PIANO TUNER'S REVENGE

Evening Star, Issue 19614, 21 July 1927, Page 11

PIANO TUNER'S REVENGE

If you happen to be a pianist you should make a point of showing consiclcration to your tuner, lor your late may lie in his -hands (writes Mark Hambourg, in the May ‘ London Magazine’). One such tuner who travelled with me took exception to something my manager had done, and to revenge himself, unknown to anyone, he filed a small bit off the tops of the hammers of my piano just before 1 went on to the platform to play. I. began my performance, and practically no sound came from my instrument! I sweated and pressed, and nearly burst myself in tbe otfort to get some lone out of the niano, but nothing would come but a faint tinkling, ft was a dreadful experience, and the audience sat tlmro in gathering amazement—.such a. display of energy oh my part and no result. A similar incident, they say, happened to a great piano virtuoso when he was touring in Australia. Hometiring, for some reason or other, upset the tuner; and while ostensibly preparing the piano for tho evening’s performance ho loaded each of the keys with lour ounces of lead. They became so heavy as to be. almost immovable, and tho pianist, not understanding what could he wrong with tho action of the piano, had to retire Iron, the unequal contest, bleeding from every linger and exhausted. Tire concert had to bo postponed, tire public’s money rcluvnecl, and the tuner's revenge was complete.