The Washington herald., 1920-11-22
PRODIGY HAS
WONDER VOICE
Robert Murray, l2-Year-old
Singer, Can Reach Octave
Over Prima Donna's.
BIRD-NOTE DISTINCTIVE
Experts Declare Boys Sci
enti6c Perception Is
Most Remarkable.
nv wINIFRED VAN DUxER.

BY wINIFRED VAN DUZER.
he used to toddle into the orchard
back of his fathers home in the
West to sing to the trees
His mother pridefully shows pic
ture of him with meadow larks set
tied on his baby shoulders, joining
the song.
When he was 6 he heard and read
Of the great war and said Mother.
the world needs a lullaby" He
wrote one, words and music. a poig-
nant bit that haunts memory.
Astonishes Music World.
Now that he is IL you may see him
any day toiling up the steps of Car
negie Hall in New York to astonish
such of the musical world as gather
in a studio there with the voice
which lured the birds and with the
strange aptitude for technique which
enabled him to write scores correct
ly almost before he could hold q PEN
Gil.
He is Robert Murray. third spec
tacular Offering in boy prodigies
which included Edward Roche
Hardy, Columbia's 12-year-old lin
euistic marvel, and Samuel Rzessew-
ski. S-year-old chess expert Of Po-
land.
But attainments of the last named
boys are in no. class with Roberts
soaring genius which. according to
his teachers and distinguished MEM
bers of the Metropolitan Opera Com
pany who have heard him mark him
for one of the few great singers of
all time.
Has Wonderful Range.
The most astonishing feature Of
the boys voice is a range carrying
to the C over high C on the piano
/ keyboard. q whole octave higher
| than the range of most distinguished
prima donnas.
Frederick Haywood, who has been
training his voice for nearly a year,
had this to say:
Robert has a set of bird tones
/ which take him through an extra
/ scale running up TO within three
or four notes below the ending of
the piano keyboard.
This is a freak quirk of the voice.
produced perhaps no more than once
each generation.
Range of Nearly Five Octaves.
Combining the third tones with
his regular singing voice, he has a
range of nearly five octaves!
"Dr. Fank Miller, the noted throat
specialist who cares for Caruso and
other members OF the Metropolitan
Opera Company, declares the boys
scientific perception to be the most
rmarkable he ever has found We
take that as an indication that he
some time may rival the record OF
the great king of tenorsr'
Robert is a quiet-mannered, un-
selfconscious boy; exquisitelg bred
a bit tall, with the stamp of artistic
temperament everything robustness
It is in his soft, shining hair; I'm
gers almost too long; sharply
marked ears. The old Italian mas
ters would have loved his face
dreamy-eyed, forceful of chin.
Learned EIectrician's Trade.
This last feature seemed to ex-
plain what his mother who, with his
grandmother and baby brother came
from Tacoma. Washington, to be
with him during his training here
told with the proud affection which
friends and teachers seem to wrap
around him.
I'VE allowed him to learn the elec-
trician's trade not long ago. He was
interested in all things electrical. Sc
we sent him to a regular electrician
and he took such a practical course
of training that he could do that
work IL necessary.
1T was only recently" she con-
tinued, that we realized what his
voice means- He always sang; when
he was a baby he called the birds
with his bird tones and they Otter
| futtered round him and returned
again and again to sing with him
FINALLY his TEACHER obtained ar
addition before Mime. Frances Aida
when she was travelling through Ia
coma. She advised us to come Eas,
at once where he could have suffi-
cient opportunity to develop what she
declared an unusual voice. 1t prac.
tically meant moving here though
Roberts father, who is an attorney
remained in the West and comes or
occasionally to visit. Later, wher
Caruso and his voice specialist, Mar.
akiotti, indorsed Mime. Alda's deci.
sion, we felt that we had no choice
but to remain.
Robert has private tutors for
school work and his lesson each day
All last summer we spent ats Rock.
away where he could swim-ths
sport he most enjoys
The wonder boy laughingly put In
good word for baseball and foot.
ball, as he sat quietly by. It was
not until he stood upon the studio
rostrum that his personality begar
to glow; with the first piano note
the oddly strong chin went up.
1t was as IL dawn had released ali
the birds in the world the while one
of them scared, silver--winged, into
the rising sun. Almost unbelievable
that a human voice could accomplish
what the boys did. Haywood, his
teacher, explained that 1t could be
neither taught nor acquired. He said
I'VE are training the boys voice
as something distinctive from the
bird tones. The .boy-voice will
change with years; what it will be-
come-tenor. baritone-I could not
even guess. But the bird tones he
always will keep as sometbine
uniquely his own.
Grand opera has no repertoire
for what is his. He will look for
ward to the concert stage, though
we believe he will be greater con-
cert singer than the world has
known"
spuANT0M THEE, DArv