An early authentic original program given out at Blind Tom Concerts

An early authentic original program given out at Blind Tom Concerts (ca. 1867) entitled, "Songs, Sketches of the Life of Blind Tom the Marvelous Musical Prodigy, The Negro Boy Pianist, Whose Recent Performances at the Great St. James and Egyptian Halls (London) and Salle Hertz (Paris), Have Created Such a Profound Sensation."  It contains 33 pages of biography about the remarkable life of Blind Tom (1849-1908) otherwise known as Thomas Greene Wiggins or Thomas Greene Bethune.  Included in the program are his musical selections as well as testimonials about his talent from some of the most eminent American and English Journalists and Composers of the time.

Here's a sample paragraph directly from the program -- "Blind Tom's last appearance in Montrose will be this evening, in the Assembly Hall...when he will again play classical selections from Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart, etc..

His pianoforte solos will be taken from the compositions of Thalberg, Liszt, Chopin and others. He will also sing various songs from popular operas, and ballads from Moore and burns, as well as some of his own compositions. As a proof of his extraordinary gifts, Blind Tom invites any members of the audience to play any piece of music unknown to him, and he, after a first hearing, re-plays it with the most perfect accuracy, however intricate or elaborate in harmony. He can also analyse any chord or discord struck on the instrument, if he is within hearing, naming almost as rapidly as they are struck, each individual note. As an additional proof of his remarkable powers of imitation, he gives recitations in Greek, Latin, German, French, as well as imitations of the Scottish bagpipe, the musical box, the hurdy-gurdy, the Scotch fiddler, the American stump orator, comic speakers, and, in short, any sound he may hear."