My favorite photographs of young musicians
contain a subtle quality that reveals
a musical talent that we may not hear,
but through the camera lens, we can see it.
contain a subtle quality that reveals
a musical talent that we may not hear,
but through the camera lens, we can see it.
We first notice a relaxed youthful posture
that exudes graceful poise and mature assurance.
that exudes graceful poise and mature assurance.
There is no awkward stiffness in the hands and arms,
nothing inept in the control of the instrument.
The youth's eyes are direct and confident.
nothing inept in the control of the instrument.
The youth's eyes are direct and confident.
The young musician displays no callow inhibitions,
no self-conscious immaturity.
no self-conscious immaturity.
They seem read to perform with a certainty
that they are one with the music.
that they are one with the music.
Today I present three young boys,
all violinists with talent,
and all whose native language was French.
all violinists with talent,
and all whose native language was French.
* * *
My first violinist is a boy pictured on a postcard in an oval portrait. He is dressed in a light color shirt and short pants with a striped belt. He stands in front of a table on which there is music stand, a cornet and another violin. The lad looks to be about age 10 or 11. The reason I believe he speaks French is because the back of the postcard has his name, his awards, and a date written in French.
The postcard looks similar to others produced in France, but it is possible that the boy is from Quebec or Belgium. The quick cursive handwriting makes it challenging to read the letters. I think his name is Henri Norrisson or Vouisson. He won a Medaille de Cuorye (?) and a diploma in solfege and theory on 6 July 1913, or maybe 1915. Solfege is the technique of applying syllables, Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti, to music. Despite using different spellings, I'm unable to extract the full meaning of the note, but clearly this boy was a prize winning violinist (and cornetist) and a student of music. Maybe one day I'll solve this mystery and discover his full name.
* * *
My second violinist is a younger boy, perhaps 8 or 9 but with a very mature face. His photograph is on a small carte de visite produced by the photography studio of A. Machaberts in Franco-Belge, or Belgium. He stands in front of a doorway and is dressed in an all black, or maybe dark navy blue, shirt and short pants with high-top shoes that have a high polish.
The cdv format remained popular in Europe until about 1910. Unfortunately there is nothing on the back of this boy's photograph to better identify the location or time. My best guess is that it was taken around 1898 to 1905.
* * *
My third young violinist is also on a cdv photograph. He sits on a photographer's studio chair with his feet barely touching the floor and his violin on his knee. His hair is long but cropped close on top, in the manner of a famous musical artist such as Franz Liszt or Niccolò Paganini. Like the other boys, he wears short pants buckled below the knee, but his outfit has a short formal jacket, white vest, and watch chain. His shoes are made of fine leather with a gleaming shine and laced above the ankle.
The photographer was A. Le Michel of 6-bis, Rue de Bel Air, in Rennes, France. The back is marked with an elaborate backstamp showing the studio was founded in1864 and present at the 1887 Rennes Exposition. The city of Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany in northwestern France, about 220 miles west of Paris. In 1886 its population was 66,139. My estimate is that this boy's photo was likely produced some time around 1887 to 1892.
* * *
The quality of talent is hard to measure, but I believe these three French/Belgian boys had musical talent far beyond what their young ages might suggest. Their portraits show a maturity and self-confidence that is not typical of boys this age, and I believe they were experienced entertainers, maybe even professional. Certainly the last boy from Rennes appears in a costume suitable for the music hall stage. My hunch is also based on their shoes, as ordinary boys of this era would be unlikely to be fitted with such expensive footgear.
The late 19th and early 20th century was a time when audiences in Europe and America would flock to hear a musical prodigy, a Wunderkind like Mozart, play the violin, the most difficult of instruments. I have featured other similar photos and postcards of young talented violinists in my stories:
Three Boy Violinists
Kun Arpad - A Violin Prodigy
Irma Surányi - A Child Violin Virtuoso
and
All-American Boy Violinists
Kun Arpad - A Violin Prodigy
Irma Surányi - A Child Violin Virtuoso
and
All-American Boy Violinists
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where the youth of yesterday are forever young.
