each of them learning to play on it with their God-given musical abilities. And of course, taking advantage of the player piano itself for their, as well as their friends’ entertainment and enjoyment. Even my grandchildren caught a glimpse of it while its billows were still blowing.
And, then there were the multiple moves we made, carting it across Ontario over and over again. Including one move we made where it required professionals to painstakingly carry it up a steep, narrow set of stairs. No doubt the movers weren’t too impressed when we recruited them again six months later and had them move it down the stairs and out the door to be loaded onto a truck.
Sadly, since the invention of portable keyboards and electric players, it’s difficult to find specialists who will fix and tune the player pianos.
It was an even sadder day when, realizing we couldn’t move it one more time, I watched my memories roll down the driveway on the back of a pickup truck—for free! No one will ever know its value to me. It’s far beyond financial worth. It had lived a long life with me. And, I’ll forever treasure all that it left behind. I can only hope its new home will make as many rich memories with it as I did.
“… be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts” (Eph. 5:18-19, NLT).
* * *
Need a little extra encouragement? Discover more inspirational blogs by Lisa Elliott, Straight from the Heart.
About this Contributor:
Lisa Elliott is an inspirational speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple, Dancing in the Rain, and A Ministry Survival Guide. She’s also a writer for Just Between Us Magazine, theStory, and Good Ground. She and her husband, David, have four children (three on earth, one in heaven) and serve the Lord together in Stratford, ON, Canada.