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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-03-18, Page 8NM BLOCK H&R Mod has the experience you need. We prepare all kinds of income tax returns, from the simple to the complex. Whatever your tax situa- tion, we can handle it. Canada's Tax Team. Standing up for you! 476 Main St. (D.von Building) Exeter, Ontario 235-1153 Mon. to Fri. 9 to 5:30 Sat. 10 to 2 p.m. Page 8 Times -Advocate, March 18, 1992 NO - Not an ""elegant an hand, drawing us along through a most unique pan of Canada's histo- ry, each page being filled with old photographs of the pianos, facto- ries, people, and many of the origi- nal ads that were present at that time. Again a great deal of time and effort was made on the part of the author to put together this material in the pages of this book. Book review By Eric Heybbm My most earliest recollections of this most gracious instrument, the piano, unlike the author's, was not one of the recital. Not coming from a background of music lovers, the piano, perhaps by virtue of its huge presence was always that "elegant piece of furniture" sitting in my friends living room or down in their rec room. How did they gel that heavy pia- no down the stairs? Why is the woodwork so elaborate? What do the pedals do? How does the piano make such a deep rich sound with just a slight push of thb finger on a key? Where did it come from? Who invented it? Sherlock- Manning...what does that mean? Yes I was in awe of this magnifi- cent instrument. Unfortunately my road through life never brought me any closer than that. The piano was destined to always be that "elegant piece of furniture" reserved only for those who could master its se- cret charm, music. Therefore, special mention must be made of the book "Downright Upright - A History of the Canadi- an Piano Industry" written by Wayne Kelly. This detailed book takes the reader back in time to when the piano was born in Cana- da, and allows us to journey through the towns and lives of peo- ple who brought this remarkable in- strument ro us today. The authors painstaking detail is what brings out in me a true appre- ciation for not only the care and quality that goes into the making of a piano, but the love for the instru- ment itself. The author tells us, "This book is by no means the de- finitive record of the Canadian pia- no industry. While efforts have been made to list all known manu- facturers and all brand-name pianos made in Canada, no doubt some have been overlooked. By detailing the stories of a few, many have been neglected. Yet, what follows, it is hoped, will highlight some of the outstanding people who have wandered across this stage of Cana- dian history and whose creativity, talents, and love of music have sounded a chord that still lingers in the hearts of those who treasure the piano." The book itself is an absolute pleasure to read and look at. It's tru- ly like having a museum in one's Note Kelly's interesting com- ments in this regard taken from the pages of the "introduction" portion of the book. "As with many unre- ported aspects of the Canadian pia- no industry, few photographs of pi- anos were taken or survive. During the early 1940s mountains of old documents, records, and ledgers were consumed -in - "Paper - drives" that fueled the national war effort. Since the industry seemed to be in its death throes anyway, few indi- viduals had the foresight to retain anything for posterity. The quality of the graphic materials presented herein is therefore less the _opti- mum. Photocopies from faded pic- tures, advertising layouts from yel- lowed newsprint: these are the rule rather than the exception. In most cases, however, much care has been taken - in the darkroom and at the art board - to clean up the only available material without which a dimension of this account would re- main in deep shadow." I recall al one point about half- way through the book, on a very cold and still moonlit night in Janu- ary, sitting in my easy chair close to the living room window, simply staring at the old black and white picture of "The Sherlock -Manning factory, Clinton 1945" (Figure 85. Chapter 6). It was'as if I could en- vision myself walking around the old building in the still of the night, trying to peer in the windows with "the hip otthe moon's light to"sceif I could just catch a small glimpse of what it might have looked like back then. Well, much to my surprise and delight it was the author of the book himself who did exactly that, and more! Kelly had an opportunity -to walk done through the building just days • before it closed its doors forever. His description of what he saw and felt in Chapter Eleven "The Final Chord", is as close to being there as any of us will ever be. He writes: "The Sheriock- Manning factory on Fit St. in -Clinton had hummed with activity since it was built in 1898. When I had the opportunity to walk alone through the old derelict some nine- ty years later, just a few days be- fore the final sale closed this last piano factory in Canada, nostalgic momentos of once great days liter- ally jumped off the walls. Copies of the Colourful Wild; West McGillivray resident Wayne Kelly's new book chronicles the rise and fall of the Canadian piano industry. Book launching on June 20 WEST McGILLIVRAY - The McGillivray Township History Group -New Horizons met March 12 to receive progress reports on the editing and sales of the town- ship history book "McGillivray Re- members.' Lois Morgan, who typed the manuscript, reports the second proof of the book has been checked and returned to the publishers. When the proofs are next returned from the publishers for the last checking, the 400 pages and 500 photographs will be complied into final book form. Lorraine Hodgins, editor, says that 800 copies of the book have been sold to date by advance order. The number of books to be ordered from Friesen Publishers Ltd. will be based on the number sold by ad- vance order on April 15. History Group chairman Charles Corbett reported the New Horizons grant makes it possible to sell histo- ry books ordered on or before April 15 for the advanced order price of S30 each. After that date, the sale price will have to be increased to $40. An official Book Launching is planned for Saturday June 20, in the McGillivray Township Hall. Varna by Joan Beierling VARNA - Both Varna and Gosh- en congregations heard Jean Ben- nett speak and show slides of Ethio- pia, giving everyone an enlightening to sec where we as a church arc helping out in the world, last Sunday. Varna -Goshen are supporting the Ethiopia Project with the London Conference. The first objective dealing with the Clean Water Sup- ply and Health Care. The people there arc presently dipping their water from a slough where their cattle drink, wade and pollute, They avould like to develop an oxen powered unit to drive the pump and a local supervisor is being hired to keep things on target. As a means of providing financial assistance Varna and Goshen will be making Blue Bird Boxes to sell. Anyone interested in this project or wanting further information can call Gordon Hill. The teens (Grade 9 and and up) will be going bowling on March 26, meeting at Kippen at 6 p.m.. they will be going back to the church for a time of fellowship fol- lowing the bowling. Rev. Phillips announced there will be a Good Friday service with both Varna and Goshen in Varna this year on Good Friday. This will also be the final stop of the day for the London -Middlesex Historical Society bus tour of McGillivray Township. West Weekly Comics from 1910 were varnished to a wooden beam. Boxing reports and baseball sched- ules from the 1920s were still plas- tered above voMbenches. Scones of initials and relatively "clean" graffiti were inscribed on the tongue -and -groove boards lining the toilet stalls. A forgotten souve- nir that made me both laugh and cry was something fastened to the 14 -foot -high ceiling of the finishing --yearn`-He-goes en to say, `-Such-rel- ics of a once thriving industry have diminished with each passing dec- ade - forgotten by new and differ- ent generations." The piano for me and no doubt to a great many of us was simply an "elegant piece of furniture." We knew most of our friends had one in their homes, and of course, our grandparents always had those "real neat" pictures of mom and dad when they were first married on top of their piano, along with whatever else they could get on top it it! It's the same piano we used to pound our little hands on whenever our parents wok us there to visit. But after reading the book "Downright Upright", I'll never be able to walk by another piano with- out stopping and admiring not only this gracious instrument, but as the author so well put it, "...the tireless BEST RATES on your G.I.C. eg(iaiser-Kneate Exeter 235-2420 Grand Bend 238-8484 efforts of an army of devoted, inno- gone, surviving instruments are stilt votive Canadians - men and women found in every comer of the earth. who merged brilliant craftsmanship The piano industry was a truly and marketing skill with the inward amazing one, and it made a won - need most of us have to create our derl'ul contribution to countless Ca - own "an." radian lives." "Canada was a major world pro- Author Wayne Kelly ducer of pianos. With hundreds of Published by N aural Heritage/ manufacturers having come and Natural History Inc. 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