News extracts: Dec. 5, 1820: James Watson, musician, of Dundee

Transcribed from the 5 December 1820 edition of The Strabane Morning
Post, by permission of The British Library:

Method of playingu pon [sic] the Violin and Violincello at the
same
time.--Mr. James Watson, a blind musician from Dundee, has invented a
method by which he can play upon these two instruments at once, with
the
greatest facility and correctness. He plays on the violin in the
usual
manner, and on the violincello by the means of his feet. His right
foot
goes into a sort of shoe at the end of the bow, and in consequence of
his right thigh being supported by a spring attached to the chair on
which he sits, he has the full command of his foot, without suffering
any fatigue.--By means of his left foot, he acts upon a set of
levers,
by which he shortens the strings with great facility. Mr. Watson has
frequently played thirteen and fourteen hours in one day, without any
extraordinary fatigue.

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