The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-11
REAL GENIUS IN WANT IS
FOUND PLAYING VIOLIN
ON BIRMINGHAM STREETS
rs Es!fiEEtfgIl[EEH1fEEEl Factory Cleanup Sale
ny Mrs. ELOURNoY RIVERS
f Extension. National Federation Musical Clubs

player-there was mastery in his initial
| stroke Mastery in the sonorous beauty
and breadth of tone following. Mastery
that only European apprenticeship, and
a life spent under the shadow of such a S
Joachim and Ysaye could bring to Il
violnist. ] saw a dark foreigner, un-
lIempt. unshorn, lifting sightess eyes from
his bow to the winter skies, and as he
played he tossed long locks back from a
head so strangely like the great Belgian,
\ saye, that for a second ] wondered il
the master was indeed in our midst play
ing the old trick genius has often loved to
perpetrate (and that Tetrazzini tried so
successfully in New York; namely, Dress
ing success in rags and piping to the
street corners to see whether fame drew
the populace or pure love of art, Alas it
was no masquerade we were witnessing
but the World-old. pitiful spectacle of the
flaming sword of genius in the guant
hand of poverty Genius In rags shiver-
ing on the curb, and playing for life's
dlrest, commonest needs of roof and a
crust! A strange pathetic, awry old world
This is. Snug respectability, successful.
mediocrity unaba shed ignorance, crowded
sEily past him unheeding
But no darkness of blinded eyes. no
benumbing chill of winter, no needless
ness of the passer-by, was checking this
player. On shining wings of dream and
memory he was sending the "Thais Medi-
tation' straight out into the storm heart
of the eitys streets Usually, when such
training and talent as Piet van de Nicer
possesses makes its call from the gutter
1t spells alcohol But no tremulous al
coholio fingers ever drew such strong
pure sweetness of tone, such delicious
nuances, such cascades of limpid scale
ana trill as this young Hollander was
flooding the wintry dusk with, His is n
of linn 10
Illness, blindness, operation after opera
ton in New York-exhausted financesi
Debarreo from practicing his profession
by lack of vision (he is a solo violinist
and conductor of orchestras) he is try
ing to cross the continent back to Los
Angeles and his motherl He has studied
IN Berlin and Brussels under Joachim and
1saye and others And in DAYS past he
has had his artistic successes and de-
serves the good will of good people He
Is no begsar, but fellow man and a
genius in need. move is on foot to
give Mr.. Van de Nicer a benefit concert
at Gable hall. admission 50 cents Miss
Aoams will assist. also Miss Norma
Scholar and others He will play. The
man is an artist of distinction and this
Is diginified and practical way of help
ing nm. Tickets can be had at Forbes
drug store at Five Points also at Cable
iall and at Norton's.
The 'fnfinite capacity for painstakins''
| IN things of art which Bach defines as
genius, incapacitates many men for the
| business world. Seldom does an artist
| have money sense along with art sense,
The hours and Years of patient toll. alone
with the ideal of beauty, makes him a
/ dreamer OF dreams, seer of visions
! What chance has such In this ruthless
| age of iron facts and iron men, when the
mighty spoilers overtake him? Sensi-
| tive souls can suffer so horribly, There
| fcre ] make plea to Birmingham in
| behalf of Piet van de Nicer He can be
found almost any time in one of the
studios on the fourth floor of the Watts
hrilding.