FEARFUL DEUELLING.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 544, 10 July 1880, Page 2

FEARFUL DEUELLING.

Music lias received a new development, A musical duel bas been “fought” between two rival pianists. They found that Bouth America was not big enough to contain two champions of the piano, to say nothing of forte ; and so they met to fight it out. They agreed to do it on the Kilkenny principle, and the grand combat come off at Valparaiso, a suitable place fora musical joust, as every traveller knows. What do you suppose was the ordeal agreed on as a tost of victory ? They might award the laurel crown to him that played loudest, or longest, or in greatest variety, or for reading from sight, or for playing most and longest from memory, or playing extempore inspirations. These ordeals were all two gentle. It was to be a duel d entrance, leaving only one survivor to tell the terrible tale to future generations of pianists. They determined to play each other out. Neither was considered to have been played out before. They played, and played, and still they played ; as does the sea in a rising storm, at first gently, in soughs and rising wails* swelling to rushing, raging, rioting, rampaging, rough, rattling roars. That was when the duellists had warmed to their work, and were, so to say, in full blast. How those pianos must have rattled;' those Broadwood uprights or Erard grands ! The duellists went on, and on, increasing the intensity of their fortissimo effects, and “ shivering their timbers” as pianists never shivered them before. And still neither was vancpiishod. Still the musical hurricane rattled, and still the fortissimo thunders roared, ohliyato. It was a terrible ordeal, not so much for the duellists, -whose musical hearts were enthralled in the loud intensity of their perspiring inspiring expiring thunders, ns for those other participants in the tourney—the judges. They got more than they bargained for. They found that duelling - to the de.ath on piano-fortes is more “ trying ” to the judges than to the executive parties—more of a suspensio in articulo mortis. The players—as If that were play ! pounded harder and harder, during a fearful period of -IS hours. No rest for the wicked at Valparaiso. They stopped neither to cat nor to drink ; they slept not, neither did they sneeze ; nor were they allowed, by the rules of the combat, to cheer their travailled souls with a single note of dance music. Forth-eight hours—only think of it ! all serious, solemn, sad, funereal music ! One player did the “ Miserere ” from II Trovatore 150 times, and was “ going for” the 151st repetition, when befell forward with one grand closing crash on the piano head-first, stone dead ! He was faithful unto death. The remaining duellist, the champion pianist of the universe, gave up when no competitor remained to dispute his musical dominion ; and ho was lifted from his rocking stool, laid on a stretcher, and carried to hospital. At the latest encpiiry, his condition was precarious. Yet they say this is not a musical age !