The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-29
A WIZARD BOY vIoLINIsT.
A Nine-Year-OId Boy who Can Per-
form on the Violin what Only One
Other Artist Ever Done.

A Nine-Year-OId Boy who Can Per-
form on the Violin What Only One
other Artist Ever Done.
Washington. Dec. 27-Florizel Reuter-
halls from Davenport, Ia. He is only ?
years old, yet such wondrously touch
ing. soul-stirring music does he wiring
from three-quarter-size violin. that
the greatest musicians of Europe sit
spellbound when he draws his little
bow across the strings
Everywhere audiences fill his arms
with palm branches, crown his long,
golden curls with laurel, and fill his
pockets with boxes of candy. Some
times Florizel does not know what to
do with the palm and laurel, but he
always finds place for the candy. The
first toy Florizel ever had was a tiny
violin, given him when he was years
old. When not playing with the chill
dren in the neighborhood of his west
ern home, he had great fun making the
tiny violin talk. They grew to be fast
friends, and when Florizel was years
old, so amazing was the ease and eX-
preston with which he played the most
difficult violin music that his proud
mother took him to Chicago. Florizel
never went to school like other boys,
but studied at home with his mother.
He never forgets anything that he
reads or hears. Books or stories that
you or any other boy or girl might
study for months or hear repeated
every day and forget in a year, Flori-
eel can repeat word for word after one
reading or one recitation. All the fair
les seem to have been present at Flor
izePs birth. For not only is his mind
stored with wonderful gifts, but his
body is strong and supple. One day
three of the worlds greatest violin
players happened to be at Chicago,
and Florizel was brought to play be-
fore them. They were astonished.
He is wonder!" cried Ysaye, ''and
| predict for him a brilliant career
But FIorizel and his mother were poor,
and his father, a gifted violinist. had
gone away and left them when Florizel
was little baby. How could the little
boy study with great masters when he
or his devoted mother had no money =?
The fairies who lowered round Flor
izels cradle did not de.sert him. They
sent a godmother in the guise of the
gentle wife of the secretary of the
United States Treasury, Mrs. Lyman
j. Gage. Two years ago, when Florizel
was Z, Mrs. Gage sent FlorizeI to Eu-
rope to study with Henri Marteau,
head of the violin school in the con-
servatory of music at Geneva, Switz-
erland. Before they sailed Florizel
played before President and Mrs. Nc
Kinley in the red room of the White
House. Florizel was dressed as a page
OF the first empire, in white velvet
trunks, white silk stockings and slip
pers, tull embroidered vest and loose
coat of brocade. When the President
entered the room with Mrs. Mckinley
on his arm, Florizel with courtly dig
nifty made a low bow to the President,
then dropping upon his knees, he rails
ed to his lips the hand of Mrs. Nc
Kinley who rewarded him by asking
him into her arms and giving him a
good kiss. Florizel had not been long
abroad when his fairy godmother died.
and her husband the Secretary of the
Treasury, knowing how she loved the
boy, has continued to pay for FlorizePs
violin lessons.
And he has been richly rewarded for
FlorizePs master declares that he has
the most marvellous violin talent he
ever heard. He now plays "a caprices
of Paganini by heart, a thing that
only one violin master of the world
was ever known to do. Last spring.
=
land. the entire orchestra sprang from
their seats onto the stage when Flori-
eel had finished the Paganini solo and
embraced him. Paganini was the
greatest violinist that ever lived. His
music is so difficult that 1t is now
hardly ever heard on concert pro-
grammes, but Florizel plays il as east
ly as you might play marbles or ten
his. Florizel sometimes pretends he
is one of the heroes of a Wagner CD
era. He knows the text of all wag-
ner's operas by heart. He will take a
curtain from window or door, a piece
of drapery from the mantel, and wrap
ping it about him like toga, will
grasp an old sword. and fourishing
1T, play the part of Siegfried forging
the magic sword. Florizel has a little
blackboard in his study at Geneva.
Much of his time is spent at IL. not
adding sums or making multiplication
tables, but composing original music.
Il occupied room on the same
floor with Florizel," said to me a gen
tleman who spent the summer in Swift
zerland. "One day his mother went
sightseeing, and left Florizel to prac-
tice. For long time there was dead
ly silence, then the door Of my room
opened and in walked FlorizeI violin
under arm and sheet OF music IN
hand.
II have composed a cadenza for my
concerto" he said. Would you like TO
be the first to hear it?"
II should indeed" was the reply.
When he had finished playing the
composition, the astonished gentleman
cried. Splendid! Did you do that,
Florizel?"
yes, sir, just composed 1t. Isn't II
good for a little boy?" he said as sim
ply as might any child, proud of recir-
ing a well-learned lesson. Last Sep
TENDER Florizel earned his first money
-$300-at four concerts.
In February he makes his American
debut in Carnegie Hall, when the new
world will have a chance to learn IL
all the old world says of the little WIZ
ard violinist is true.
T1Ga R0aa MoCahn