One of the favorite things I love to shoot is the piano located inside the Big Red Barn in Rolling Fork. The Corps of Engineers just bought the barn and about 33 acres for use as an interpretive center. A new building will be built on the site, with the old barn not being touched. I am glad. I love shooting this piano because it just seems so out of place in the old barn and sits nearly in the dark except for the light shining through one window. Every photo here is taken by me pressing my camera against a door facing to keep it steady. I would love to know the history of this piano and the people who got to hear its ivory being tickled.
Every time I see this one piano, I think of a James Herriot story about a beautiful golden retriever kept long in a dark shed by a heedless owner, and of his release into a new life in the bright world.
ReplyDeleteIt's in All Things Bright and Beautiful, and his name is Roy. Chapter 9. It's a lovely, uplifting tale, a resurrection story all its own.
These pictures made me want to read it again, and I did.
I think your shining the light of day onto this old piano is a story in itself; sometimes I want to play your pianos, but just looking at this one is enough.
Marty, I'm so glad to hear that the barn will not be renovated. It would never be the same again.
ReplyDeleteThe piano is beautiful. I love its curves and the turned posts. I wonder if at one time it had a mirror covering the strings, or perhaps decorative wooden panels.
As for its history, I'll bet there's someone in the area who could share it with you. I'd love to know its story, too.