Who played the mandolin?
Graham Espin emailed out:
“Hi everyone, my family and I are planning on moving to New Orleans, Louisiana. This is where my wife is from. We are, of course, clearing out the attic and came across some very old music books.
One is titled: Gustave Lind – Bygone Days – A Lyric Suite for Pianoforte.
It has handwritten on it “Agnes E. Hill”
Ian, I would be happy to mail this to you if you wish.
The other sheets are related to the mandolin. Who played the mandolin in the Rayboulds? Was it Gladiys?
Graham”
Ian replied:
“Dear Graham
Thanks for your email. I would be delighted if you could send my mother’s music score: it might encourage me to have a go on the keyboard again and find out if I recognise that piece of music. The story I understood was that she learned to play the piano to accompany my father in practicing his singing (he couldn’t play anything except a mouth-organ); I remember before the War she used to go for weekly lessons – Mrs Hock, I think. I still have some of her other scores, but too hard for me to play. I had her baby grand piano for years.
Harry very kindly sent some of my father’s records and recorded the music.
That Mandolin: your grandma, my auntie Gladys (my mother’s elder sister, to set out the relationship), always had a mandolin hanging from the picture rail in the front room or their house in Farcroft Grove, Handsworth – a lovely spot then, but awful stories come out about Handsworth now. I never heard anybody play it, but I do remember that she had more of my Dad’s records than he did – he used to give them away, as a sort of CV I suppose. Would Patricia like any mandolin music?
A musical theme, then: and New Orleans is the home of Jazz and the Blues, but I hope you manage to avoid the tornadoes and floods, or you will feel blue.
Best wishes
Ian”
Graham replied:
“Ian, please provide your current address and I would be happy to send it to you.
I have the Mandolin. It looks like the body had broken but somebody stuck it back together with contact cement! Not a nice job. The music I have for the mandolin is “Ellis’ Thorough School for the Mandoline”. I always thought it was spelled MANDOLIN. So someone was learning to play the mandolin -Gladys?
Graham”
Hi everyone from the antipodes. Sorry I have not been online for a few years however I m back now.. I think the mandolin belonged to the 2nd sister who got an LLCM. Granny had a picture of her with her degree in academic dress. She also dies of TB age 26. Do you want me to write my history? If you like I can tell you who most of the people are in the wedding photo. I also have a series of wedding photos from Gladys wedding my mothers and mine. It is fun to recognise the sisters and their families getting older. watching them as young girls, then parents of young children and then in turn their children with little ones. would this be of interest to you. I too have some autograph books with drawing and painting by the sisters. Do you need these too?
Hi Antipodes
Good to have you around aqain – yes please to tell us everything about everyone. Missing gaps all over the place, so swamp us with the detail.