111:, a pianist, teacher and author. He wanted to try out his teaching methods on his wife, but she hated to practice. In order to get her to practice, he promised to do all the housework for her and she agreed. Later, she accompanied him on a lecture tour of the United States, playing the piano to illustrate her husband's piano technique and how his methods could help an adult learn to play the piano. After his death in 1964, she sold their piano, but later missed having it and she bought another one, playing for eight hours the first day. She began to give short concerts to area senior citizen groups, but these were cut short in November 1982, when she had a stroke. She was in therapy for months and although she learned to walk again, she remained disabled on her left side. She was, however, able to return to her apartment in
123:"I was doodling at the piano ... with one hand, feeling sorry for myself, wishing I were dead. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Then Millie walks up behind me with Margaret and tells me that she plays the piano and says, 'Why don't you two try to get together?' And immediately we got to talking about Chopin. And then we sat down at the piano and played Chopin's 'Minute Waltz'. I played the treble with my right hand; she played the bass with her left. I was elated to play my music again, and we found out we knew all the same pieces."
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and started playing the piano at the age of eight. She accompanied singers and orchestras from the time she was a young girl and was often called on to play the piano while in high school. At the age of 16, she graduated with honors from the Martin Smith
Conservatory of Music. After getting married
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In late 1982, Patrick began going for therapy at
Southeast Senior Center for Independent Living. Eisenberg started coming in early 1983 and a month later, the program director saw Eisenberg, depressed, fiddling at the piano with one hand. Eisenberg told
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130:, New Jersey asked them to play at a party. Their story appeared in local newspapers and they began getting invitations to play at other area hospitals and senior centers. A local reporter dubbed them
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107:(1902–1996) played piano for many years. She had a few lessons as a young child, but they were early discontinued. After getting married in 1923, she was taught by her husband,
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and his orchestra. In
January 1982, she had a stroke that left her disabled on her right side and unable to speak. After months in the hospital, she returned to her home in
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Bill
Schechner. "Assignment American: Ebony and Ivory". NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, May 6, 1988. (last 4 minutes of program) Accessed Feb. 16, 2010
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were introduced to each other the following year and began playing piano together, one hand each. A reporter covering their story dubbed them
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Kathryn
Linderman. "Pianists Ruth Eisenberg and Margaret Patrick - Two Relied On Teamwork To Help Themselves Triumph Over Disabilities."
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247:"NBC Nightly News" with Tom Brokaw, "Assignment American: Ebony and Ivory" reported by Bill Schechner (May 6, 1988) News feature
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and made it a condition of his appearance that if they would bring
Eisenberg and Patrick on the program, he would come. Newsman
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They began practicing at the Senior Center and occasionally at
Eisenberg's apartment. In May 1983, a senior citizen center in
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244:"Hour Magazine" with Gary Collins, (December 8, 1986) Interview and performance (Liberace's last television appearance)
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in 1933, she continued accompanying singers and orchestras. She also taught piano and conducted a church choir in the
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reader in its third edition. It is included in sermons and religious publications in the US and other countries.
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and the name stuck. They began to play in other senior citizen facilities, at veterans' homes and hospitals.
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148:, which put it on its wire service. They were on television both in the US and abroad and appeared with
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164:, who was a fan of "Ebony and Ivory", made his last television appearance on the Hour Magazine with
608:(PDF) Calvary Lutheran Church, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (February 2010). Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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621:(PDF), First Baptist Church, Mountlake Terrace, WA (November 11, 2007). Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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101:, able to speak a little bit, but unable to move her right hand enough to play the piano.
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596:, St Cuthbert's Parish Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Scotland. Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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with Norman
Vincent Peale, WOR (February 24, 1985) Feature in a special radio narration
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41:, one white and one black, who played classical piano together. Both had experienced a
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For Two New Jersey
Grannies Misfortune Sets the Stage for a Musical Collaboration
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627:, Nadbiskupijski Center for Youth Ministry, Sarajevo. Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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Musicians and victims of strokes find a way to play some very inspiring Chopin
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89:. One of the highpoints in her work was directing a choir that once sang with
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This article is about the piano duo, Ebony and Ivory. For the piano keys, see
238:"Good Morning America" with David Hartman, ABC (September 9, 1986) Interview
394:, Bowling Green, Kentucky (May 9, 1988) page 7. Accessed February 18, 2010
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415:, Gainesville, Florida. Sept. 29, 1987, page 5B. Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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Ruth
Eisenberg and Margaret Patrick playing piano, using one hand each.
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Jeannie Ralston. "Ebony and Ivory: 'A miracle brought us together' "
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won an award for his CBS News report on them. They were featured on
241:*The Morning Show" with Regis Philbin, ABC (October 1986) Interview
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Ebony and Ivory – Piano-playing grandmothers go on the road again
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St Cuthbert's Parish Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Scotland
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Eisenberg and Patrick's story was included in a book by
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Vol. 29, No. 2 (February 1924). Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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372:(December 14, 1987) page 121. Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
455:"Hour Magazine" with Gary Collins, December 8, 1986
142:Their story went national after being picked up by
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211:Partial list of television and radio appearances
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527:Calvary Lutheran Church, Thunder Bay, Ontario
231:"CBS News" (October 21, 1985) Interview with
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409:Piano-playing grandmothers on the road again
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536:First Baptist Church, Mountlake Terrace, WA
500:More True Stories: A High-Beginning Reader,
37:was the name given to two elderly women in
659:Classical pianists who played with one arm
559:"NBC Evening News for Friday, May 6, 1988"
336:Ebony and Ivory: 1 Keyboard, 2 Good Hands
228:"PM Magazine" (May 24, 1984) Performance
225:(December 1983) Interview and performance
569:"De Pachmann Preaches Economy of Motion"
443:, Miami, Florida. Oct 5, 1987, page 2C,
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45:in 1982 and become partially disabled.
602:(April 8, 2001) Accessed Feb. 18, 2010
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669:American musicians with disabilities
316:magazine (October 1986) pages 91-92
644:Musical groups established in 1983
562:Vanderbilt Television News Archive
272:, WOR (October 15, 1985) Interview
138:International human interest story
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284:/WNYC (March 9, 1987) Interview
588:Sermons and religious articles
474:Peale, Norman Vincent (1988).
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649:Musical duos from New Jersey
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478:. New York: Wynwood Press.
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664:Women in classical music
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80:(1913–1994) grew up in
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476:The American Character
265:Rambling with Gambling
258:The American Character
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221:"New Jersey and You"
105:Ruth Brewer Eisenberg
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654:Classical piano duos
392:Park City Daily News
197:Norman Vincent Peale
280:with Karen Michel,
617:2011-07-26 at the
435:2019-12-19 at the
426:The New York Times
405:The New York Times
340:The New York Times
201:More True Stories,
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485:0800716051
445:with photo
216:Television
190:Tom Brokaw
99:New Jersey
73:Background
57:after the
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289:Footnotes
121:McCall's,
95:Englewood
615:Archived
433:Archived
314:McCall's
162:Liberace
199:and in
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612:Sermon
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