Steve Schwartz wrote:

>Actually, the piano was a sign of status in many middle- and lower-class
>homes.  One could rent a piano or buy on time.  These marketing strategies
>made the piano affordable.  The Gershwins, for example, owned or rented a
>piano, and they weren't wealthy or middle-class.

I understand that, in the old New York Lower East side walk-ups, the
landlord collected the rent every week, but if you had a piano, could pay
your rent by the month.

Walter Meyer