The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-09-20

WISER on the
keyboard, a composer In his own
right and IN amazing mimic. He
Is the Sheila Barrett Of the flats
and sharps.
Blind since birth, he began
playing the plano at two, and In
q year was so proficient he would
reprimand his sisters when they
played q wrong note.
II cannot bear to hear wrong
notes." was his not-so-childish
way Of putting II, Not until he
was five years old, did his par
ents let him know that he was In
any way different from other
children.
ELBOWED
HIS TUNES
Before he was five, he set out
tc build uIo O real plano piece"
which he still recalls as his first
known composition" His imag-
nation an ahead OF his physical
proves, however, and where his
hands could not span the keys, he
used his elbow. A similar tale Is
told about Mozart, who was sup
posed 10 have employed his nose.
AS the Italians say--if not true,
II Is well invented.
Templeton was born near Car
diff, South Wales. When 1t was
established that Alec was going to
be q genius, his father sold his
farming interests and went 10 live
In London. At IL Alec was adj
mitted TO the Royal Academy Of
Music where he studied plano,
harmony, fugue, composition and
improvisation under the best
masters,
The fact that all musical scores
had not yet been published In
Braille was compensated for by
Templeton's amazing memory. He
would near an intricate piece OF
Beethoven chamber music two or
three times and have the score
down pat.
And he won the British Broad
casting Company's first prize for
the best original composition two
years In q row-from field OF O
thousand competitors, none Of
them handicapped by disabilities
approaching his,
MUSICAL SATIRE
A LONG SUIT
Fame came 10 him quickly. The
peculiar feature OF Templeton's
talent Is his amazing versatility.
Not content with playing the
plano like an angel, and compos-
Ing, he launched himself into O
field OF music almost completely
ignored; satire. Because Of his
amazing ear, Templeton can catch
the style OF composer almost
before he knows the actual notes
In the composition.
AS O Joke, TO please his friends,
he began to play popular music
In the style OF Bach, Debussy and
Wagner--and had his audience II
stitches. Jack Hyltcn's band, at
the height Of Its popularity In
London, made him an offer TO
tour which no accepted, For q
year, he appeared as separate
entertainer with the orchestra and
came TO America with II. The fol-
lowing year, he came back by
himself.
He began branching out. He
sometimes accompanied his i'm
provisations with songs; q Lon
don cockney, for instance, singing
the Liebestod from Tristan and
Isolde, or @ college Tristan and
Gilbert ard Sullivan. The amaz-
ing part Of II all Is that although
the students OF music relish his
talents, they seem 10 think they
are the only ones who truly APP
preciate him.
They are mistaken Temple
ton, like ell true artists, appeals
To the erudite and the uninitiated
as well. Audiences who can't tell
q Mozart sonata from q Bach flu
que, nevertheless howl at his In
tricate mockery OF the masters, as
they would be murdered by a Cab
Galloway or Benny Goodman.
HIS IDOL
Is DEBUSSY
Debussy Is Templeton's idol
and he predicted long before
the popularization OF "Reverie"
that the simpler melodies OF the
great French composer would be
whstled on the street II popular
musicians ever got around to him.
Templeton does not know what
light Is. BIT what he cannot see,
he tries to learn from what others
have witnessed. He Is one OF the
few who can read Braille both In
Frerch and English. Who knows
perhaps AS one writer put 1t,
he was deprived Of sight so that
Ill