Sweet-noted and Faultless in Tune

Before the invention of radio, television and social media, entertainment was home-made and to this end the piano was an essential piece of furniture in the home and community halls. This quite grand-looking Renardi piano was purchased in 1881 and was at the heart of entertainment in the household of Julius Herman (John) (1825-1914) and Johanna Christiana Bertha (Beate) née Zobel  Rosler (1835-1915).

In 1882 Rosler offended ‘One of the Congregation’ of the Jindera Church of England with his piano-playing one Sunday. After apologising and stating that he would no longer play when Divine Service was held, Rosler went on to assert that instead of going to print the complainant could have easily resolved the issue by a simple verbal hint.

Rosler’s son Carl Albert (1871–1950) learned to play on this piano and he put his musical skills to good use in 1916 in a send-off to the brothers Fred and Eddie Pech, volunteers in the Expeditionary Forces. This piano would also have formed part of the wedding celebrations of the five Rosler daughters, as it was customary for the wedding party to adjourn to the bride’s family home after the wedding ceremony.

Pianos also played a major role in community gatherings with various members of the community playing while others sang with dances held to raise money for new pianos for community halls and Schools of Art.

The Renardi is not one of the more well-known brands of piano but were advertised as ‘celebrated’, ‘far-famed and sweet-noted’ and ‘faultless in tune’ and distributors jealously guarded their right to sell them. This piano travelled to Henty with the Rosler family before returning to its original home in Jindera.