April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Duck Ponderings: Piano mastery remains just past the reach
When most people see the name Packard, they in all likelihood think of a magnificent looking car built by the Packard Motor Car Co.; however, there was a Packard business that made a different product.
In 1871, Isaac T. Packard lost his organ business in the Great Chicago Fire. He could have given up but didn't while reestablishing his company in Fort Wayne. By the 1900s, the company had changed their focus from organs to pianos. They took much pride in the way they treated their employees as well as the quality of each instrument with some taking as long as nine months to complete.
The following quote summed up the company's approach: "If there is no harmony in the factory, there will be none in the piano." Unfortunately, the depression caused much turmoil in the United States, and the Packard Organ & Piano Company was forced to stop production with the last piano rolling out the doors in 1930.
I have personally seen and heard a 1924 Packard Baby Grand piano several times since meeting Lisa Larch, my wife, in the mid 1980s.
It is an instrument of size and an instrument of great beauty and sound. Of course, the sound has a lot to do with the quality of the performer, and John Archie Larch, my father-in-law, is one of the best pianists in the world. As his fingers lead him up and down the keyboard, song after song is played while he never refers to a single music composition. It seems as if each tune is an integral part of his mind, heart, and soul while he often inserts unique chord changes.
As I was recently listening again, I thought about my days as a piano student. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. Even though I have tried to sharpen my underdeveloped skills a little over the years, in particular while helping my daughters with their beginning lessons, I still labor greatly while glancing back and forth from the book to the keys.
A talented local pianist, Helen Galbraith, once assured me that I could find the magic. Well, it continues to elude me. I can't even recall the lyrics to songs I have written while my wife and my girls can seemingly sing every song that is on the radio!
John found the magic at a very young age. His piano skills at 16 made an impression on some older band members, and he soon found himself playing with their band at a variety of venues for years. Now in his seventies, some friends gather with their instruments around his piano taking turns leading in timeless melodies, hits from 1890 to 1979.
As John ages with his Packard, their music stirs the hearts of young and old alike to march on in time to a never ending beautiful sound![[In-content Ad]]
