Sewing Song-Imitation of a Sewing Machine

Описание: Thomas (“Blind Tom”) Wiggins was born in 1849 into a slave family, blind at birth, and from written accounts likely on the autism spectrum. At a very early age he could accurately imitate natural sounds like bird songs and rooster crows with his voice. After hearing the piano being played by his slaveholder’s daughters, he couldn’t be kept away from it. He would sneak under the window, or under the floorboards of the house to listen to the piano. By age 4 he could play the music he heard from the daughters. He composed his first piece (The Rainstorm) at 5.
By 8 yrs old Tom was touring all over the U.S., including being the first African-American performer to play at the White House at the age of 10 for President James Buchanan.
Beginning in 1875, John Bethune, his then manager, brought Blind Tom to New York each summer. While living with John in a boarding house on the Lower East Side, Tom added to his repertoire under the tutelage of Joseph Poznanski, who also transcribed new compositions by Tom for publication.
Sewing Song- Imitation of a Sewing Machine is dedicated to his teacher’s wife, Mrs. Joseph Poznanski who would sew during Tom’s lessons.