The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-03 00:00:00

MUSICAL PHENOMENA.

.
-`ln the more select musical circles, where the
leading profesSOrs associate in the character of
friends, rather thin in that of artists, there
has been unobstrusively stealing into notice a
child, in whom is developed so early and so ex-
traordinary a talent for music, that the most
fastidious predicts for him a reputation of the
highest order, and speak of him as the genius
born to bestow a character for eminence in that
art, which has hitherto been withheld by foreign-
ers from the natives of this country. The name
of this child is GEORGE A.SPULL, and his present
age is said to.be only eight years, which his ap-
pearance sufficiently proves not to have been un-
der-stated for the purpose of making the wonder
appear the greater. His father was formerly, we
understand, in business, but not being success-
ful in the pursuit he at first chose, was com-
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diligent and successful practice has acquired
some reputation as a performer on the violin.—
It was not till his son had considerably passed
the age of five years that he gave any indica-
tionsdiscovered were so evident, that Mr. Aspull de-
termined to undertake himself the care of his
education in music, and, foreseeing the advan-
tages to which it might lead, devoted the whole
of time and attention to that object. The
fruit of his care and assiduity is apparent in the
surprising talent which young Aspull now displays.
The instrument on which he performs is the
pianoforte, at which he does not usually sit, his
stature being. so small as to render the position
of standing that which gives him the most
perfect command of the instrument. His fingers
are extremly short, even for his age ; with the
left hand he cannot reach an octavo so as to press
down the notes which form it at one time, and is
only enabled to do so with the right hand with
meth difficulty, and by depressing the wrist.—
The impediment thus formed to the acquisition
of the mere mechanical difficulties of the piano-
forte, will be perfectly understood by all those
who have ever attempted that instrument, but
they have not prevented young Aspull from con-
quering the most complex and rapid passages that
have ever appeared in the form of musical com-
position. With some slight allowance only for
those passages requiring greater strength than that
to which his little frame is adequate, or combin-
ing more distant intervals than his fingers can pos-
sibly command, there is no difficulty of execution
that can stop him for a moment. The composi-
tions of Kalkbrenner and Moscheles, prepared
for displaying in the manual skill of those cele-
mtrhoestsmalles
brated Professors, t abrye it)iliaiysedxetrsaibdrednittliayry
e has also without
child,
fi made himself master of a piece of
singular difficulty, by a foreign composer
trial of skilliti foroisrd aeCrl -1;
PttorhuecYoetnnlbi andnine eminent tsal'llilot
whose name
professors
the
v ro t. e
mechanicaloi
ft aE s
u a..
I rope, and
niceties of execution of which the instrument is
susceptible. This piece, consisting of only one
movement, occupies nearly 40 pages of printed
music, every one of which is crowded with rapid '
divisions, intricate modulations,and the most chro.
matic passages that the art of the composer could
devise. Some idea may be formed of the complexity
of this moment, by the fact that some of our most
eminent professors to whom it has been shown
have shrunk from the attempt to play it. But
the mechanical skill of young Aspull is that which
has least surprised those who have had the plea-
sure of hearing him perform. A child with a
certain cleverness and quickness of parts, may be
taught by repeated efforts to conquer the greatest
intricacies, and, when conquered, there will re-
main nearly the same impression from them which
results on viewing an exhibition on the tight
rope, or the antic tricks of the unfortunate pupils
of a posture-master. Mr.Aspull's pupil is not of
this class. The boy's mind evidently partici-
pates in all that his hand executes. A passage
which he is compelled to leave imperfect through
a defect of physical power, does not stop or dis-
concert him, as it would on ordinary pupil, but
he passes on to the next, and is as certain to
give it with effect, as if himself had composed it.
Short as the period is which young Aspull has
devoted to the study of music, he has cultivated
every style, and all with success. In these are
included the concertos of Handel, and the fugues
of the Bachs and Scarlatti, than which latter,
perhaps, no- works could possibly be selected
less accessible. to a juvenile student. Young As-
pull unites with these talent, which is rare
among professors, of extempore playing, at which,
if permitted to do so, he will pass hours, and with
a llnency that would indicate musical notes to
be that vehicle by which he could best express
his ideas. We ought not to omit to state of
him, that he sings ballads to his own accompa-
niment on the pianoforte, in a voice thin and
weak, owing to his extreme youth, but with pe-
culiar taste and delicate expression. His appear-
ance and behaviour do not differ from those of
other children of the same age, but his manner,
when performing on the pianoforte, is that of a
person deeply attentive. The most rapid and
involved passages do not . produce a change of
countenance, nor any sign of effort. Little study
is requisite even for the most elaborate pieces ;
and those of ordinary difficulty he can execute at
once, on being permitted to cast his eye over
them before taking his station at the pianoforte.
The merits of this extraordinary boy are as yet
known only in a very confined circle. He is
shortly to be introduced to the King, who, hav-
ing heard his wonderful talents described, has
expressed a desire to be enabled himself to judge
of their reality. We. should almost fear, if
through the eclat of such an introduction and such
praise, young A.spull were compelled to run the
gauntlet through the fashionable winter parties
of the nobility ; the process might injure the
bodily health of the rising artist, while his mind
might suffer almost equally by the incense that
would be offered to his vanity. But if he escape
.
these perils, he bears about bun prognostics of
future eminence, which could not have been
greater or more conclusive in the person of Mozart
himself.