The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-12 00:00:00

Moscheles and Blind Tom.

A most interesting circumstance occurred at
Southsea on Monday, on the occasion of Blind
Tom's concert, given on that evening at the Port-
land Hall. Moscheles was present, and when the
invitation was extended to any one of the audience
to come upon the stage and play a piece which Tom
should imitate, the veteran composer stood forward
amid the most enthusiastic applause of the audience,
and, seating himself at the piano, improvised a
brilliant nzorceaux, which, on being asked if he
thought Torn had ever heard before, replied,
" Never," indeed, he did not believe he could him-
self repeat it, being an impromptu of the moment.
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Tom, taking the professor's place, produced the
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imitation so perfectly that Moscheles stood amazed;
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arranged, and running
one into the other
melody with most difficult
variations
and harmonic
intricacies. The pieces were, " The Last Rose of
Summer," 44 Garry Owen," and " St. Patrick's
Day," which, as before, Tom reproduced with a
correctness and brilliancy that electrified the au-
dience, and so enchanted the great musician that he
publicly stated he would be delighted to give a cer-
tificate of the marvellous fact which had just tran-
spired. This interesting incident will be further
proof of the powers of this prodigy • " Blind Tom,"
and satisfy the most sceptical that there has been no
exaggeration in the accounts of this wonderful boy.

pleasure in stating
usly gifted by naturo. lln justice to Ma
marvellously that I think him ClEhßavTelniF luCchA TE .
at
hap-
pened to be present a performance of his at Southsea,
COPYd
TOoFm
and, at the request of Mr. W. P. Howard, began to test his
abilities by extemporising a short rythmical piece, which
he imitated to perfection, thus proving beyond all doubt
that ho did not impose upon the public by preparation. I
then went so far as to play him that part of my " Recol-
lections of Ireland" in which the three melodies are
blended, and even that ho imitated with most of its intri-
cacies and changes. Having tested his powers of analysing
chords, I found them all that I could desire. I next put
my hands on tho keys at random, and was surprised to
hoar him name every note of such flagrant discord. Tom's
technical acquirements aro very remarkable, and his enter-
tainment full of interest for the musician and amateur.
J. MOSCHELES.

Southsea, Sept. 11, 186 G.

---- ----=- -
THE RESULTS OF SPECTIIUNI ANALYSTS were OM
summed up by William Iluggius, F.R.S., on the
23d ult., in his masterly lecture upon that wonderful theme,
in the theatre at Nottingham, before the British Associa-
tion : —ln conclusion (said Mr. Huggins), the new kuowti;
ledge that has been gained from those observations with
the
‘vi
the prism may be summed up as follows :
brighter stars, at least, have a structure anal°
g°uscom-
mon the sun. 2. The stars contain elementsmaterialthstars have
c
mon to the sun and earth. 3. The colours
of i
the atmospheres
their origin in the chemical constitution of
in
brightness of
which surround them. 4. The chtin
gwith changes in the
some of the variable stars are attendedtr phenomena of
5. The
linos of absorption of their spe e al.
to that
the star in Corona appear tos
exist in the heavens ctrue riebe
least great physical
changes
objectsati operation..6consistThere
of
luminous gas. 7. The Thoeseer
material of comets is very similar
to the matter of the
gaseous nebulae, and may be identical
The bright points s -
of
the tar clusters may not
h show:
in that in this object at p
with it. 8.
be in all cases stars of the same order as the separate bright
stars.