SIR.

January 1780. THE admirable Crichton was confi dered as the wonder of his age; because, when twenty years old, he was mafter of twelve languages, of all sciences, and of all exercises. [15.432.]

William Crotch is in these days confidered as a most extraordinary phænomenon; because, at two years of age, he began to play (felf-taught) on the organ. [9.]

But what is all this to the wonderful learned boy of Lubeck? He knew, and would repeat, the principal facts in the five books of Mofes before he was one year old; - and he went on in the fame proportion.

But to do justice to the story, I shall transcribe it from a book, in the German language, published at Gottingen and Lubeck, intitled, The life, actions, trawels, and death, of a child, very lenfible and well-behaved, four years of age, Chriflian Henry Heineken, of Lubeck: recorded by his teacher, Chriftian de Schoeneich.

"CHRISTIAN HENRY HEINEKEN was born at Lubeck, Feb. 6. 1721, and died there, June 27. 1725, after having difplayed the most amazing proofs of intellectual talents. He had not completed his first year of life, when he already knew and recited the principal facts contained in the five books of Mofes, with a number of verses on the creation. In his fourteenth month he knew all the hiftory of the Bible; in his thirtieth month, the hiftory of the nations of antiquity, geography, anatomy, the use of maps, and nearly eight thousand Latin words; before the end of his third year, the history of Denmark, and the genealogy of the crowned heads of Europe; in his fourth year, the doctrines of divinity, with their proofs from the Bible; ecclefiaftical history; the Institutions; two hundred hymns with their tunes; eigh ty Pfalms; entire chapters of the Old and New Testament; fifteen hundred verses and fentences from ancient Latin claffics; almoft the whole Orbis Pictus of Comenius, whence he had derived all his knowledge of the Latin tongue; arithmetic; the history of the European empires and kingdoms; could point out in the maps whatever place he was asked for, or paffed by in his journjes, and recite all the ancient and modern hiftorical anecdotes relating to it. His stupendous memory caught and preserved every word he was told: his ever-active imagination

used, at whatever he saw or [heard, instantly to apply, according to the laws of afflociation of ideas, some examples or sentences from the Bible, from geography, from profane or ecclefiaftical hiftory, from the Orbis Pictus, or from ancient classics. At the court of Denmark he delivered twelve speeches, without once faultering; and underwent public examinations on a variety of fubjects, especially the history of Denmark. He spoke German, Latin, French, and Low Dutch. He was exceedingly good-natured and well-behaved; but of a moft tender and delicate bodily constitution; never ate any folid food, but chiefly subfifted on nurse's milk; and, notwithstanding his weak ftate of health, fought all his fatisfaction, pleasure, and amufement, in the acquisition of knowledge.

[What a pity that the imprudent parents and teachers of so admirable a child, probably from avaricious motives, could ftrain his mental faculties, in fo tender an age, and so weak a state of health, to such a degree and variety of premature, prepofterous, and useless exertions, as muft neceffarily have exhaufted his strength and shortened his life!]

He was celebrated all over Europe, under the name of the Learned Child of Lubeck. He died at the age of four years, four months, twenty days, and twentyone hours; and his death was recorded in a number of periodical papers: but his native place, Lubeck, erected no monument to this prodigy of Nature."

GENEROSITY: An Anecdote.

AN elderly gentleman, a merchant in Glasgow, took a young man into a nominal partnership, allowing him only the salary of a clerk. After a faithful service of seven years, he one day called him by name, saying, Mr, I have been confidering the nature of our articled agreement and business-accounts; the latter are confiderably increased since our junction: your perfonal reputation is high in the world, and I have come to a refolution to reward your merits. Accept this fum, which is a fourth of our profits for seven years past; it will make a little bank of your own. I fhall continue you a real partner on the fame terms with my last, being perfuaded your good fenfe, honefty, and abilities, will make a proper use of my friendship.

Account

Account of an INFANT MUSICIAN.

By Charles Burney, Doctor of Mufic. In a letter to Dr W. Hunter, Feb.9.1779. From the Phil. Tranf. vol. 69. part 1. William Crotch was born at Norwich, July 5.1775. His father, by trade a carpenter, having a paffion for mufic, of which however he had no knowledge, undertook to build an organ; on which, Las foon as it would speak, he learned to play two or three common tunes, such as, "God fave great George our King;" "Let Ambition fire thy Mind;" and "the Eafter hymn;" with which, and fuch chords as were pleasing to his ear, : he used to try the perfection of his inftru

ment.

About Christmas 1776, when the child was only a year and a half old, he disco vered a great inclination for music, by leaving even his food to attend to it when the organ was playing: and about Midfammer 1777, he would touch the keyDote of his particular favourite tunes, in order to perfuade his father to play them. Soon after this, as he was unable to name these tunes, he would play the two or three first notes of them, when he thought the key-note did not fufficiently explain which he wished to have played.

But, according to his mother, it seems to have been in consequence of his hawing heard the fuperior performance of Mrs Lulman, a musical lady, who came to try his father's organ, and who not only played on it, but sung to her own accompaniment, that he first attempted to play a tune himself: for, the fame evening, after her departure, the child cried, and was so peevish that his mother was wholly unable to appease him. At length, paffing through the diningroom, he screamed and struggled violeatly to go to the organ; in which When he was indulged, he eagerly beat down the keys with his little fists, as other children usually do after finding themselves able to produce a noise, which pirafes them more than the artificial performance of real melody or harmony by sthers.

The next day, however, being left, while his mother went out, in the diBing-room with his brother, a youth of soout fourteen years old, he would not let him rest till he blew the bellows of the organ, while he fat on his knee, and beat down the keys; at first promifcuoufly; but presently, with one hand, YOL. XLII.

he played enough of "God save great George our King" to awaken the curiofity of his father; who being in a garret, which was his workshop, haftened down stairs to inform himself who was playing this tune on the organ. When he found it was the child, he could hardly believe what he heard and faw. At this time he was exactly two years and three weeks old, as appears by a copy I have obtained of the register in the parish of St George's, Colgate, Norwich, signed by the Rev. Mr Tapps, Minifter.

When his mother returned, the father defired her to go up stairs with him, as he had fomething curious to shew her. She obeyed; and was as much surprised as the father on hearing the child play the first part of "God fave great George our King." g." The next day he made himself master of the treble of the fecond part; and the day after he attempted the base, which he performed nearly correct in every particular.

In the beginning of November 1777, he played both the treble and base of "Let ambition fire thy mind."

Upon the parents relating this extraordinary circumftance to fome of their neighbours, they laughed at it; and, regarding it as the effect of partial fondness for their child, advised them by no means to mention it, as fuch a marvellous account would only expose them to ridicule. However, a few days after, Mr Crotch being ill, and unable to go out to work, Mr Paul, a mafter-weaver by whom he was employed, paffing accidentally by the door, and hearing the organ, fancied he had been deceived, and that Crotch had stayed at home in order to divert himself on his favourite inftrument. Fully prepossessed with this idea, he entered the house, and, fuddenly opening the dining-room door, faw the child playing on the organ while his brother was blowing the bellows. Mr Paul thought the performance so extraordinary, that he immediately brought two or three of the neighbours to hear it; who propagating the news, a croud of near a hundred people came the next day to hear the young performer; and, on the following days, a still greater number flocked to the house from all quarters of the city; till, at length, the child's parents were forced to limit his exhibition to certain days and hours, in order to lessen his fatigue, and exempt themfelves from the inconvenience of conftant attendance on the curious multitude.

B

This

with a letter I received from Norwich, and of which the following is an extract.

"There is now in this city a musical prodigy, which engages the conversation, and excites the wonder of every body. A boy, fon to a carpenter, of only two years and three quarters old, from hearing his father play on an organ which he is making, has difcovered fuch mufical powers as are scarcely credible. He plays a variety of tunes, and has from memory repeated fragments of feveral voluntaries which he heard Mr Garland, the organist, play at the cathedral. He has likewife accompanied a perfon who played perion wh upon the flute, not only with a treble, but has formed a base of his own, which to common hearers feems harmonious, If any perfon plays false, it throws him into a passion directly; and though his Jittle fingers can only reach a fixth, he often attempts to play chords. He does not feem a remarkably clever child in any other respect; but his whole foul is abforbed in mufic. Numbers croud daily to hear him, and the musical people are all amazement *."

The child being but two years and eight months old when this letter was written, his performance must have appeared confiderably more wonderful than at present: for as he seems to have received scarce any instructions, and to have purfued no regular course of study or practice fince that time, it can hardly be imagined ima that he is much improved. However, experience must have informed him what series or combination of founds was most offenfive to his ear; but such is his impetuofity, that he never dwells long on any note or chord: and indeed his performance must originally have been as much under the guidance of the eye as the ear; for when his hand unfortunately falls upon wrong notes, the ear cannot judge till it is too late to correct the mistake. However, habit,

• His father, who has lately been in London, and with whom I have conversed since this account was drawn up, all the particulars of which he has confirmed, told me, that when he first carried the child to the cathe. dral, he used to cry the instant he heard the loud organ, which, being fo much more powerful than that to which he had been accustomed at home, he was some time before he could bear without discovering pain, occafioned, perhaps, by the extreme delicacy of his ear, and the irritability of his nerves.

of another sense, that of feeling, now direct him to the keys, which he preffes down, as he hardly ever looks at them.

The first voluntary he heard with attention was performed at his father's house by Mr Mully, a mufic-master; and as foon as he was gone, the child feeming to play on the organ in a wild and different manner from what his mother was accustomed to hear, she asked him what he was doing? And he replied, "I am playing the gentleman's fine thing." But she was unable to judge of the resemblance. However, when Mr Mully returned a few days after, and was aiked, whether the child had remembered any of the passages in his voluntary, he answered in the affirmative. This happened about the middle of November 1777, when he was only two years and four months old; and for a confiderable time after he would play nothing else but these paffages.

Such was the rapid progress this child had made at this time, in judging of the agreement of founds, that he played the Easter hymn with full harmony; and in the last two or three bars of Hallelujah,. where the fame found is sustained, he played chords with both hands, by which the parts were multiplied to fix; which he had great difficulty in reaching, on account of the shortness of his fingers. In making a base to tunes which he had recently caught by his ear, whenever the harmony difpleased him, he would continue the treble note till he had formed a better accompaniment.

From this period his memory was very accurate in retaining any tune that pleased him: and being present at a concert where a band of gentlemen-performers played the overture in Rodelinda, he was so delighted with the minuet, that the next morning he hummed part of it in bed; and by noon, without any further affiftance, played the whole on the

organ.

His chief delight at present is in playing voluntaries; which certainly would not be called mufic, if performed by one of riper years, being deficient in harmony and measure; but they manifest such a discernment and selection of notes as is truly wonderful, and which, if fpontaneous, would surprise at any age. But though he executes fragments of common tunes in very good time, yet no adherence to any particular measure is difcoverable

coverable in his voluntaries; nor have I ever observed in any of them that he tried to play in triple time. If he discovers a partiality for any particular meafure, it is for dactyls of one long and two short notes, which conftitute that species of common time in which many streettunes are composed; particularly the first part of the Belleifle March, which, perhaps, may first have suggested this meafure to him, and impressed it in his memory. And his ear, though exquisitely formed for difcriminating founds, is as yet only captivated by vulgar and common melody, and is fatisfied with very imperfect harmony. I examined his countenance when he first heard the voice of Signor Pacchierotti, the principal finger of the opera, but did not find that he feemed fenfible of the fuperior tafte and refinement of that exquisite performer: however, he called out very foon after the air was begun, "He is finging in F."

One of the astonishing properties of his ear, is, that he can diftinguish at a great distance from any inftrument, and out of fight of the keys, any note that is struck, whether A, B, C, &c. In this I have repeatedly tried him, and never found him mittaken even in the half-notes; a circumstance the more extraordinary, as many practitioners and good performers are unable to diftinguish by the ear at the opera, or elsewhere, in what key any air or piece of music is executed.

But this child was able to find any note that was ftruck in his hearing, when out of fight of the keys, at two years and a half old, even before he knew the let ters of the alphabet: A circumstance fo extraordinary, that I was very curious to know, when and in what manner this faculty first discovered itself; and his father fays, that in the middle of January 1778, while he was playing the organ, a particular note hung, or, to speak the language of organ-builders, ciphered, by which the tone was continued without the preffure of the finger and though neither himself nor his elder fon could find out what note it was, the child, who was then amusing himself with draw ing on the floor, left that employment, and going to the organ, immediately laid his hand on the note that ciphered. Mr Crotch, thinking this the effect of chance, the next day purposely caufed feveral notes to cipher, one after the other; all which he inftantly difcovered; and at

last he weakened the springs of two keys at once, which, by preventing the valves of the wind-cheft from clofing, occafioned a double cipher, both of which he directly found out. Any child, indeed, that is not an idiot, who knows black from white, long from short, and can pronounce the letters of the alphabet by which musical notes are called, may be taught the names of the keys of the harpfichord in five minutes; but, in general, five years would not be sufficient, at any age, to impress the mind of a musical student with an infallible reminiscence of the tones produced by these keys, when not allowed to look at them.

Another wonderful part of his prematurity, was the being able, at two years and four months old, to transpose into the most extraneous and difficult keys whatever be played; and now, in his extemporaneous flights, he modulates into all keys with equal facility.

The last qualification which I shall point out as extraordinary in this infant musician, is the being able to play an extemporary base to easy melodies when performed by another perfon upon the same instrument. He generally gives the key-note to passages formed from its common chord and its inverfions, and is quick at difcovering when the fifth of the key will ferve as a base. At other times he makes the third of the key ferve as an accompaniment to melodies formed from the harmony of the chord to the key-note; and if simple passages are played flow, in a regular progreffion ascending or defcending, he foon finds out, that thirds or tenths, below the treble, will ferve his purpose in furnishing an agreeable accompaniment.

At present, all his own melodies are imitations of common and eafy paffages, and he seems infenfible to others. Example is the only method by which such an infant can be taught; and if he were to hear only good melody and harmony, he would doubtless try to produce something fimilar : but at prefent he plays nothing correctly, and his voluntaries are little less wild than the native notes of a lark or a blackbird. Nordoes he, as yet, feem a fubject for instruction; for till his reason is fufficient'y matured to comprehend and retain the precepts of a master, trammels of rule would b it disgust, and, if forced upon him, deftroy the miraculous parts of his felf-taught performance.

Ba

Cariout