Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-07-15
A ONE-ARMED PIANIST.
The Astonishing Musical Genius of Count
Gerza Itchy.

Aho hbNOhhohAhB Uchlub VI OOunU
Gerza Zichy.
Count Itchy has only one arm, and
is the greatest living pianist, with the
sole exception, perhaps, of his country
man and teacher, Able Franz List.
The Count was born in Hungary in
1849, and from childhood evinced
marked taste for music and poetry.
When boy he made verses and played
on the violin. He imagined that he
saw visions, and even composed SER
enades for them. His father placed
him under the care of a music teacher,
but he did not make much progress.
At last the teacher visited the father
and sadly remarked: THAT boy of
yours has an excellent right hand, but
his left will never amount to any
thing" Never was prophesy more
strikingly falsified. When fourteen
years of age the Count lost his right
arm by an accident while hunting.
His physicians forbade him pursuing
any physical or intellectual work for
some time after the amputation. The
Count chafed under this enforced in
activity for time, and finally one day
he handed his tutor sealed note with
Instructions not to open it for year.
The note when opened read as follows:
IF within year from this date l can
not do with my left hand every thing
that other people do with both hands,
l will blow my brains OUT
The young Count set to work reso-
lutely to carry out his resolve. He re-
fused to eat any meat unless it were
cut with his own hand, or any fruits
unless he peeled them himself, and he
even let his nails grow till he could
pare them. At the end of three months
he was able to drive his horses, handle
the oar, fence like an athlete and hunt
like nimrod He soon resumed his
musical exercises, but was compelled
to substitute the piano for the violin.
Meantime, he studied law, and de-
voted portion of his spare hours to
light literature. He was fond of the
the theater and wrote four comedies,
which were played at a theater in
Buda Pesth, and published several
romances and two small volumes of
lyric poems.
One day the famous Able List heard
the one-armed youth practicing on the
piano alone in his room. The master
listened for a time with rapt atten-
ton, and then stealing on tiptoe to the
boys presence, stopped down and
kissed him on the forehead, exclaim-
ing: Young man, you will be without
a rival! tn Marcellus eris." Itchy at
once became Liszt's pupil, and remained
under the instruction of the great mas
ter for six years. List taught his pupil
to substitute his thumb for his right
hand in playing his piano. But the
master afterw ards declared that she did
not then dream his pupil would ever
succeed in executing the chromatic
scales or making tiger bounds of five
or six octaves by the use of his thumb"
After his six years practice under List,
Count Itchy entered upon his public
career. His first appearance was at
Vienna, where the celebrated critic
Handschilick exclaimed after hearing
him: "Many people play the piano,
some delight US with it, but Itchy en-
chants" The Count has never re.
ceived any remuneration from his per.
formances. They are given in the cause
of charity and he has travelled all over
Europe in his philanthropic mission.
He has realized hundreds of thousands
of dollars for the poor of all countries
A lady, referring to Count Zichy's in
trinity, exclaimed one day in the pres
ence of List: 1.-The poor man! How
pity himm "Pity himr' repeated The
master; not at all, madame; but hi
piano is to be pitied, and the people
} who never heard him play it still NOR
So" The Count is capital shot ant
has been the victor in three duels.-Phil
ddelphia North american.