REMARKS ON MUSICAL PRECOCITY. oj 



and guitarist, and he plays on the harp and violin. I attended a 

 " Musical Melange," and was delighted with the little premature 

 performer. He played the Cuckoo solo, and also St. Patrick's Day 

 in the Morning, on one string (u la PaganiniJ, and an air on the 

 harp, with variations. It was a feeling of surprise and admiration 

 we experienced when watching this little boy run his puny finger 

 along the strings of the harp, and bring out the tones with great 

 skill, considering his tender age. It was, however amusing to see 

 this little fellow, at the conclusion of each stanza, give the ranani- 

 nian shake of his bow with all the proud consciousness of superi- 

 ority, and with as much an air of triumph as the mighty Italian 

 himself, whose flourish of the bow seemed to indicate that he was 

 the prince of violinists and a musical magician. 



I should deem it a comparatively profitless task to trouble your 

 readers with these little sketches of the musical triumvirate I have 

 named, if I did not hope to make their history a means of explain- 

 ing my own thoughts on musical precocity. From many observa- 

 tions I have made, the early development of a genius for Music or 

 Painting may be referred to hereditary influence imparting a ten- 

 dency to some organs to become more active than others, and to the 

 circumstances in which such supposed prodigies are placed. The 

 circumstances sometimes may appear to be adventitious means of 

 developing their innate tendencies, or certain plans may be made to 

 call forth and foster any indications of particular talent. It may 

 further be stated, that in most instances of early genius the sensorial 

 power is concentrated and engrossed by a few faculties, to which it 

 imparts an unhealthy energy. In Master Phillips's case, we have 

 seen that his mental activity is in one direction, and hence his pow- 

 ers of musical perception and of the relative duration and intensity of 

 sounds. His history confirms my opinion that his particular bias is 

 referable to causes preceding his birth, and from others in subse- 

 quent operation, which conjointly rendered him a genius. The 

 proofs I offer are these : his father was master of a band and played 

 on many instruments, having quite a passion for music :* he would 

 therefore impart a tendency to the faculties of Melody, Time, &c., 

 and predispose them to be susceptible of being easily excited ; and 

 when the child " breathed the breath of life" music was used as a 

 means of amusement. But the discovery tliat the baby musician 



• By passion 1 mean a very high stale of excitement of particular powers, 

 arising from excessive activity and great stimulation. 



VOL. VII., NO. XXI. H 



