Eternal Companions - A Tale of An Unnoticed Bond
- thepadol2
- Sep 27, 2023
- 14 min read
In The Beginning
From the earliest years of my childhood that I can remember, we had a coffee or side table that had a round wood top, about two and half feet wide, possibly three in diameter. The wood had a butcher block like pattern and it was covered by a round transparent glass as the top surface. It stood on three brass legs that were thin and spindly in form. As a side table it conformed to a lower height typical for armchair sofas, much like an end table. This was in our apartment in Rome and it was just part of the living room set of furniture. It changed position over time but there it remained. It became part of the background and I hardly took notice. Actually I think I kind of avoided it as a kid since it seemed rather fragile as the legs didn't look like they could take any real weight. Besides, the glass top made it a problem. It probably wasn't even safety glass and could have been a major problem if it ever shattered.
Although I don't know for sure, it was likely acquired as part of the living room furniture set in the mid-50's. The style would make sense. The living room wasn't particularly large, and actually was a combined dining and living room space, more along the lines of today's popular open space. This was unheard of at the time in Rome. Originally the apartment had separate dining and sitting rooms, although they were adjacent but not connected. Dad was able to get the landlord to tear down the dividing wall and create this wonderful new usable space. It's like the sensation you get when you put a wall size mirror in room, only this time you could actually walk through the mirror to the other side. The round side table found its spot in this space next to one of the armchair sofas. When a space is created some of the furniture is typically rearranged and as time passes other elements get added, filling in some of the new "empty" space. Perhaps the round table got pushed around a little in this dance and juggle, but it really had to be next to some sofa to be useful. It probably never ran the risk of being homeless since my folks didn't dump things easily. As a kid you're short with respect to the adult world and your vision has different perspective. Indeed the glass of the round table probably wasn't too far from the level of my field of vision and I probably steered clear of it. The round table spent its time quietly like so, dusted and cleaned every so often. Maybe it had moments of prima donna when my folks entertained people at home for dinner, drinks, appetizers, coffee, sweets, and desserts would make the rounds.
and A Painting Reproduction
As a kid, the living room wasn't exactly a playground after I ended running into the corner of a marble top of the coffee table. Must have hurt enough as stitches were required and I still bear the signs today, although since I wear glasses the nose piece does its job as a simple cover-up. Aside from the furniture, the living room did have one framed painting on the wall and there it remained there until we moved. I hardly took notice at the time. Factually it is likely a reproduction painting or print of Robert Zund’s Die Ernte. For sure it was never my mom's choice as it wasn't in her style or that she would have had a liking for it. On the other hand it was likely my dad's choice and for some reason, possibly because of some comment I overheard as a kid, tied to his interest of agricultural fields. While dad was a statistician by profession he would also make comments about different agricultural fields as we drove on road trips. Occasionally he would stop at wheat fields to look at plantings in more detail. I found it rather odd since I was basically a city kid and I never heard my folks mentioning about farming in general. Indeed, this Die Ernte reproduction was there in the room with the round side table. Certainly within sight of each other. Maybe Die Ernte had a better location as it was positioned at eye level. Depends on your perspective.
The Grand making an Entrance
Little did the round table know in 1970 that there would be a new addition to the living room, and a true prima donna by any measure. It was the spring of 1970 when Dad acquired a piano after some years of rental (originally started as way for my piano lessons), and it was no ordinary piano. It was a baby grand piano by Steinway & Sons from their Hamburg factory. The delivery was truly a momentous event. The round table could probably sense that something was afoot because space had to be prepared for the grand to be positioned. I do recall some discussion around the piano's weight and the most suitable location. This probably left few choices.
A Hamburg Steinway?
Steinway & Sons was established in New York, Long Island to be precise. Later they opened a factory in Hamburg as their grand piano became the sought after excellence. However, while pianos from the respective factories have a distinctive "Steinway sound" and "Steinway action", the use of different raw material and some different production methods, they do not sound exactly the same. Some musicians will prefer one over the other. Any Steinway flagship store will carry both. An easy visual clue to tell the difference is the exterior finish. New York Steinway are traditional lacquer which provides a smooth black finish with a silk like texture. Hamburg Steinway are finished in black polyester which gives it a very noticeable mirror like surface.
The Hamburg Steinway purchased was produced in 1968 according to its serial number and is a Model S with three pedals. It is also the last of a kind with elephant ivory for its white keys. This aspect makes it truly vintage and literally impossible to ever again go afar.
The purchase of the Steinway itself is a story to be told, but the delivery was no simple exercise. In a city like Rome, the vast majority live in an apartment and we were on the 2nd floor if you count the ground floor. Italian apartments are notorious for having small elevators - think a maximum of four adults close together and you get the idea. Stairs in any of these buildings are fairly narrow with multiple right angles as they negotiate an equally tight stairwell. Where we were, the stairs were only wide enough for a person at a time if they had any bags. These days Italian house movers make use of several different lifting tools and it isn't uncommon to see cranes and speciality lifts using the outside balconies as an alternate access point. It works for cartons and furniture that aren't overly heavy and that are easy to balance.
The Piano Movers
Grand pianos have been around for centuries and they certainly come and go from Italian apartments, but it isn't a simple feat. Enter the piano movers. They are specialized folks by experience, technique, and capability. Imagine aa a kid trying to figure out how an oversized object, superheavy by any measure, could ever reach the apartment? I was really curious. The grand piano arrived in a delivery truck with the movers. It was just a team of three people. Well, not quite. One was the team leader and probably was probably the owner of the outfit as well, and did only one thing - giving orders, directions, yelling left and right for clearance and keeping unison to the coordinated actions. They didn't have any real technology at the time other than maybe a floor trolley at best. For the rest it was pure muscle and back breaking work.
A Delicate Balancing Act
A baby grand is typically around 250 kg in weight, something that commands respect considering its cost, fragility, and delicate finish of the surfaces. The other two on the team were the actual physical movers and they pretty much reminded me of Laurel and Hardy because one was fairly small in size while the other was built like an olympic weight lifter, wrestler, and boxer all in one. He didn't speak much, but huffed and puff while grunting at regular intervals. The real technology or trick were the slings they had. All custom made to the size of the weight lifter. The sling permitted him to cradle the grand piano on its side with the keyboard resting on his chest. Imagine the back strength required for this trick as the weight rode on his shoulders to his back. His hands and arms were then free to keep the piano vertical and stable. Going up straight stairs no longer seemed an impossible task. Still, another trick was required. His leg muscles were equially incredible. It wasn't possible to simply walk up the steps as the piano was cradled, it had be angled in order to clear the steps - a geometrical challenge. This could only be accomplished by leaning the cradled piano backwards while stepping up the stairs.
There was more trick that came into play. The cradle could be adjusted so that the lower clearance would be right for the job. The stairs had tight curves to make the right angles and no way would a grand piano this type of turn. The only way to turn was for the body of the grand to clear the side railing and simply overhang as the load bearing mover turned by the steps. His teammate was at the front providing a limited cradle but most importantly steered to make turns. The team leader made sure there was a constant clearance and knew when the movers need to stop and catch their breath. For a kid it was sight to behold as this oversized object made its way up two flights of stairs in what looked like a precarious position. It go inside the apartment without a single scratch, never touched any part of the stairs and wall. Imagine doing this every day and more than once in a day. Whatever they got paid, this is real honest and quality labour.
Settling Down
While the round side table couldn't see any of this, it most certainly could hear and feel the general commotion as the Steinway slowly made its way up the stairs. The door to the apartment was open. In due time the Steinway entered the apartment and the movers proceeded to fit the legs and turn the piano right side up. Now, while I can't remember the details, I can surmise from faint memories a couple of things based on how the living room space was being used. Once the grand was put into position some major pieces of furniture were moved around while retaining their functionality. In this presumed setup, space for the round side table would have been difficult at best because while low the real size by diameter wasn't trivial. So at some point, and I would have to think not so long after the grand arrived, my mom saw that the round side table could slide easily underneath the grand piano. Even including the glass the top wasn't thick and the legs were equally thin, so overall it could easily bend into the "background". Voilà a new storage area was born. The living room floor was also Italian marble with an earth tone and so brass and wood were an easy match. The space beneath was just perfect for the dimension. This way it remained for the next ten years. It would be pulled out for the occasional dinner party to help provide additional serving surface, but in the end it would return to the space. Maybe initially the round table felt threatened by the grand's arrival being so large, so loud, and so much the center attention, but now this new coexistence was unexpected and bode well.
Imagine the space. Just under the piano soundboard. It had the first row audience of whatever was being played. Maybe it didn't matter so much whether the piano was in capable hands or not. Either way the strings vibrated and the soundboard was the soundbox to make itself heard. The round side table could clearly hear as well feel all the sounds as the grand created them. Soft, loud, tempered, sustained, in all their intricacies. Everyday as the grand playing was part of the daily routines.
Maybe it was love at first ear? Who knows. For sure the round table was always there, a constant and unflinching companion to the grand piano. Maybe the grand saw it as a duty to protect a possibly fragile and at risk wood relation. Perhaps indeed it started this way only to evolve into something else over time. Maybe like an oversized bear protecting a kid. The contrast couldn't have been more telling. The round table had been around almost 20 years at that point and in later years had only the perfunctory dusting and cleaning. Maybe not outright neglect, but the wood was never nourished and the brass legs just accumulated a degree of oxidation. The grand instead was resplendent in its black polyester with a mesmerizing mirror finish. It also had a heavy duty cover with the softest of interior flannel like cloth to avoid scratching the finish. Mom was at the grand every day as she had her homework to practice as she dived headlong into learning how to play the piano. For the most part only the keys were exposed while playing and the cover remained in place. Only on the special dinner party occasions was the top cover opened to show the fully beauty of this instrument. The round table was there though it probably got shoved or pushed a little further in so that it was hardly noticed by anyone.
And so it was as the days, weeks, months, and years passed without any major upheavals. There was the occasional visit by the piano tuner but that was almost like anyone else playing.
Being Separated
Companions may be forever, but many are not without challenges and difficulties. How about undesired separation, but the bond is never broken? After 10 years change happened. The grand and the round table didn't have a say.
My folks knew that at some point upon Dad's retirement that they would eventually return to Bangkok. While shipping your typical home goods wasn't particularly worrying, the idea of a beloved grand spending time in a container on ship rocking back and forth on possible rough seas didn't sound like a great idea. Circumstance opened the possibility of shipping the grand via air freight as Thai Airways International had just started direct cargo service between Rome and Bangkok. It was an interesting possibility and seeing that they knew where the grand would be at home in Bangkok, the plan was hatched. Once more, and with the same original piano movers, this time the grand made the reverse journey down the stairs. It was custom crated, export papers prepared, and off it went. We too followed on a separate flight so that my folks could take delivery at destination.
The round table must have felt lonely after being under the covers of the grand for ten years. Probably just felt totally naked and exposed. Fearful too, not knowing what would now be in store for it. It wasn't going to be settled any time soon as we had now headed to Bangkok. While the cargo left Rome without any particular complications, the receiving end was a different story although in the end it went fine. The grand was in fine health. It probably was excited by its new surroundings although I'm sure the round table was never far from its thoughts as it was to spend years being lonely, until my folks made the final journey. It must have yearned for the closeness it had with the round table.
They were separated for at least 2 years.
Reunited
In 1982 my folks decided the time had come to the return to "home" after being abroad for. 33 years, almost entirely in Rome. Making a house move is different for everybody and many times it's constrained by the financial costs. In this case my father used a final home repatriation cost coverage - a standard half container size shipment via sea transport. Even at half size the space in the container is huge. At a flat cost whether you put one item in the container or fill it to the brim didn't make a difference. In practice it meant there wasn't a need to decide what to take and what to leave. It was easier to put everything in the container and upon destination as you unpack to decide if you will use something or not. if the round table could have known this it probably would have spent 2 years without a worry. Not knowing it probably expected to be left behind to whatever fate awaited it. So in the container it went and in three months time showed up in Bangkok at the new residence.
A new residence is exactly that. It is not a replica of the old. It has its own spatial dimensions, vibe, function, and even new furniture to go with it. What do you unpack? You packed with certain expectations but the reality is at times a little different. You unpack a lamp and it just doesn't feel right, maybe just our of place. A painting or picture probably not as it has visual remembrance. I'm sure the round table got unpacked and placed with rest of the living room furniture. It all felt strange because the new residence had larger proportions making everything seem smaller. The grand was not in the living room as before, it became part of the master bedroom given the space available. At some point the older living room furniture ceased to be part of the room. The round table did not meet the same fate. For whatever reason it was kept. Maybe it had a special meaning, but I never knew and will never find out. Since it was "saved", the only location possible, at least from my mom's perspective given she had done this before, was to place it under the grand. Imagine their joy to be finally reunited. New place, new time, but together again.
Another Change Another Move
Another 10 years go by and my folks make another move and this time its a short distance (almost down the block) to an almost fully furnished residence in a high rise residence overlooking the river. The grand piano would accompany them and it would also be a great add to the residence itself. This time I wasn't present to witness the grand moving but it was much less complicated as the high rise had a proper service elevator that could easily accomodate the grand.
Fast forward to 2023 or 30 years later. Much has happened in between. Mom and Dad are no longer with us. Dad passed early on and so Mom lost considerable interest in practicing regularly on the grand. She retreated to an upgright in the bedroom. On my extended visits I would stay at the residence and the grand was always there in the living room. Mom would play for a couple of minutes a day, maybe before she left in the morning or later in the evening. I never took notice that underneath the grand the round table was there. It just didn't cross my mind how peculiar that actually was. Probably it was a known sight and I was too busy with other activities. As documented by a recent picture, the round table is still sitting there, exactly as it was in Rome. That's truly incredible. If I think about it, the Bangkok movers only came for the grand and other selected items. It meant only two possibilities. They had no idea what a grand is made up of and simply assumed the round table was a part of the grand as the accompanying seat bench. Maybe a little far fetched. Or Mom was present and simply told them to take the round table too. Plausible, but why because it served no useful purpose? Either way the grand and table got their wish to remain together.
A mystery? Fate? Providence? Coincidence? Pure luck? From the very few photos available, taken for other reason, over a span of half a century, the evidence is clear and objective when looking at the details. Impossible that it is just pure luck. It's more plausible that Mom and Dad, each in their own way, were unknowingly influenced to perpetuate key physical placement of the grand, the round table, and the painting.
Time is Endless
In these 50 years it's nice to see that the grand piano and round coffee table, despite all odds are still together in the same embrace. The painting too made it's way to stay with them. Yes they have aged and seemingly left alone. Who knows what they talk about, but certainly they saw and heard so much over the years. The stories they could tell. The grand will remain in the family and along the way in the future will come someone who can make it sing again. Maybe another house move is in the cards, and hopefully fate will play its hand once more to keep these companions together.
Such is the tale. It's also a reflection that what we consider to be simply objects, large and small, they come into our lives at a given moment and begin to exist with us in a context of time, place, and happenings. As time passes, and while these objects may have moved around, seeing them is a remembrance of many things. So maybe this is a touching way in which Mom and Dad continue to shine their presence by the objects that shared their passions and life.
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