DISCOVERED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 792, 15 April 1910, Page 8

DISCOVERED.

THEEE MUSICAL PRODIGIES. . There is no bettor judge of musical talent in New Zealand than Mr'. Hugo Gorlitz. His association as . manager with such artists as Paderewski, Kubelik, and . numerous others, . allied to' his ''artistic temperament and training, may be taken as , sufficient guarantee of that. He has just returned from Christchurcli, where he has made a discovery.. It is a family of tliros young people—the Ellwoods—of Armagh Street, Chris'eluirch. They are, Mt;. Gorlitz declares, musical prodigies of brilliant promise. .;

' "They are marvellous," said Mr. Gorljtz- to a Dominion leporter. .The eldest', boy, Henry, is seventeen years of age—and he plays delightfully—on a bad violiu. He is a fine executant, and has the temperament that makes great violinists! He ■ has only hnd half p quarter's tuition from Zimmerman. He played the Schubert—AYilheli:y "Avo Slaria" to me, and played it so well that if he had "a good violin he would challenge comparison with Kubelik. What do you think of that, eh ? The girl, Pauline, aged 15, is the pianist. She has had one quarter's! tuition from Bunz—that's all! She plays beautifully,, and I was told promised to develop a bcaatiful voice. But the boy, George, just 11 years old—when he played he made a creepy feeliug run down my back, aud I could not keep the tears out of my eyes. Ho has had lio tuition, save ' what his father, has given him,' and I don't know if that was much. These children aro natural born musicians. I heard them play one of D'Areuski's trio—a very trying thing for any musicians, no matter who they be. They played it almost perfectly. I heard tho little fellow—the 'cellist—play Popper's "Rhapsody," one of tho most difficult solos written for the 'cello. Oh, he was lovely in it! ■ AVho are their parents? "Their parents—well, their mother keeps ii second-hand shop and the father is a tailor. The father realises the talent which his children possess, and he has been scraping. every- penny together to give them tuition and to send them Home; We Will do it quicker now. I am going to ■'tour them through New Zealand to raise funds to send them Horn*. "ThejNwill appear in Wellington towards the end of the month, will then visit Palinerston North, Wanganui, New Plymouth, Napier, and Auckland, and will then return to Christchurcli for a big farewell concert."

! 'My discoveries, did not end with the Ellwoods. I have found a beautiful singer with a voice like that which Calve had 20 years ago—a soprano with a contralto quality, with a fine natural production. She takes the high C like a bird. She is a hospital nurse, Hiss WinnLo Nixon, daughter of a New Plymouth clergyman', anil a sister of Mr Nixon, sub-editor of tlio Christchurcli 'Evening News.' ,Why haven't we htard of her? Because slio" had be?n so discouraged by people and had seen so many. failures on (lie part of those who wont Home that she had lost confidence 'in herself. Miss Nixon will tour with the. Ellwoods, and afterward—well, who knows ?—sho, too, may go Homo, and become perfect in an art .which, she is born to."