Military Officer - March 2007 - (Page 108)

encore Maestro DeLong Naples, the largest city in southern Italy and home of the pizza, became host to another cultural treasure in 1950, when a young American sailor thrilled his neighbors with piano classics. I n 1950 I was a young sailor stationed in Naples, Italy. I represented the Military Sea Transportation Service, and my roommate worked for the Sub Area Petroleum Ofﬁce. Our apartment was atop the hill of Posillipo, and our balcony overlooked the Bay of Naples. The famed San Carlos Opera House was nearby. While attending musical functions there, I’d often meet young people of all nationalities. Most were studying music or singing on scholarship. Because their funds were predominately used for lessons, there was little left to spend on tickets to classical events. My roommate and I decided to help by inviting friends to our apartment every Friday night for drinks, food, and singing. The Friday salon was always a hit, and everyone was eager to show off his or her individual talents. One night someone suggested we get a piano. The next day, I approached my landlord to approve the request. To my surprise, he and his wife owned two pianos. A concert grand was in his home a few blocks away. Another, a smaller baby grand, was in a warehouse. Unhappy with how much space the concert grand took up in the apartment, his wife wanted the smaller one. He suggested I take the larger one. One day when I came home from work, I found my maid supervising piano movers hoisting the concert grand by block and tackle up to the balcony of my apartment and from there into the living room. Many of my neighbors gathered under the balcony to watch the event. When the piano was 108 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2007 installed and the men had left, I prepared a martini and studied this beautiful instrument, wishing I knew how to play. I found an old recording of Arthur Rubinstein’s solo piano rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto in C Minor and played it as loud as my system would allow. When it was ﬁnished, I walked over to the balcony and discovered all of my neighbors had been listening. They immediately broke into applause and began shouting, “Bravissimo, Signor DeLong!” Eager to play along, I took a small bow, walked back into the apartment, and put on another piece of music. The applause continued unabated. For months following, I received invitations to parties and musical affairs. When asked to play in public, I’d politely decline and wring my hands, saying that I’d suffered a terrible tragedy and could no longer play in public. Occasionally, I’d play a new non-orchestral record — and I even got a better sound system to enhance the effect. I don’t think any Neapolitans ever questioned that Maestro DeLong had indeed been a concert piano artist. I even heard rumors that some claimed to actually have seen me play! MO — Edgar E. DeLong is a retired Navy lieutenant commander. He lives in Virginia Beach, Va. For submission information, see page 20. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH

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Military Officer - March 2007

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