Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1862-11-07
OLD SERIES.

tho living creature within. The world is
full OF ,hess vulgar 'ouls that ral'sr with
eternal Nature and the eternal Arts. blind
TO the Word who dwelis among us therein.
Tom. or The demon In Ton. was not one Of
them.
With regard to bis command Of the 10.
s,rumen,, two points have been especially
noted by musicians the unusual frequency
Of occurrences of tour, d, force in bis playing.
and the scientific precision OF bis manner OF
touch. For ctamplc, ina progression OF
augmented chords, bis mode Of lingering 10
invariably that Of the schools. not that which
would seem most natural TO blind child
never taught to place finger. Even when
seated with his ba,k 10 the piano, and made
TO play in ,ha, position, IA iarori,e feasin
bis couceri..) tho touch Is always seieniif'
cally accurate.
The peculiar power which Tom possesses,
however. Is one which requires no scientific
knowledge Of music in his audiences TO ap.
preeia,e. Placed at the instrument with
any musician, he plays perfect bass ac-
compartment To the treble OF music hoardJor
he first hmc as H. plays. Then taking tho
seat vacated by the other performer. he in.
.,an,ly gives the entire piece. in'ae, in bril-
liancy aud symmetry, not q noic lost or
misplaced. Tho selection, o, music by
which the power Of Tom. was tested. two
years ago, wero sometimes fourteen and slS'
teen pages in length on one occasion. at
an exhibition q, tho White liou-e, after n
long concert. he was tried with two pieces.
one thirteen, AMI the other twenty pages
long. and Wa. successful.
We know Of no parallel case to this IN
musical history. GRIMM tell, us. a. one VI
tho most remarkable manifestations OF
Monrt'- inf,n, genius, tha, u, the Ags OF
nine hs va. required to give an aeeompani.
ment TO an aria which hc had never heard
before. AMI without notes. There were
fails, accord, In tho frst attempt. hc &C.
knowlsdgs.; but the second was pure.
When the music to which Tom plays 'ocoHdo
? /. strictly classical. 10 sometimes balks Tor
an instant in passages; 30 do Otherwise
would argue creative power equal To that
OF the master composers but when any
chordan, harmony run, through 10, ION
which the glowing negro can seine. You
know.) ,herc nrc no 81 f,l.o accord.,' as
with the infant Mozart. wish 10 draw e.-
pccnl attention 10 this power Of tho boy, no.
only because II IL, 81 lar a. know. un-
matched In the development, OF any musical
talent. but because. considered IN the con-
tex, OF hi. entire intellectual structure. IL
( involves euriou. problem. The mere rep
c,i,iJn Of music heard bu, once. even when.
a. in Tom case, il !. given with such IN
credible fidelity. and after the lapse II years,
demand. only command OF mechanical
skill, AMI an abnormal condition OF the
power of memory bu, 10 play SecOHdo 10
music never heard or seen implies the COM
prehen,ion Of tho iull drili o! the SYMPHONY
in its current.--a capacity 20 create. IN
short. Ye, such attempts as Tom has made
10 dictate music fOr publication DO not sl'.
tain any such inference, They are not only
few li;h, marches. gillop'. etc, simple
and plaintiVe enough, bat with easily dc.
tec,cd trace. OF rcmcmbere! hlrmnnies :
very different, from the strange, weird i'm.
proyisauons OF every day. ono would
would fancy that the mere a,iemp, TO bring
this mysteriou. genius within him m bodily
presence before the outer world woke, too.
the idi1ic nature 10 utter its rcproaehful.
unable cry. Nor j. this the only bar by
which poor Tom soul is put in mind Of i's
foul be.,ial prison. After any too prolonged
EFFORT. such as those have alluded 20, hi.
whole bodily frame gives way, and COM
pletc exhaustion Of the brain follows, nc.
eOmpanied with epilep,ic 'pasm'. Tho
a, the White House, mentioned before, was
successful. bu, was followed by days Of ILL
ness.
Beng slave. Tom never was taken into
q Free State for the same reason bis mas.
ter refused advantageous offers IRON Euro
pean managers The his he.t points North
a, which b., concerts were riyen were BAL
tinore and tho upper virginia towns. |
heard him sometime in 1860. lie remained
a week or two in the town, paying every
night.
The concerts were uniqnc enough. They
were given in q grea, barn ola room. gandy
with hot. SCOT stained frescoes. chandeliers,
wall. splotehed with gilt. Th, audience
was large. always; such ns a provincial
town affords: not the pures. bench Of mus
ical criticism before which TO bring poor
Tom. Beaux and b-lles, siltings Of old
country families, whose grandia,her' trapped
and tradei and married with the lndians.-
the savage tbiekening OF whose blood told
itself in high cheek. k.bones, flashing iewelry.
champaign, bitb'n.. a comprehension OF tho
tom. tom music Of .ebo,tischc. and polkas
uoney.mads men and their wives. cooped
up by re.pSc,abiliiy, taking concerts when
they were given in iown. taking the White
Sulphur or Cape May IN summer. taking
beef for dinner, taking tho pork.trade in
winter.--iouie IA RE en- programme: tho
d,br.s Of town. the rouehs. the boys.
.chool.children,-Tom w. nearly as we'll
worth quarter as the negro minstrsls; here
and there pair Of reserved, homc,ick eyes,
. peculiar. reticcnt lace. como whey.'kinned