Perry, Pianos and Good Music Run Hand in Glove, But ‘Boogie’ Gets Him More Jobs

Strolling in Houston
Saturday, November 22, 1947
Pages 1 & 10

COMPARED TO Perry Motan Bartley, the piano tuner, a one-armed paperhanger with hives takes it easy. This surprised me, until Mr. Bartley explained that, although there are fewer pianos in the homes these days, there are also fewer piano tuners.

“And more pianos out of tune,” he added. “Boogie does that. Boogie and swing. You take a church piano, or one like this one, where the lady plays pretty pieces, it doesn’t need heisting so often.”

He was heisting Mrs. Sam Waters’ upright, out at 5703 Eskridge, as he talked, and I may have missed a word now and then, for he was banging way at the octaves and twisting lugs with his tuning hammer. Mrs. Waters plays pretty pieces, like “Dragon Flies,” a sheet of which was reposing on a music rack.

Mr. Bartley is 67 years old and has been raising pianoforte strings to 440 pitch for 47 years. “But I never have got caught up,” he said. “If you want to interview me, you’ll have to do it while I work.”

This was almost impossible, especially as he reached the lower register, because Mr. Bartley was listening for the beat note in his thumping, thundering octaves, and we could hardly hear each other. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Wait till I get this one heisted, and I’ll take you on my next job. Part of it will be quiet. I’ve got to put in an action.”

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