The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-05-03
The Story Of PiccO.

FIVE ana twenty years aS', the WIG VI
shepherd of Babbio, village among the
mountains of the Sandman States, gave
birth to blind boy. Poor themselves, and
far from any of those means which modern
philanthropy has placed at the service OF
blindness, the little Picco (for so he was
called) was allowed to rol! and tumble, and
as he got older, to roam and saunter about
the mountain side-wondering, perhaps,
what sort of a world that was which he + 1t
about him, and heard so many talking OIL
wondering also, perhaps, why he was de-
barred from mingling in all those happy
feelings which the bright sun and the oine
sky, and the mighty mountains and The gioI
rious sea seemed to excite in others-and
wondering still further where the mercliu'
Creator, of whom he heard, had not cont
structcd some other world in which the biind
might dwell, and where they might revcl m
enioymcnts as keen and healthfui as the see
i ~ rejoice at in this.
So wondering and so dreaming the little
lad in due time was taken TO church, where,
for the first time, the rich solemn harmonies
of the organ pealed upon his ear we can
/ picture his overpewerng delight and asto-
! nishment can see him sitting at first in an
attitude Of pe,riiied amazement, open,
mouthed and open.eared, drinking IN chord
]
/ over the worshippcrs, and so far away
/ through the lofty roof-can see him strug-
/ Cling with an irrt sistble emotion, half &C.
stacy, half terror-uutil one overpowerIng
feeling of intense thank ulness taking pos
session of his whole bting, the t ars start
from his sghtleSs eyes anI sinking on the
. pavement, he with his tiny voice pours forth
his large heart Of gratitude TO Him who had
made tne world of sound for the bind.
Tine after time would young P!cco steal
into the church, and Crouching IN corner
d,inh in the strains Of his he owed organ
But now a new longing is awaken d. lheie
is tina, in him which not only viOrates IN
exact pusa,i0n to the measured harmonics
Of the instrument, but longs to create like
sounds lis lf-fccls and knows 1t has the
power to do so-Oi ioi somewhat whereon
to make them, But poor blind boy, the
son of a shepherd the distance between MN
and musical instrument seems hopeless
Never mind he will tell the neIshbors no"
he should like 10 have anything. the small
I q st thing that max a sound-he VIII beg
and worry till he gets oue-and so at last a
friend, kind to the boy, cruel to the hamlet
in celrer.l. T. membercd him at avillage fair,
: AMI bought him a haIfpcnny wh'stle-a
t clumsy 'l,tc ice of common white wood
dyed ', low, with thee holes. This, with
a compassionate smile, hc tossed TO thr binc
boy as he passed him, sprawllng III front o.
the cottage door, and the boy forthwith be
canto make noises which caused his summa
/ ~ expulsion from the village, which he wa:
frtiddcn to approach within hearing dis
, tan"r during his musical performances.
Living about, then, on the hin sides or
/ under tn shade of a tree, the youth whi'cC
away year after year in developing from hi:
a chi!d's whistle-tirs. mutations and repeu
a tions of the strains he had heard, and thei
: ori inal ne ode>, AMI variations and orna
t rentation> which he felt springing up within
: himself with irresistible energy.
h So living and so disc oursing strange mu
: sic n sporismt IN found him one day last yea
Il onewherc among the wild passes OF III
{ Appenlres, ard recognizing at once the mar
!. vrl!ous genius Of the young man, lost n
!. time n enter n, intour angemeHts with mn
d and his father, by which otn'r ears ina
a thn>r of the goats should benefit by the mar
{ y,llous sou ds poured out from his insigniil
= cant instrument.
From this time the career Of the youn
:, piper ha> been a series OF ,rlumphs lie ot
y aan nj Milan in some cotee-hous :, ana 500
e attracted such crowds that the pohcr inter
d fer.d. Expelled ignominiously, he returned
e however. 81 ecdily in triumph, with a regu
e lar engagement at La Scala. Ihund,rS c
& apy lause greeted lin everywhere-el'cite
Il not merely by the ingenuity with which II
d bad made a rough toy into a musical insiru
IF m,nt, but chiefly hy the indubitab!e signs
1t extraordinary genius which his performance
/ displayed.
[. 1t Rome, Naples, Florence, and, lastly
1t Paris, he has taken the musical world b
d storm: and the Academy of st. Cecilia
r, Rome has named him one of their mem
II terS.
is Picco is now giving concerts in London.