TO CORRESPONDENTS. A part of D. F.'s favours shall appear in our next; also, "The Reading Room." We have received the strictures on popular preachers, viz. the Rev. JR. PITMAN, the Rev. Dr. MOORE, the Rev. Dr. RUDGE, and the Deans of CARLISLE and ROCHESTER: Rev. GEORGE MATHEW, Rev E. REPTON, and Rev. Dr. BUSFIELD. ERRATA IN OUR LAST NUMBER. Page 210, for quinzieme read quinzaine—page 211, for caffé read tasse de caffe-page 212, for plaine St. Honoré read La Rue St. Ho noré page 213, for elegantes read elegants.In the translation of Mrs. ́ ́Opie's tines, for image read homage—page 261, for Brown read Bourn, .. London Published for the Proprietors of the European Magazine by Lupton Relfe.18. Comhill. Nov 1 1822 EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW. OCTOBER 1822. MEMOIR OP W. CROTCH, Mus. D. PROFESSOR OF MUSIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. DR. CROTCH, the subject of the present memoir, was born at Norwich, July 5, 1775. His father, by trade a carpenter, an ingenious me chanic, and of good reputation, having a passion for music, of which, however, he had no knowledge, un dertook to build an organ, on which, as soon as it would speak, he learned to play two or three common tunes, such as, God Save the King; Let Ambition Fire thy Mind; and the Easter Hymn; with which, and such chords as were pleasing to his ear, he used to try the perfection of his instrument. About Christmas, 1776, when Master Crotch was only a year and a half old, he discovered a great inclination for music, by leaving even his food to attend to it, when the organ was playing; and about Midsummer, 1777, he would touch the key-note of his particular favourite tunes, in order to persuade his father to play them. Soon after this, as he was unable to name these tunes, he would play the first two or three notes of them, when he thought the key-note did not sufficiently explain which he wished to have played. But accord ing to his mother's account, it seems to have been in consequence of his having heard the superior perform ance 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 accompanynent, that he first attempted to play a tune himself: for, the same evening, after her departure, the child cried and was so peevish that his mother was wholly unable to appease him. At length, passing through the diningroom, he screamed and struggled violently to go to the organ, in which, when he was indulged, he eagerly bent down the keys with his little fists, as other children usually do, after finding themselves able to produce a noise, which pleases them more than the artificial performance of real melody or harmony by others. The next day, however, being left, while his mother went out, in the dining room with his brother, a youth about fourteen years old, he would not let him rest till he blew the bellows of the organ, while he sat on his knee and bent down the keys, at first promiscuously, but presently, with one hand, he played enough of God Save the King to awaken the curiosity of his father, who, being in a garret, which was his workshop, hastened down stairs to inform himself who was playing this tune upon the organ, When he found it was the child, he could hardly believe what he heard and saw. At this time, he was exactly two years and three weeks old, as appears by the register, in the parish of St. George, Colgate, Norwich. Although he shewed such a decided inclination for music, he could no more be prevailed on to play by per suasion than a bird to sing. When his mother returned, the, father, with a look that at once implied joy, wonder, and mystery, desired her to go up stairs with him, as he had something curious to shew her. She obeyed, and was as much surprised as the father, on hearing the child play the first part of God Save the King. The next day he made himself master of the treble of the second part; and the day after, he attempted the base, which he performed nearly correct in every particular, except the note immediately before the close, which being an octave below the preceding sound, was out of the reach of his little hand. In the beginning of November, 1777, he played both the treble and base of Let Ambition Fire thy Mind; an old tune, now called, Hope, thou Nurse of Young Desire. which, being so much more power- The first voluntary he heard withos attention was performed at his father's w house by Mr. Mully, a music-máster;112 and as soon as he was gone, @the...[3 Upon the parents' relating this child seeming to play on the organ extraordinary circumstance to their in a wild and different manner froni neighbours, they were laughed at, what his mother was accustomed to and advised not to mention it, as hear, she asked him, what he was l such a marvellous account would doing? And he replied, "I am play od only expose them to ridicule. How- ing the gentleman's fine things" ever, a few days afterwards, Mr. but she was unable to judge of thes Crotch being ill, and unable to go resemblance. However, when Mr. 911 out to work, Mr. Paul, a master- Mully came a few days after, and weaver, by whom he was employed, was asked, whether the child hadria passing accidentally by the door, remembered any of the passages in th and hearing the organ, fancied that his voluntary, he replied in the he had been deceived, and that Crotch affirmitive. This happened when he 35 had stayed at home, in order to di- was only two years and four months vert himself on his favourite instru- old. About this time, such was the ') ment. Fully prepossessed with this rapid progress he had made in judgi idea, he entered the house, and, sud- ing of the agreement of sounds, that o denly opening the dining-room door, he played the Easter Hymn with fullirg saw the child playing on the organ, harmony; and in the last twozorgin while his brother was blowing the three bars of Hallelujah, where the bellows. Mr. Paul thought the per- same sound is sustained, he played formance so extraordinary, that he chords with both hands, by which immediately brought two or three the parts were multiplied to six, of the neighbours to hear it, who which he had great difficulty inst propagating the news, a crowd of reaching, on account of the shortnearly a hundred persons came the ness of his fingers. From this pe-as. next day to hear the young per- riod his memory was very accurate ios former; and, on the following days, in retaining any tune that pleased. a still greater number flocked to the him; and being present at a concert, house from all quarters of the city; where a band of gentlemen për-2, 5 till, at length, the child's parents formers played the overture in Row were obliged to limit his exhibitiondelinda, he was so delighted with o to certain days and hours, in order the minuet, that the next morning hai to lessen his fatigue, and exempt he hummed part of it in bed; and q themselves from the inconvenience by noon, without any further assist of constant attendance on t the curiance, played the whole on the organi ous multitude. aut ali When the father first carried him to the Cathedral, he used to cry the instant he heard the loud organ, → -At four years old, his ear for mues sic was so astonishing, that he could distinguish at a great distance from any instrument, and out of sight of |