The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-04-22

them more pleasure, if not as much
profit, than any in which they have since
borne part" -.
They continued this course of private
practice for two years, without any as
sistance whatever from masters, and
with no thought of ever performing in
public.
"The first attempts at anything like
regular concerts, were musical reunions
in the family circle. These were given
on Thanksgiving and Fast Days; and
on one memorable occasion four Hutch
insonian generations assembled beneath
the paternal roof The old minister of
The village church became interested,
and invited the young musicians to give
their first public concert in the Baptist
Westinghouse. The offer was accepted
and on the appointed evening the
audience, inclu ling the father and
grandmother, assembled. Squire Liver
more addressed the people on music,
and then came the event of the night.
The old Hundreth,' that good old stave,
was sung, every one joining, and there
followed various pieces, two sisters of
the family lending their aid. Pleasant
was the sight ! Abby, arrayed in all the
loveliness of youth and innocence, and
Rhoda, fair and timid as fawn. Abby
had more confidence than her sister, for
Rhoda, although she possessed sweet
voice, lacked confidence in her own
powers. But the sisters sang duett,
and, for no snarling critics were there.
charmed all hearers. In short, all
went off admirably, and many were the
predictions of ultimate popularity for the
performers. After this debut, on the
occasions of breaking up at school and
such like times, Asa, John and Judson,
gave recitations, alternate with singing
and playing, and so sped the time dntil
and during the following winter at
home"
The success of their first effort fixed
three of the brothers in the resolution
to adopt public singing as their profess
sion and, as a preliminary step, they
removed to Boston.
" Andrew, in cautious spirit, urged
the three to give up the notion of earn
ing bread by music, and characterized
their enthusiasm as folly-but to no
purpose. They persisted, John espe-
cially, in their scheme, for to them,
their musical destiny seemed to be fixed.
With view to the requirement of ex-
peri nee, they attended concerts, and
from what they observed thereat, became
more convinced than ever that they
could do something themselves. Music
al friends told them that they admired
their talents, but were confident they
would not succeed for urged they,
you are not foreigners, and therefore
will not do. Native talent will not take,
Tor prophet hath no honor in his own
and SO on. In short, cold
water was abundantly thrown on all their
plans, but to little purpose; it did not
even damp their energies, much less
quench them. AT that time the Rainer
Family, a Swiss company, were rejoic-
ing in the full tide of success, and they
were pointed to as proof that patronage
was only bestowed on strangers. The
Hutchinsons, however, had more favor
able idea of their countrymen, and re-
solved to t,y."
In Boston tho three brothers earned
their living by hard manual labor, but !
continued at every opportunity to prac- G
ice. q
CA little apartment, about seven feet {
,y nine, was the scene of their rehearsals, 7
'r rather of the practice of the future '
hutchinson family. No sooner was the g
ally toll at an end, than the evening t
leasure was commenced, and was con- o
inued until midnight. They had no e
utor; no practised alviser--no able q
uide-what they did, they did them b
elves; in what they learned, they acted f
5 their own tutors. Very frugal were il
hey; but, on one occasion, John, in
OF musical extravaganza, expended n
le, to him, the vast sum of one dollar {.
nd quarter in the purchase of Henry /,
.ussell's Song of the Maniac,' which I,
e learned and afterward sung after his n
wn fashion, for Russell himself he had al
ever heard. Thus the brothers pro- to
ressed, silently and speedily, until they T
it inpatient to exhibit their own in b,
'eased powers, in which they began to M
el some degree of confidence" A
The account given in the Book of tn
rothers" Of their first professional con. fu
'rt, is highly amusing: an
The die was at length cast Vain tn