"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Monday, August 14, 2023
Classical corner
Cinderella's waltz, from Prokofiev's Cinderella Suite.
Other than the miniature piano, they all sounded the same to me. Of course, considering the different materials, that’s quite an accomplishment. But I saw the higher priced pianos as more pretentious, an ostentatious display of wealth. Guess that’s the hoi polloi in me.
That said …. which Vancouver? I’d bet the Canadian city, I don’t think the one in Washington State has that much surplus wealth to throw around.
In the late 1890s pianos were the home entertainment system every middle-class family needed, and my great-grandfather Frederick Pitt Pines was OIC of Palings in Sydney who had a virtual monopoly on piano sales, so he made a bundle, sponsored touring piano virtuosos, and was a public figure.
Not that we saw any of it. He married 4 times and had more kids than I've bothered to count, while my grandfather split, changed his name and didn't even tell his own kids about his background. We grandkids had to do an ancestry search to find out all this. My dad (Fred's grandson) grew up like one of the Bowery Boys and supported us driving a truck.
That's my piano story about how fame and wealth don't last.
...how does Vancouver (whichever one it is) wind up having such pricy pianos?
Vancouver, British Columbia, is actually a fairly wealthy city. It's a major seaport, and a gateway to Canada, with lots of business. Legal and illegal businesses, so not all of those pianos may have been purchased with declared incomes, IYKWIMAITTYD.
Used to be a beautiful place, as well. Not so much anymore, not under Castro's illegitimate son
Other than the miniature piano, they all sounded the same to me. Of course, considering the different materials, that’s quite an accomplishment. But I saw the higher priced pianos as more pretentious, an ostentatious display of wealth. Guess that’s the hoi polloi in me.
ReplyDeleteThat said …. which Vancouver? I’d bet the Canadian city, I don’t think the one in Washington State has that much surplus wealth to throw around.
Yeah, that kind of stuck out to me, too: how does Vancouver (whichever one it is) wind up having such pricy pianos? Some of them were pretty unique.
ReplyDeleteAll that revenue from Hollywood productions filming there makes the price doable.
DeleteIn the late 1890s pianos were the home entertainment system every middle-class family needed, and my great-grandfather Frederick Pitt Pines was OIC of Palings in Sydney who had a virtual monopoly on piano sales, so he made a bundle, sponsored touring piano virtuosos, and was a public figure.
ReplyDeleteNot that we saw any of it. He married 4 times and had more kids than I've bothered to count, while my grandfather split, changed his name and didn't even tell his own kids about his background. We grandkids had to do an ancestry search to find out all this. My dad (Fred's grandson) grew up like one of the Bowery Boys and supported us driving a truck.
That's my piano story about how fame and wealth don't last.
...how does Vancouver (whichever one it is) wind up having such pricy pianos?
ReplyDeleteVancouver, British Columbia, is actually a fairly wealthy city. It's a major seaport, and a gateway to Canada, with lots of business. Legal and illegal businesses, so not all of those pianos may have been purchased with declared incomes, IYKWIMAITTYD.
Used to be a beautiful place, as well. Not so much anymore, not under Castro's illegitimate son
Prokofiev was ahead of his time. The Cinderella Waltz is definitely evocative of The Addams Family.
ReplyDelete