An interesting NY Times article about one of the last remaining silent movie accompanists:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/nyregion/piano-man-of-a-silent-screen.html?ref=music

I think that there are people who go into film accompanying even now. I used to tune for someone who did it at the Pacific Film Archive. There are several theaters that have organs around here, and some of them are used for silent films from time to time, as well. I tuned for an orchestra at the Castro years ago, and I saw Dick Hyman on the organ there at another show.

I recall that the orchestra was Vince Giordiano's Nighthawks, who are on the classic Prairie Home Companion airing tonight.

I love Sterner's story . . . his life seems difficult, ascetic, and beautiful. After all, he was down on his luck when he took up the piano, it seems, and he fell in love with it. And then he managed to turn his love into some food on the table, but my favorite part is maybe the most liberating: he doesn't make a good living playing the piano, and he doesn't pretend to. He's upfront about it; the piano doesn't lead him to pretend, even for one second, that everything will be okay. But he does it anyway, and I love that.

Thanks for sharing.