e are wearied and confused by
any music, however strongly tinged with any national or individual
spirit, however expressive in detail, skilful in execution, and original
or bold, or intense in feeling, if it does not at the same time impress
us by its unity as a whole, by its development from first to last of one
or more pregnant themes. As compositions, therefore, we do not feel
reconciled to what Ole Bull seems fond of playing.... He cannot be
judged by the usual standards, his genius is exceptional, intensely
individual in all its forms and methods, belongs to the very extreme of
the romantic as distinguished from the classical in art. He makes use of
the violin and of the orchestra, in short of music, simply and mainly to
impress his own personal moods, his own personal experience, upon the
audiences. You go to hear Ole Bull, rather than to hear and feel his
music. It is eminently a personal matter.... Considered simply as an
executive power, he seems, after hearing so many good violinists for
years past, to exceed them all--always excepting Henri Vieuxtemps."

It may be said with truth that Ole Bull achieved his reputation at a
time when it was comparatively easy to do so. There was very little
musical cultivation in this country when he first appeared here, as may
be easily imagined by a glance at the extracts from criticisms, given
here and there. By his strong personality, apparent mastery of his
instrument, and by being practically the sole occupant of the field, he
became famous and popular. He prided himself on the fact that his
playing was addressed rather to the hearts than to the sensitive ears of
his audiences, and during his later years he adopted certain mannerisms
by way of distracting attention from his somewhat imperfect
performances. He never made any pretension to being a musician of the
modern school, nor of any regularly recognised school of music, but his
concert pieces were his own compositions, of no great merit, and he
still more delighted his audiences by playing national airs as no one
had ever played them before. He was a minstrel rather than a musician in
the broad sense of the word, but he held the hearts of the people as
few, if any, minstrels had previously done.

CHAPTER VII.

1830 TO 1850.

One of the most noticeable features of the biography of the violin
virtuoso is that he invariably displays great talent at an early age and
plays in public at any time from eight to tw