A BABY MUSICIAN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 548, 1 July 1909, Page 3

A BABY MUSICIAN.

, ; The infant ,i'mußicol"prodigy''.- is.said -to -be 'a special feature- of 'our time;-/and c many , stones-are told of -vouthful genius which too .■ : oSlen.does not. fulfil its early.promise. ;How,ever; -we have plenty, of . examples where.the . opposite baa happened,- and the musical world of rto-idjiy is made richer by reason-of what was ten or twelve'.years- ago regarded aa mere,precocious talent,' being now ma-' tured by study and expenenoe, into - a- real 1 virtuosity. •.Still one iwonders. what will: be the fate of; the mere baby ■Who' is-just now giving "occasional recitals in London: She is a little giTl of .three, 7 who,'without 'any . acquired ;knowledge,of the theory: of music; or -sven its printed form,'can 'si,t at the'piano and play.. ; classical-'. masterpieces ■ such ; as ~ Haydn's > '.'Gipsy: Rondo," Mendelssohn's 'Springy Song, I .or a-concerto. by. Espinoza.. It is said no words canradequately describe the small one's playing, for it seemed most .difficult to believe eyes or .ears; This ; .tiny individual,. whoso, whole idea when , / . away from the piano seemed concentrated in tier Teddy, bear or her half-brother, sits down and seriously performs on a specially- . made, grand, just'as if she were a veteran. Her. dnnpled, childish .hands run over the notes with the precision and rapidity that only: cornea to adults after years of practice: And yet this, lnfant'-girl has had no .'training, nor ; docs she ever need persuasion to go to • the instrument. ; Her. fatner and mother-are . accomplished, musicians,- and • 'little ' Pilar's gift was accidentally-discovered 1 'when . she I was two.,years and four months: old by>her 1 nurse, who endeavoured to sing her to sleep i with a cradle, song. 'Instead of'sleepmg,. the I ,baby twisted herself, out of her nurse's arms I .and..went, to the piano. After a few efforts i she picked out tho tuno, and since then her ■ talent has further developed itself. ••Music | , is not forced on hor,* and -some days nothing <■■■ will persuade her to even look ' at' a; key-1 ■. .'-Board,' whilst >at other times she resists every | effort to remove her from it. ir : I