Piano memories

Growing up, most every home in my family had a piano. Some even had organs. My maternal and paternal grandmothers had pianos in the home and in the case of my maternal grandmother, we often gathered around it to sing as a family out of old Stamps Baxter paper covered song books with shaped notes. My paternal great aunt, Aunt Nellie had a nice pump organ in her home where we would gather around to sing all kinds of songs. My mom learned to play and so she bought one and still has it in her home.

My wife took piano lessons, so when we married, one of our first major purchases was an old upright piano made in 1901 in Chicago.

My wife sometimes played on it, but it really saw use when my four children all took piano lessons and used it for practice.

H o w e v e r, after my kids quit taking their lessons, the only time it gets played now is when my grandkids come over to “bang” on it. And believe me, they love to make sounds from the piano. Not that I mind, but it isn’t the sweet music I was accustomed to at my grandmother’s house.

Churches often had pianos throughout the building, where various aged groups would sing songs during their assembly time before going to various classes. Those were some great old songs we sang around those church pianos. Worship services in many churches had both organs and pianos to play the hymns and the choral anthems for the choir. Over time, it became harder for many churches to find competent pianists and organists, so many of them went silent in the church.

In one of my pastorates in Mississippi, our men’s group would start the meetings with songs played by our Minister of Music from those same shaped notes songs I sang at my grandmother’s along with some I had never heard before. I must say, I enjoyed those singings greatly. In many churches today, the piano and organ have been replaced by digital keyboards that don’t require tuning, are not nearly as expensive, and are highly versatile in the sounds they can make.

We are admonished to make a joyful noise to the Lord and sing to him in our worship and so we continue to sing songs, both old and new. However, I pray I never forget the sweet sounds of a piano played at home or church, that taught my heart to sing unto the Lord.