The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-03-07

of him that when he was only three
years old the only toys which seemed
to interest him wer tiny wooden viol-
ms. Before he was five, happening to
lay hands upon some discarded violin
strings, he extemDorized all instru-
ment from these and an old cigar box.
But the stick which had to do duty for
a bow was Inadequate and his inces-
SAINT cry was for a real bow. When
his nurse bought him one at the mod
est outlay of 27 cents he was a musl-
clan, and before long was able to play
on this primitive apparatus most of
the tunes he heard, to his own great
delight and the wondering admiration
of the neighbors, who were astounded
at his skill.
Such an unusual gift demanded rec
ognition, so that, as a result, by the
time he was six, he had real little
violin and was, taking lessons. This
continued under various teachers III
Copenhagen till he was -, when, to
his great Joy, he was allowed to go
to Berlin and given the opportunity OF
fine teaching at the hands of Carl
Halir, the leading violinist of the roy
al opera there.
But now, Oh the death Of his moth
er, from whom he tai inherited his
musical genius, he was face to face
with a new difficulty. Playing was all
very we'll as a young mans amuse-
ment. To think of it, as he now in
evitably did, as a life calling was an
other thing. The keen, practical busi-
ness sense Of his father would have
none of it, and help from this quarter
was denied him.
But opposition is never a real OBJ
stacle to genius, and at the age Of &c
he returned to Berlin and there the re-
cognition of real talent which so con-
stantly distinguishes the masters,
Josephr Joachim, the king of violin
lists, took him as a pupil for three
years.
By this time, though, it was obvious
even to his father that Axel Skov-
gard was destined to the life service
of his art, and so it was that when in
1899 an opportunity came Of buying
the magnificent Stradivarius violin on
which Skovgaard now always plays,
parental opposition gave way to def
mite and hearty practical encourage
ment.
Steadily and surely he began to
make his way as a European perfor-
mer. He had the good fortune to play
twice before the late King Christian,
of Denmark, at another time before
the late King Oscar of Sweden, and
again TO Hakon, the present king of
Norway. He also won the attention
of Wilhelm, emperor OF Germany, in
1902, when he appeared as soloist at
the opening of the Royal Berlin Aca-
denny of Music, with the result that
twice since the emperor has, through
Joseph Joachim, had him invited to
play ct private concerts in the royal
palace in Berlin.
For the past few years he has been
touring as the ShoVgaard Concert
party, where, with the assistance OF
a singer and G pianiste, he himself is
responsible for a programme which
proves its worth in that it keeps him
playing every night in spite of the
travelling strain this of necessity i'm
poses.
Skovgaard is an artist whose power
has had time to mature and to gain
those finer qualities of balance and
resource Of Interpretation which can
come in no other way than by the
steady development Of the musician
himself il devotion to his inborn and
chosen art.
Price for admission to this a1trac-
ton will be - cents. The tickets can
now be obtained from a number Of
the college students. No one can real
" accord to miss the opportunity OF
hearing the S1-~'-oaord Concert ~9~t''