Artistic

        Both sides of my family have a bunch of music genes that run through our blood! I’ve talked before about my mom’s mom (Florence Koetzle)  being quite artistic in her sewing and oil painting, but mainly our artistry is in music on both sides of my family. 

On my dad’s side, my cousin told me Rebecca Hinch (Grannie) had a beautiful singing voice. She would often sing along with my cousin Eldeena. Grannie had an old pump organ in their bedroom (I guess that was the only room that could accommodate it), and my cousin would play hymns on it when she was a child. No matter how busy Grannie was ( and she was very busy) she would stop and sing hymns along with her. She particularly remembers the hymn “Jewels, Jewels, Precious Jewels.” What a sweet story that is! So many relatives I meet now remember and mention that pump organ in the bedroom. 

Grannie (Rebecca) and Grandpa’s (Stewart) four children, Roy, Lowell, Roscoe (my dad) and Lois all had tremendous musical talent. Lois played the piano like no other I have heard. She started when she was very young. I play the piano some, but her touch on the keys was as light as a feather and she could cover the entire keyboard effortlessly. Her daughters, Eldeena and Jeannette not only learned from her, but also had beautiful singing voices. Jeannette even recorded an album of hymns many years ago. 

(l to r) Lowell, Roscoe, Lois and bro Bob family reunion June 1978 Hendersonville, NC

Roy, the oldest of the kids, played both saxophone and banjo. He also acted in many plays in his youth. His career was teaching, and specialized in audio visual technology in the 1950’s and 1960’s. A fascinating tidbit I found in old newspapers was that he had started a dance band in the 1930’s called the Royal Hinchman in Ohio. It dawned on me just a few days ago that the band’s name originated from his name Roy Hinch. He was pretty clever!

Lowell mainly played the banjo I believe. He was very good, and I remember he would love to play when ever an occasion presented itself. I didn’t get to know Uncle Lowell  very well, but I sure do remember him being very musical. 

Lowell, Roscoe and Bob June 1978 family reunion H'ville NC

My dad Roscoe loved music. I don’t know if he learned the piano when he was young, but I think he did. He had a real appreciation for all types of music, but bluegrass was his favorite. He loved fiddle and banjo the best I think. When he got older he took up the fiddle, and he was pretty darn good at it too.

Brother Bob and me with our Dad's fiddle

Lois, as I said earlier, was a fantastic talent on the piano. I don’t know who taught her (maybe her mother?) but she also taught Eldeena and Jeannette to play, and Eldeena then taught her daughter Lisa, who then picked up the rest by ear. That is even more incredible. 

When my mom passed away in 2017, Lois’s daughters  Jeannette, Eldeena and her daughter Lisa, and my brothers Bob and Jim sang at mom’s services. 

Hymn sung at Mom's services (L to R) Bob, Eldeena, Jeannette, Lisa, Jim

Going a little forward in time, it seems that these musical genes are still very much in play with the younger generations. Both my nephews played a few different instruments (and still do), and their kids are learning as well. My brother Jim has a wonderful voice, loves singing, and sings in his church choir every week.  Brother Bob plays dobro, trombone and many others. His business is in instrument repairs. My daughter has a very artistic nature, and my granddaughter Avery has sung in her school choirs for many years. For myself, I went to college for music for two years in oboe and piano, but that morphed into a 40 year career in banking. However I still play piano, and am slowly learning some stringed instruments.

On my mom’s side, her father Wilbur Harley went to college for music. I haven’t been able to determine which school, but it was probably one of the two music schools in Philadelphia, where he lived. It was either the Philadelphia Music Academy or the Combs College of Music. This is where he learned to play the organ. When he moved to Atlantic City he was the music director of the Margate Community Church. And his wife Florence and my mom Dorothy both sang in this choir.

I’ll conclude with a passage from one of my dad’s letters home during WWII. He was writing to his wife, and talking about plans for the future. This included having a few kids, and a discussion on how they would be raised. He said they should all take piano lessons, and from there they could branch out with other instruments. And don’t you know, but that is exactly how it turned out.