Earl Wild
You can expect to see several posts from me about purchasing my grand piano and the great pianist Earl Wild. Tonight is a combination post.
I always dreamed of owning a grand piano, glossy black, six foot long and beautiful. I had a Baldwin piano growing up so I thought, I will buy a Baldwin Grand. Interestingly, my favorite pianist is Emmanuel Ax, and I read once that he was a Baldwin artist. He probably is actually a Steinway artist, but somewhere I had read he was a Baldwin artist and that was good enough for me. So I decided to buy a Baldwin Grand.
I shared this dream with my daughter Sarah when she was about 9 years old. I told her that we were going to buy a grand piano, and her response was always "okay mom" and she would clap.
One day after a busy day at St. Michael School, Sarah and I drove over to Graves Piano and Organ, the Steinway and Baldwin dealer in Columbus, Ohio I was in jeans and a sweat shirt, and for some reason Sarah was in similar dress. I walked into the store, and told the receptionist I was looking at grand pianos. I think from my dress she thought I wasn't serious. But I was. What she didn't know is that I had $10,000 in cash from my maternal grandmother. My grandma had kept a $10,000 savings bond with the sole purpose of contributing to my grand piano fund.
I was in a large show room, and Sarah and I were looking at Steinways, Baldwins and Bechsteins. Several men walked into the show room, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Earl Wild was with them. I knew he lived in my home town of Worthington, and I knew he was a famous pianist. He looked at me and Sarah and asked me "are you thinking of buying that piano?" I told him yes, and he just smiled. He didn't say anything else, and he didn't comment about whether my choice was good or bad. I add that the piano was $25,000 and that was going to be my financial limit. Just seeing Earl Wild at that point in time, was amazing. I've always taken that chance encounter as a sign, I guess a musical sign.
In any event, I had my piano tuner go over and take a look at it, and he confirmed that the piano met my requirements. I add that this was the most incredible material possession I have ever purchased. Owning a grand confirmed to me, that I was a good enough pianist to actually own a grand piano. After I made the purchase and before delivery, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and literally pinch myself. I could not believe that my biggest material dream was coming through. So incredible.
Now whenever I go down the stairs in the morning and look in the living room and see my piano, I know that all is right with the world. No matter what peaks and valleys I have in life, knowing that I realized my dream, with the help of my grandmother never ceases to amaze me. I add that my grand mother was widowed at 49 and went to work in a factory to support my mom. She always purchased savings bonds, and bought one for me that grew to $10,000. She almost gave it to me to help with law school tuition, but she knew I wanted to buy a grand piano, so she kept that bond, for me. She died in 1993 and did not see me realize my dream. I believe I purchased my piano in 1999 or 2000. I will have to confirm that with my piano tuner. But I am a spiritual person, and I know she can see that I DID purchase that piano!!
My mom did see me buy this piano, though which was so incredible. My Dad had Alzheimer's by that time and didn't know me, but my mom was truly happy that I made the piano purchase, happen in her life time. When she came over to my house right after it was delivered, I could tell how truly happy she was for me. As a parent, you can always be happy when your child realizes a major dream.
So, what has owning a grand piano done for me? I think I play better because it is a better instrument. I also like the full sound the piano produces. It literally fills the room with beautiful sound. It also makes me feel like I am a real musician. I know I'm not, I'm just your crazy, piano playing fool, but when I sit down at that piano, I am transformed. I play with more feeling, and more attention to detail.
There will be many more blog posts about my piano. Suffice to say, I am a proud owner of the greatest of instruments. It may not be a Steinway, but it a beautiful sounding instrument that makes every day seem filled with peace and joy.
