5l6 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO IJJQ. 



himself on his favourite instrument ; fully prepossessed with this idea, he entered 

 the house, and, suddenly opening the dining-room door, saw the child playing 

 on the organ while his brother was blowing the bellows. Mr. Paul thought the 

 performance so extraordinary, that he immediately brought 2 or 3 of the neigh- 

 bours to hear it, who propagating the news, a crowd of near 100 people came 

 the next day to hear the young performer, and, on the following days, a still 

 greater number flocked to the house from all quarters of the city ; till, at length, 

 the child's parents were forced to limit his exhibition to certain days and hours, 

 in order to lessen his fatigue, and exempt themselves from the inconvenience of 

 constant attendance on the curious multitude.* 



The first voluntary he heard with attention was performed at his father's liouse 

 by Mr. Mully, a music-master ; and as soon as he was gone, the child seeming 

 to play on the organ in a wild and different manner from what his mother was 

 accustomed to hear, she asked him what he was doing } And he replied, " I am 

 playing the gentleman's fine thing." But she was unable to j udge of the re- 

 semblance : however, when Mr. Mully returned a few days after, and was asked 

 whether the child had remembered any of the passages in his voluntary, he an- 

 swered in the affirmative. This happened about the middle of November 1777, 

 when he was only 2 years and 4 months old, and for a considerable time after he 

 would play nothing else but these passages. 



A musical gentleman of Norwich informed Mr. Partridge, that, at this time, 

 such was the rapid progress he had made in judging of the agreement of sounds, 

 that he played the Easter hymn with full harmony ; and in the last 2 or 3 bars 

 of hallelujah, where the same sound is sustained, he played chords with both 

 hands, by which the parts were multiplied to 6, which he had great difficulty in 

 reaching on account of the shortness of his fingers. The same gentleman ob- 

 served, that in making a base to tunes which he had recently caught by his ear, 

 whenever the harmony displeased him, he would continue the treble note till he 

 had foruitd a better accompaniment. From this period his memory was very 

 accurate in retaining any tune that pleased him : and being present at a concert 



* The following letter, corroborative of this account, was received by Dr. Burney, from Nor- 

 wich : — " There is now in this city a musical prodigy, which engages the conversation and excites 

 the wonder of every body. A boy, son to a carpenter, of only 2| years old, from hearing his fa- 

 ther play on an organ which he is making, has discovered such musical powers as are scarcely credible. 

 He plays a variety of tunes, and has from memory repeated fragments of several voluntaries which 

 he heard Mr. Garland, the organist, play at the cathedral. He has likewise accompanied a person 

 who played on the flute, not only witli a treble, but has formed a base of his own, which to common 

 hearers seemed harmonious. If any person plays false, it throws him into a passion directly ; and 

 though his little fingers can only reach a 6"th, he often attempts to play chords. He does not seein a 

 remarkable clever child in any other respect ; but his whole soul is absorbed in music. Numbers 

 croud daily to hear him, and the musical people are all amazement."— Orig. 



