JEAN GERARDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 174, 6 August 1901, Page 2

JEAN GERARDY.

THE BELGIAN VIOLONCELLIST. j Jean Gerardy is a Belgian* born! December 7tb, 1877, in Liege. His father was Master of tbe Oonservaonum of Liege. At, the age of seven V.e eut-i'S'l t>>*) <Jmifttti'vutorinm, aed six mouths lit r captured the second prize "i compo;it : on with young men of ;w aity years arid more an unhea'd jt achievement. Bellman, the greit violoncellittt of tho II xkman Quartette, j had never had a pupil, but o i hearing he glidly undertook tbe instruction of the young prodigy, who .subsequently continued his les-'ons under another Ctk'ba'ed 'cellist, Mis'au, of Yerviers. He made bis first public appearance at the age of nine, at Liege, though his graduation did not occur until he reached the age ■if eleven, when he went forth the youngest graduate the OopasrVato ium had over made. Oue of the most important concert then was in conjunction w'fch Paderewski and Ysaye, with whom he p rforrnei the trio of jßubenstein. The very fact that, a boy of only eleven years was considered by these great artists worthy 'o be heard in trios with them was in itsel' a compliment extraordinary and ■mdoabted homage to genuine worth. The Kanm ye r ha made a tour of Eng•tnd with th°m, and at the Crystal Palace, upon his fist appearance in London, Paderewski, desiring to show his appreciation of G jrardy's genius, pla ed the piano accompmimcnt for him, a rarl tribute from one .'re«t artist to another He then went it'> Gernuny, and appearing first with Haas vo i Bulo <•, and in tha leading j itifs, his succ si was sensational. In V e >ra was called " the of H-i'cell ." When in Eagl md be was frequently summoned to Windsir to p'ay to the late Qa en Victoria, with '■vhjin he became a great favo' iti", and Gerardy treasures mauy coi'ly gifts b stow»d up >n him by her Majesty. At sixteen he ws-n-. to Americi with 'he pianist, and his success wa-i • qua'ly as gre*t as iu Burops. Thr. e tim-s he l a visited Russia, and won the highest honours. In Spain the Qu<;en summoned bim to the pahce, and with her own hands at'a"hed to the youn? 'cellist the bidge of the Order of Knight of Isabella la Catholiqua—a decoration never bestowed before on pne of his age. In bis ability met with such immediate recognition that he was again decorated, this time with the Order of an Officer of the Pudic Instruction, just one grade removed from that of tbe Legion of Honor, which tide was denied him only b/ reason of his years. Re was the fist ' ji-llist evu- so honoured in Fiance. He has thrice visited Aine i"a, ar d each , time found his audijiic s more enthusiastic in his favour than 1 v.-r. Gerardy, at the age of twenty-thiee, is reco„'uis°d »a the f-.ii'emoit in the world, arid ne has played engagements with only the greatest mus'eal stcinties and ovchettras iu the countries he has vi.sitei!,a-)ho::our never before extended to one of his youth. He p'ays one of the best known instruments made by Stridavarius, purchase i at a cost of .£2OOO fiom Geerge 11-irt, the celebrated London dealer,