[Magdalen] Grace's Birthday.

[Joseph Cirou]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
>Sent: Aug 2, 2019 8:35 PM
>To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
>Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Grace's Birthday.
>
>We had a Knabe baby grand that someone gave us when I was about 12. We had it completely refurbished when I was in college, including a new pinblock. I sold it to our church organist when I went to seminary, haven’t had a real piano since. Knabes were always good.
>
>> On Aug 2, 2019, at 12:44 PM, Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Interesting account of Grace's contributions to your musical life.  I was
>> caught by the mention of Knabe.  From before my birth nearly 81 years ago,
>> my mother, an accomplished pianist, had a Knabe upright, which she
>> treasured.  When her downsizing happened, my brother ended up with the
>> Knabe.  Now he is selling his house and offered it to me.  Alas, I have no
>> space to take it, having had to leave my lesser upright behind in Whitevale
>> with the young family that bought my place.  *Sic transit gloria mundi.*
>> 
>> Marion, a pilgrim
>> 
>> On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 10:48 AM cantor03--- via Magdalen <
>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> This is my Cousin Grace's birthday.  She would be 120.
>>> She lived three doors away in my hometown in Wisconsin,and she was also my
>>> piano teacher and the O/C of thelocal Methodist church where I sang alto
>>> until thevoice change at about 11.
>>> Grace taught piano via her treasured Mason & Hamlin grand piano.Though not
>>> a concert grand, the piano still filled her front parlor andI recall that
>>> tunes sounded better on her M&H than my familyupright.  We eventually
>>> bought a Knabe spinet which even in thatday (1950) set my father back
>>> somewhat more than $1,500.This was a step up musically, but it still wasn't
>>> a grand piano.
>>> Grace was an advocate of USA brands of pianos such as the M&H.Chickering,
>>> Knabe, Steinway and Baldwin.  Japanese pianos were not onthe horizon then.
>>> 
>>> If you can imagine, I rented, for pittance, a real Bosendorfer grand whenI
>>> was living in Frankfirt/Main, Germany.  What a thrill that was, andGrace
>>> played it when she visited us in Germany. Bosendorfer is nowowned by Yamaha.
>>> But Grace's real claim to fame was her chocolate cake with crushedwalnut
>>> frosting.  No one seemed able to duplicate the recipe.
>>> RIP. Cousin Grace.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> David S.
>>> 
Knabe is the official piano of the Metropolitan Opera, at least it was in the days of MIlton Cross when I first started listening to the 
saturday opera/

Joe Cirou