Judge, 1920-12-18 · page 5 of 32
Judge — December 18, 1920 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Child Composer" by Fairfax Downey This article discusses child prodigies in music composition—a phenomenon the author notes is rare compared to child performers. The piece references William Platt in the *British Journal of Psychology* and mentions that boys have occasionally composed original music. The illustration titled "Billy's One Ambition" (drawn by F. D. Joanson) depicts a child conducting or wielding a baton like a weapon against a kite. The cartoon appears to humorously contrast a child's musical aspirations with childish play—suggesting the gap between serious musical composition and children's actual interests and capabilities. The article explores why child composers are uncommon despite thousands of dollars being earned by child performers, using the author's own son's brief musical experiments as an example of childhood's fleeting creative moments.
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a Drawn by P. D. Jouxsox The Child Bitty’s Oxe Asusrrion Composer By Fatrrax Downey HH yw remain but few of the arts which the Child Prodigy has not picked on, played with and mastered. Such has been the vogue of young genius, that any authoress, for instance, who could write her age in one figure, could write her royalties in five. Literature and Art were the first to be converted into childish playthingsand put ona paying basis, Juvenilia, which the proud parents of the offspring used to force their dinner guests to listen to or inspect, actually came to be sought after. There have been child prodigies in Music, but only as per- formers. Now the London 7'imes, quoting William Platt in the British Journal of Psychology, comes forward and declares children have invaded the field of musical composition. A boy of eight and a girl of five were heard singing an original duet as they crossed Hampstead Heath Even more remarkable was the piece of music which was published as developed from a crooned” by a babe only four and one-half months melody old, says the Times. That revelation was a startling one to me. Not only from its intrinsic interest and the knowledge that thousands of dollars could be earned by such a child but also because it explains for baffling experience I had with my son about three o'clock My son is only three months old, a month m the other morning. and a hali younger than the child who crooned the original melody. [ may add with some pride. I failed to understand it at the time, when L heard a noise from my son's crib. In my ignorance I thought the sound was a peevish wail, Now I know that it may well have been the open- ing bars from an original concerto in G minor! To my shame be it said that I turned over in my bed and. ignored the music. The first movement in the concerto which had been almost pianissimo then was repeated somewhat allegro, as my talented son began to warm to the composition of his prelude. At that point, with my elbow L dug my wife in the ribs. [ wanted her to share the sound with me. But alas, my act was not inspired by any altruistic desire that she also be an enthralled auditor of what [ now realize to have been divine On the contrary, my object was that she take some harmonie: measures to still it My wife muttered a few cross words to me and commenced to sing a lullaby. I now comprehend why it seemed so dis cordant, intruding as it did on a melody which [ doubt if Beethoven at the age of three months, or even six months My son, like the true genius he is. could have equalled. hen continued politely waited for the interruption to ces to extemporize.