34 
House & Garde 
THE MUSIC ROOM and THE MUSICAL HOUSE . 
Which Shows that the Music Room Is the Heart of the House — 
How to Furnish and Arrange It 
CHARLES D. ISAACSON 
F or a long time after I saw Maude Adams 
in “A Kiss for Cinderella" I dwelt on 
the fantastic mind of Barrie, and ideas for sto¬ 
ries, plays, essays in the style of the great Scot¬ 
tish dramatist filled my imagination. One of 
these ideas; If I were Barrie I should like to 
make a play in which the acts should represent 
the three aspects of a human being—his heart, 
brain, and physical side. The first act would 
be in the physical room of my hero’s house, the 
second would be in his brain chamber, and the 
third would be in his heart room. 
The Heart of the House 
Which rooms would be used ? The physical 
—would it be the dining room or the bedroom ? 
The mental—would it be the library or the sit¬ 
ting room? The heart—that I would arrange 
for the music room. 
For a man’s house is the veritable counter¬ 
part of himself. He is all represented, every 
phase of him, his culture, his affectations, his 
sincerity, his blatancy, his sentiment, his cold 
reserve. 
Some day, no doubt, I will be introduced to 
a house where there is no music room. It will 
be a strange place and a psychological study of 
importance. Without looking upon the inhab¬ 
itants I would write you a description of them, 
—dried up, cold, clammy, despicable, crafty. 
A music room is called by many names and 
many substitutes are used in place of the thor¬ 
oughbred. The music room may be a comer 
of the parlor or sitting room. But the presence 
of the gems in any form is a hopeful sign. 
But I want to chat with you of the real music 
room, the all-to-itself, independent, self-assert¬ 
ing, individualized music room. It has a per¬ 
sonality. It is warm in its coloring and light¬ 
ing. It is a happy room. I have no liking for 
the cold, grayish, highly etherealized musical 
atmospheres, sanctus puribus! Whether in 
great concert hall or little private music room, 
the same principle applies. Carnegie Hall is 
a great bam in appearance. Until the place is 
filled with people, I figuratively shiver. In 
Tiolian Hall, on the other hand, there is a 
warmth and cheer in the coloring of old rose, 
blue and gold, which reflects itself not only in 
the audience, but in the players. Great music 
can surmount any difiiculties, but why make 
difficulties ? 
The Need for Space 
There need be but little in the music room. 
Space, the feeling of freedom, must be appar¬ 
ent. One of the loveliest examples of good 
taste was a large chamber, high ceiling, deco¬ 
rated in simple cream-colored paper, with bare, 
dull flooring. A solitary piano and chair stood 
on display,—solitary with the majesty of a con¬ 
quering monarch. It was a large grand piano, 
than which there is no finer specimen of furni¬ 
ture for grace, magnificence, sumptuousness. A 
grand piano has the sweep of an empress’ train. 
Its very presence connotes culture. It trans¬ 
forms its surroundings into something palatial. 
Just as Sir Henry Irving or Booth made any 
movement on the stage something magnificent, 
so the grand piano gives an incomparable 
splendor. 
In the room I mentioned, the grand piano 
reclined in Greek gracefulness—its top open, 
the chair at a slight angle, as if a master had 
just arisen from it. The composition was ex¬ 
cellent. The instrument was placed with fine 
balance. It stood in the open—not cramped 
into a corner or crushed against a wall. 
Placing the Piano 
Here is how to place the grand piano in 
your music room. Mentally find the centre of 
the floor space. Looking into the room, have 
the keyboard facing you, but at about forty- 
five-degrees to the wall. Thus if the door en¬ 
ters along the right-hand wall, the right cor¬ 
ner of the keyboard would be slightly pointed 
to you. The piano itself should be set slightly 
back from the centre of the room and a little 
toward the left wall. The thought is to give 
Space, the feeling of freedom, should be apparent in the music room. Its fittings in the ideal should include the organ, the grand piano 
and a harp—that most graceful of instruments. A cabinet for the .music is an essential. Courtesy of the Estey Organ Company 
