American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-10
A Musical Prodigy.

! A Musical Prodigy.
THE world knows by heart how til,
divine Mozart astonished theorists by
the early development of his musica
gift and by the latest triumphs of hi
genius. He played the piano accurately
at three years of age; composed at six
and conducted the performance of hi:
masses at twelve. He enjoyed in thi.
respect prominence not gained by any
other of the great masters.
l have just had a half hours interview
with a modern Mozart-a little girl, who
may some day initiate her great proto
type and give to the world what is now
scarcely known, music composed by &
woman. So far as her little life has gone
she is more than equal to Mozart. She
will be five years old Oct. 8. AT the
age of seven months, when placed within
reach of the key board of a piano, hel
thumbs went down on the keys in a man
ner that brought no discord and she
manifested unmistakable delight at the
sounds produced. After that the piano
became her favOrite amusement She
was placed before it and allowed to play
for hours at time. Her parents OBJ
| served with delight and wonder that she
soon had method in her playing, and that
! she understood harmony. When two
years old she composed music. At three
she had made rapid progress, and now at
five she evinces no abatement of the
keenness of her musical mind.
Her name is Rose Mansfield Eversole.
She is the daughter of DIR. A. G. Ever
sole, now living in Dayton. Her mother
is music teacher, and has an inherited
talent for music. DIR. 'Eversole knows
music by study, but has no particular
natural aptness for it. This is their only
child
She is as sweet and pretty as blonde,
1.-the and graceful in form, with fair silk
en- hair, large, expressive blue eyes, and
a happy though thoughtful face.
Her attachments in general knowledge
are scarcely less remarkable than her
musical genius. When she was sixteen
months old she learned the alphabet in
few days, and was delighted, on being
carried along the street, to spell out the
signs. A year ago she could read well
enough to read to her father the yellow
fever news in the papers, in which he
was much interested. She knows the
names of all the States and can tell their
relative location. She is also well versed
in European geography. All this she
has learned without teaching in the or
binary way. Her father gives her no
tasks, he only answers her questions.
Her knowledge of geography was OBJ
tanned from inspection of an atlas.
Whenever she hears any city or place
mentioned she goes to her atlas to locate
it, and thereafter she remembers where
it is.
She talks with a freedom and clear
ness that show the superior quality of
her mind and the unusual quantity of
stored in her young head.
strangers. A physician was introduced
to her in my presence, when the follow
ing dialogue ensued:
Physician-I am doctor, Rose, like
your father. How do you like the medi-
cal profession?
Rose (quietly)-Oh, 1 don't like it at all
Physician-Well, it is rather hard
life. l suppose you like better to be a
Rose-Yes, always did.
Physician-Yo mean you have always
liked it since you were a little girl?
Rose-No, sir, mean l always liked
it lchen 1 was a little girl.
Physician-No when you were little
baby
Rose--Of course not. only had fat,
hands when was baby, and
play at all.
hysician-This gentleman by my side,
Rose, is newspaper man. read his
every day.
Rose-Do yous l should think you
would rather read your own.
Physician-I do not write, neither do |
sing. 1 don't know g. Old Hundred" from
. Yankee Doodle"
Rose-I do.
Her father uses language in talks to |
ler that would puzzle most children of |
much larger growth. But with all her
wisdom she manifests wholesome child
sh love of play. While playing on the
piano her eyes would sparkle as she fol
ow ed the rompings of children in the
'oOm.
Her playing is not by any means brill
could it be when her little
eet dangle hopelessly high above reach
If the pedals, and her arms are quite too
short to stretch across the Keyboard?
The wonder is that she can play at all at
such an age.
She plays almost anything that she has
leard, but her genius is shown in
stronger light by the music which she
produces from her own brain. She is
IN interchangeable composer. Sometimes
or an hour her fingers wander over the
Keys, not aimlessly, but with the fault
ess touch of a true musician bringing out
Ter childish musical fancies. She never
commits musical sin. Her harmonies
ire always perfect.
During my interview with her,
Ter father asked her to play march.
lie had previously asked her to impro-
that woodland she played
ome beautiful little arpeggios. AT his
cquest for a march of her own she in
family began a march of exquisite
beauty. After "A while her father asked
Ter :" to put IL little minor in it." In an
Instant she complied, blending the theme
he had chosen mo il minor passage
Without losing IA bar. She played also
title waltz, composed as she played it
BESIDES playing in my hearing Home,
sweet Home" Yankee Doodle" the
march from :" Norma" and other compo-
itions. She likewise sang song which
he composed for "a little poem in the
ursery. In all her playing she uses
10Th hands, as any one else would, but
he never looks at the right hand; that
nds its place intuitively, while she has
omctimes to look for the lingering of
er left hand.
But the most remarkable feature of
er musical gift is her intuitive knowl
dge of pitch. She seems to know with
ertainty the exact pitch of any musical ,
one she hears A gentleman sounded
18th his voice IL note and she instantly
Duched the key corresponding to it. |
When asked how she knew what key to
ouch, she answered by heart" Her 1
ither says he was whistling an andante i
1 one of Beethoven's compositions in ,
er hearing, few days ago, when she
,okcd at him and said " Papa, you are
'histling that tune in F, and it is writ I
IN in c." He didn't know in what key ,
e was whistling it, and went to the piano I
} see. AS he was going Rose cried out, I
Nearly +, papa. l heard little I
parklc of + in it." He found there /
as "A "little sparkle of F." rs his key