Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-09-08
PROF. ]. B. WEISS

per your request IN letter OF recent
date will tell you the the little
that know of Prof. John B. Weiss.
and it is probably as much rs any one
else now living knows unless it be w.
D. Whitman, who was a friend and
pupil of his. L his grand old musical
genius was a native of Germany. and
told me that he was fifteen years old
when he first landed in New York
City, an that his first engagement was
playing first violin in the Franklin
Square Theatre Orchestra, one of the
leading theatres in the city at that
time, and that when he commenced
his musical education that he practic-
ed the scales, chords and bowling solid
time every day for two years, before
he was given a piece to play, and
right here let me say that every key
in the sharps and flats were as easy
for him to play as the other; also
chords and harmouics, and such a
touch as he had, and command of his
bow, | never saw eXcelled. He could
make violin sound different from
any one else, and whilst often heard
him play for others when asked,
never but once heard him play as |
little dreamed that he could, and that
was when we were alone together in
ii room, and after he had taken a tod
dy, and after asking me what he
should play. l said "play for yourself
Professor. l do not know what to ask
you to play, - and for over an hour
thought | was in heaven. His fingers
ran from one end of the finger board
to the other, and at times he handled
the bow with lightning rapidity, and
trilled like the hooking bird. was
enchanted, thought was in dream,
and never since have | heard any one
play the violin that made it sound
like he did. His ear was very accutc
to sound, and he could tell the least
defect, in tuning or playing, and if
he heard sound he could tell you
what note and key it was in, and in
his instruction he would correct every
defect or error that was made-you
had to learn it perfectly. In person
he was large, being at least six feet
high, with very large hands and feet,
ard whilst not of handsome features,
was of commanding aspect, and per-
feet gentleman in his manner. From
what l learned of him, he first came
to Tazewell before the civil war and
taught music in the early fifties or
earlier, Mrs. Kate G. Peery being one
of his pupils. When he left Tazewell
| do not know, but he came back after
the war, and | think during that time
or in part, he was in charge of ma
rine band. My father moved to Taze-
well the latter part of 1875, and my
sister took lessons from him during
the following year. In 1877 | think
it was | took him to Concord, w.
Va, where the Christies had opened a
school some seven or eight miles be-
You'd Princeton. He taught there one
session and came back to Tazewell
'NSsS AZ a lew lllOllJilS, anu
then went to Blacksburg to teach a
band, and after leaving there he went
to Kentucky and taught, and his
health having failed him he came
back to Tazewell in the fall of 1883,
as well as recollect, evidently to
spend the rest of his days, among his
Tazeweli friends, for he had many.
lie got room in the basement of the
courthouse, and taught white band,
and also a colored band, and a short
time before he died he got room at
Aunt Julia Moore's, and while confin-
ed to his bed with rheumatism, still
continued to give lessons, and perhaps
less than half an hour after he had
given one of his pupils a lesson, and
scored him for not learning to keep
the right time, another pupil went to
take his lesson, and found him lying
in his bed dead. The old man was
buried just to the left of the entrance
to the old cemetery, and | think John
Branscom is above him, and then DIR.
O.E. Herbert. | have always thought
that he deserved at least some kind of
a mark at his grave, as he gave to
Tazewell a reputation for good music
that other counties did not have, and
gave to them higher class of music
and if program made up of his
pieces could have been given by some
of his pupils few years ago, have
no doubt but that quite a nice little
sum could have been raised for that
purpose. and as it was when left
Virginia not even a board marked his
last resting place. This is all that
can tell in limited space. Perhaps
Mr.. Whitman or some one else can tell
you more than 1.
Well, am glad to see that the sick
are all doing well. Whilst no mention
is made in the paper 1 take it for
granted that my old friend, Major T.
P. Bowen is improving. | think of
him every day. for am walking with
little white thorn cane, that he used