[ 3P 3 



SOME ACCOUNT OF LITTLE CROTCH. 



Et mentem Jua non caplt aetas*. 



Statius, V. 14. 



ANOTHER mufical prodigy hath lately appeared, whofe 

 name is William Crotch, born at Norwich, on the 5th of 

 July, 1775, of whom Dr. Burney hath given a very full and in- 

 forming account in the Philofophical Tranfadions % which fu- 

 perfedes the neceflity of my mentioning many particulars relative 

 to the proofs of early genius, in this mod remarkable child. 



I firft heard him play on the roth of December, 1778, when, 

 he was nearly three years and a half old; and find that I made 

 the following memorandum on returning home : 



" Plays, " God fave great George our King,** and " Minuet de la 

 " Cour" almoft throughout with chords, reaches a fixth with his 

 "little ringers; cries no r when I purpofely introduced a wrong 

 " note ; delights in chords and running notes for the bafe ; plays for 

 *' ten minutes extemporary paflages,. which have a tolerable con-- 

 " ne&ion with each other ; feldom looks at the harpfichord, and 

 ** yet generally hits the right intervals* though often difhint from 

 * s each other. His organ rather of a hard touch; many of his 

 " paflages hazarded and lingular, fome of which he executes by 

 ** his knuckles, tumbling his hands over the keys."" 



* Vol. LXIX. parti, for the year 17 79,. 



At 



