The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-07
BOY COMPOSER COMING
ENGLISH. PRODIGY. WROTE. ORA
TORIO IN NINETEEN DAYS.
Practically Self Trained-Work Of
George Williams Includes Fifty
Solo Numbers and Has Been
Praised by Critics.
New Haven Register.

New Haven Register.
England's newest musical prodigy,
George williams. is coming to the Unit
ed States. This 14-year old boy Is
composer whose work has amazed mus
ical England. Though scarcely out OF
his period of short trousers, ana al
most entirely self trained, the boy has
already composed an oratorfo that mas
won the praise of critical connois-
seurs in a land which is the home or
this particular form of composition.
He Is coming to this country partly
for study, partly to widen his range OF
experience. His uncle, who Is q prom
inent official of the Carnegie Steel
Works, has decided that nothing viii
go so far to broaden the young COM
poser as to get in touch with the new
scenes and throbbing life of the Unit
ed States.
1t will all be a very new experience
for young william, who has never
known anything but the quiet shades
of Chingford, In Essex, England. Hard
ly, indeed, does he know these, for his
life has been different from most lads
whose experience 1t is not to be bless
ed with musical genius. His hours
have been spent in the deep ei.sro
ment of musical study. and Prouts
text book on harmony has been more
frequently seen in his hands than the
cricket bat and ball.
This does not mean that he Is not a
boy with all the youngsters faults and
virtues. 1t is merely an explanation
of the concentration with which Will
liam has been forced to work. and the
denials he has had to put upon him
self to carve out a reputation as
composer at an age when most talent
is merely opening up the first stage or
development.
The name of George Williams has
been much seen in London papers re-
Gently. The first beginning of itg vogue
was the first production of AN Exal-
station" an oratorio In the older and
classical form.
Critics who saw the work would
have praised it as the production of
maturity, although faults were point
ed out, particularly the somewhat slav-
ish clinging to tradition, but all found
in 10 much to admire.
The oratorio Included fifty solo num-
beers, and abounds in magnificent cho-
rus numbers, filled with striking pas
cages that have all the promise of flu
ture distinction.
1t has no story, no gradually de-
yeloped theme. 1t is merely the set
ting to music of the great words of the
prophets and religious poets, in which
they glorify the maker of all things
good. There are tremendous chords
and stirring progressions that move
the auditor to a realizing understand
ing of how deeply this youngster must
have felt all he wrote. There is some
thing almost uncanny in the idea of
a youngster being able to grasp such
ideas. let alone originate them and be
able to express them in the most diff
hcult of all creative forms.
Adding to the smaZement of it all
Is the fact that the entire composition,
the numbers for voice and chorus
L.. -
three weeks. nineteen days. in fact.
for after the composer began there
were two days in which he did not
feel like working. and idled to his
hearts content.
There are not many mature must
clans of rank and admitted achieve-
.ments who could have duplicated this
record. To some musicians who told
Master Williams that he should not
have worked that rapidly, but should
have put, on the product of his genius
more care and polish, he made the be-
wildered reply that he could not have
done il better had he taken limitless
time; that the present form was the
one in which IL came to him, and that
1t was out of the question for him to
work differently.
In the parlor of the little house in
Chingford are a grand organ and an
American upright piano, two noted in
struments. which were bought to aid in
the development of the musical gifts
nf young Williams Here he took HIS
studies and developed the melodies OF
the oratEio. 1t was only rarely that
he touched either organ or piano. He
could hear in his musicians mind all
that he was putting on paper, and knew
that when it was in place and the
quickly developed themes produced all
would sound as he intended 1t to- And
SO II proved.
George williams is one of family
NJ six, his father being a commercial
traveller and his mother a Scotch wo-
man of education and refinement.
George is a pale faced youth, shy,
retiring and just a trifle deaf, though
not enough so as to cause him to lose