being a House pianist--Freddy Hylands

The life of Frederic E. Hylands was a true musician's tragedy.

 Well, without all of the love and many broken hearts factor, he wasn't in the business for the gals(clearly!).

But for everything else he was all for! As that is clear by the age that he died at, 41. This is exactly why my novel is about Mr. Hylands, as there's quite a heap of good things to make a good story out of his life. Even if he only married once and didn't have any children, what he did outside of his married life is what made him a wildman, this made him the fiery, iron-willed leader of the White Rats Actors' union. 

His time at Columbia's recording studio was a large section of his rather eventful 41 years, as this time in itself was very eventful. From 1897 to 1904, he served as the Columbia Phonograph Company's most beloved pianist. There was nothing wrong with Fred, as he was just as anxious to explore the world's opportunities as his fellow recording boys. Freddy was young, hot-spirited, determined, unusually intelligent for his background, reasonably handsome for a portly fellow, and stubborn as a mule. He seemed to be perfect for the job at Columbia. 

He was metaphorically, but in reality, they could have picked a better pianist(really!). He was a wonderful choice no doubt, and he left some amazingly odd examples of very early recorded Ragtime, and what it really sounded like. He came in every day to play behind the singers and performers that came and went at Columbia's bustling studio. He stayed for as long as the singers came, which would often be for six to eight hours. He would only stay longer if they had an exhibition(which I explained in a previous post) which often began around 7:00 pm, and oftentimes lasted until after 1 a.m. These days were no doubt a heavy blow to Freddy, as he could only do so much as a heavier gentleman. He must have always had his flask with him when he went off to the studio in the morning, as he probably drank between the many a takes, as this was also typical of the artists themselves to do so. 

In some aspects(depending on your own opinion) Fred Hylands can be considered an alcoholic, as clearly thinking of what the man died of. But this was a typical musician's habit, it was invariable in the sort of friends he knew at Columbia. He must have been such a workhorse that there's not a doubt that he drank to try to sink away his stress and cares. There wasn't much time for Fred to rest as Columbia's pianist, as it was a very demanding job that was constantly changing with every new singer that came into the studio, and with every new song that was set in front of him at the piano four feet off the ground. 

However, Fred's long-term suffering and health problems began in his time at Columbia, because this is where the first amount of heaving strain took control of his free-willed soul. His friends of the studio opened up his mind to what the sporting life was like. Fred deciding to join their tornado was the worst mistake he ever made, it was pleasuring in more ways that one, but it ultimately struck a big blow to his whole disposition. 

This whole thing of him not living very long is all entirely true, as his father(a railroad engineer) lived at least forty years longer than his hopeless son Freddy. 

I hope you enjoyed this!