Admit that the title is catchy. But it is not mine. I owe it to Marc Lalonde, a composer and producer who organizes, hold on to your hats, “funerals” for pianos at the end of their life.
This reader, like many others, responded to my column last week in which I described the difficulty some owners of old pianos have in getting rid of these instruments.
Read the column “These old pianos that no one wants anymore”
Faced with the sad fate of these instruments that often end up in the dumpster of an ecocentre or in a landfill, Marc Lalonde had the idea of creating a ritual that he calls “Musical Aid to Die”. The operation requires the presence of three carpenters and seven musicians who excel in improvisation.
The idea is to slowly dismantle the piano under the gaze of spectators and those close to the piano. This “funeral rite” consists of three parts: the preparation of the body, the tributes and the burial. Each part is interspersed with a short piece performed by a pianist. In this way, the piano is accompanied towards death.
In fact, as you may have guessed, the thing is a real musical performance. Marc Lalonde has carried out this experiment in Montreal, Copenhagen and Mont-Louis, in Gaspésie, where he is due to practice this ritual next fall with another piano.
At one point I literally hammer a nail into the piano to signify that this is the beginning of the end. People take that as a shock. They suddenly realize that this instrument is going to die.
Marc Lalonde, composer and producer
The performance ends with a piece performed on a functional piano that symbolizes a kind of transfer of knowledge to a new life. Pieces of the piano are then recovered by participants. They become decorative objects or are used to make small pieces of furniture or jewelry.
Not everyone is willing to go to such a ritual to mark the separation of their piano. But in your testimonies, you all went into the world of emotions to describe your attachment to this instrument which, very often, has crossed several generations.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BERNARD PELCHAT
Delvina’s piano, which became the public piano of the Grand Théâtre de Québec
This is why the desire to find a new life for these pianos is very strong. Bernard Pelchat proudly tells me about the piano of his partner, Irène Roy, which was given to him by his grandmother, Delvina. The instrument was donated to the Grand Théâtre de Québec. After being played by three generations of little fingers, it has been a public piano since 2018.
The same happy ending happened with Pierre Morin’s mother’s piano. The latter had trouble finding a buyer. Finally, thanks to Valérie Beaudry’s initiative, the instrument is now bringing joy to musicians and music lovers who go to the corner of 3e Avenue and path of Canardière, in Limoilou.
Just like Line Maisonneuve, whom I talked about last week, Ginette had to pay out of pocket to get rid of her piano. “I had to get rid of my piano that I learned to play on 45 years ago. I finally offered it to a social housing project for seniors while paying for the move. It replaces an organ that no longer worked. So I can go visit it.”
Francine, 81, still owns the piano her parents bought at Archambault when she was 7. “It was a lavish expense for my parents,” she wrote to me. “I’m the lucky one who got to enjoy the instrument and the piano lessons.” The piano, made around 1910, is showing its age. The soundboard is cracked and the repair costs would be astronomical, according to Francine. Heartbroken, she has to resolve to “send it to the scrapyard.”
Many people enjoy having an old piano in their home just for the charm it brings. Marie-Julie wanted to take over her great-great-aunt’s piano. “It was quite an adventure! Four people to move it and almost a year of planning,” she says.
The new owner could not imagine that the piano, “a witness to our history,” could be abandoned. “Now, it mainly serves as a perch for my cat and a noise machine for my daughter.” But that makes Marie-Julie happy.
Lynn has an old piano in her living room that doesn’t do much. “I saved it from someone who was going to tear it apart for firewood! My daughters had keyboard lessons, then one of them went on to piano lessons. Meanwhile, the oldest, with her first paycheck as a teenager, bought herself an electric guitar and a small amp. After the piano, the youngest took up drums. The old, silent piano now houses plants and photos.”
Taking possession of a piano can sometimes lead to surprises. Patrick Lacroix acquired an old Willis piano. His three children learned on it. Inside the piano, the family one day discovered a note that testifies to the long journey the instrument has undergone. The person who acquired it in 1912 wanted to leave his mark.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PATRICK LACROIX
The interior of Patrick Lacroix’s old Willis piano
Simon Bélair described to me a very touching scene related to the piano of his aunt Danielle who, a few years ago, celebrated her birthday in her apartment on rue Hôtel-de-Ville. Her sisters were there, including Simon’s mother. When he reached the corner of the street, he heard the sound of his aunt’s piano. He especially recognized by ear the one who was playing it.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SIMON BÉLAIR
Danielle’s piano
“It was my mother, a gifted person, who accompanied her family who sang in chorus Frederic or a French tune, I don’t remember very well. I sat on the stairs to listen to it selfishly, to savor this unique moment. Mom was starting to experience serious cognitive problems, but she could still play. She doesn’t play anymore… The tenants on the second floor went out to listen to this music when they saw a 55-year-old guy sitting on the stairs who, with a lot of pride in his eyes, told them: “It’s my mother playing!”
Simon wrote this to me crying.