The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-19 00:00:00

Blind Tom the Pianist.

Last evening a private soiree was given at the Queen's
Concert-room, Hanover-square, for the purpose of intro-
ducing Blind Tom, the pianist, to a critical audience.
Blind Toni is a negro, of the age of 17, just arrived from
America ; and, according to the statement of, we presume,
one of his guardians, who gave a short account of Tom's
antecedents, half-witted and entirely uneducated. At a
very tender age he showed unmistakeable signs of his
love of music, and one of his relatives becoming possessed
of a pianoforte, Tom at once took such a liking to the in-
strument that he was never happy except when playing
upon it. This love of music has gone on increasing until
at length Tom has become a perfect wonder, and that too
without the slightest professional instruction. Every
piece of music that he has the good fortune to hear ho at
once reproduces on the instrument, and his knowledge of
chords and discords is very remarkable. The first piece
performed by Blind Torn was an arrangement of his own,
of the ballad " Home, Sweet Home," in the execution of
which he was very successful, showing at the same time
a perfect command over the instrument. To illustrate
Tom's imitative powers the gentlemen on the platform so-
licited as a favour that some gentleman would come

forward and play a piece of any description, in
order that it might be reproduced by Blind Tom.
After a little delay a gentleman stepped for-
ward, and, after taking his seat at the instrument, played
a brilliant kind of polka, and immediately on its conclusion
Tom resumed his seat and reproduced the piece to the
great delight of the audience. Again the gentleman
was solicited to play something that it might reasonably
be supposed Tom had never heard, when he very kindly
complied, and gave a most delicious little bit of melody
crowded with semitones. Tom, however, immediately
caught the strain, which ho at once performed, but the in-
tricate part of it he did not attempt, and in place he gave a
variety of chords approaching very closely the strain he
had listened to but a minute previous. This circumstance
at once convinced the majority of the audience that all that
had been accomplished was free from collusion, and the
result was very general applause. Another illustration of
Tom's peculiar power was the performance of the air
" Yankee Doodle" with the left hand, the " Sailor's Horn-
pipe" with the right, and at the same time singing Mac-
cabe's pretty melody "Early in the Morning." This pecu-
liar performance was one of the sensations of the evening,
and the applause it elicited was general and enthusiastic,
The remaining performances were all gone through with
such great success that on his public appearance we may
reasonably expect his concerts to attract the attention of
the general public as well as of all musicians, professional
and non-professional.

MADAME Tussaun's.—The truly magnificent and
costly court dresses which have been just added to Mdme.
Tussaud's historical gallery cannot fail to afford a rich
treat to the ladies in general. The hair dresses, as also the
costumes of the Empress of the French and the Empress of
Austria, are of the present approved style ; and the em-
broidery dress of Marie Antoinette is a fac-simile of the
one worn by that unfortunate queen. The figures of
Queen Anne, Queen Caroline, the Princess Charlotte, as
well as several of our queens, are attired with strict atten-
tion and taste to the respective periods in which they
lived.

LIEGE (BELGIUM) REGATTA.—On Sunday last
M. Paul Caillard's yacht, Count Cavour, won the Prix du Roi
at Liege. The King of the Belgians presented the owner of
the yacht with the cum and congratulated him on the event.