A Part of Every Home
In the “good ole days,” when there was no TV, no radio, and no recordings, music was the entertainment for the family. Rich or poor, families loved to gather and sing songs from the Old Country or from their past. But if they had any money at all, there’d be a piano in their home, and someone, if not most of the family, could play. The family gathered around and sing beloved songs.
Music Stores and Player Pianos
One of the busiest stores in any town was the place to buy sheet music. In downtown Tyrone, this was the Winter Music Store; T. Harry Smith was the manager. It was a branch of the main store on 11th Ave., in Altoona. It was a major event when Mom or other family member brought home a new song and the family gathered around the piano and learn to sing it.
Some families without an “in-house” pianist still could enjoy music with a player piano. Many hours of enjoyment came to families with a player piano.
The Victrola
Then came an amazing thing: the phonograph. Recordings on the original Edison rolls began to sell. But it wasn’t until later when the Victrola was introduced that records and a phonograph were found in almost all homes.
You’d wind it up and put the 78-rpm record (careful, they break very easily!) onto the turntable. If it wasn’t kept wound up, the soooong woooould getttt skowwwwwwer, and someone rushed over to wind it up again.
One of the fun things — or the frustrating things — about old recordings was the fact that the grooves would get damaged, and the needle, instead of continuing its tracking, would bounce back. When the record was stuck, it would repeat one word or note seventy-eight times every minute.
Piano Teachers
During these years, there always were four or five piano teachers in each town. In the Tyrone area, Miss A. Pearl Cowher must have taught a thousand young people to play the piano. When she celebrated her 100th birthday, she recalled the years of teaching and playing and serving the community. Other piano teachers were Gene Dayton (primarily a church organist), Hazel Beringer, and Harry Lykens. The nuns at St. Matthew’s taught piano to hundreds of children over the years.
Movies Arrive on the Scene
Another invention of Edison’s was the motion picture. The local “opera house” showed the movies — all silent films — and a piano player or organist seated up front watched the action on the screen and played appropriate songs or mood music to match the changes of mood. If there were an exciting chase, the music was fast and loud, while an amorous love scene made the piano or organ sounds softer and tender.
Radio as a Source of Music
The earliest radio station in Altoona was an offshoot of Ernie Albright’s music store. He set up a “studio” in his living room and played records; later he had a pianist and singers. The whole idea was to provide musical programs so as to sell radios at his music store. Charlie Burley, of Tyrone, was a cousin of Ernie and recalled visiting radio station WGAW. He said that singers and pianists from Tyrone often were “be on the radio.”
In 1924, Gable’s Department Store bought out Ernie and replaced WGAW with WFBG. They constructed a crystal studio in their 12th Ave. building and featured many Blair County artists including the Gable Golden Trio; Bob and Al (later Bob and Gene); Eddie and Jack; and Norm Boland.
Music Becomes a “Spectator Sport”
Gradually, families’ interests in learning to play instruments seemed to decrease. Music became a “spectator sport.” A major revolution in the style of popular music occurred in the early 1950s, when the piano was replaced by the guitar as the main accompaniment and lead in orchestras.
Local Talent
In the 1920s and ’30s, the recording industry was apprehensive about radio coming along. Copyrights quickly prevented the use of recordings on the radio; therefore, local stations had to fill their time with local talent as well as network musical programs.
Ora Hart, who is now a Tyrone resident and recently celebrated her 90th birthday, had been a piano player on radio station WRAK, in Williamsport, while just a teenager. This was in the early 1930s.
Today, the Allegheny Chorale continues to gather talented persons to “make a joyful sound.”
Changing Technology — 78s, 33s, 45s, CDs
As the 1940s ended, the 45-rpm record took the place of the 78. The LP developed into the 33 1/3-rpm record albums and became the standard for two generations before the compact disc (CD) came on the scene. While 78-rpm records back in the early days were expensive, as they became more popular, discs were on sale for as little as 35¢ for the off-brand and 50¢ for RCA Victor, Columbia, and Decca. LP albums usually sold for $2 or $3.
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