I have thus given a somewhat general outline of the characteristics and accomplishments of our subject. But what is his history in particular? What have been the beginnings, the circumstances, that have united to produce a character so pleasingly and so harmoniously formed? These questions I shall now endeavor to briefly answer. Frederick Elliot Lewis was born in Boston in the year 1846. His parents, both natives of New England, were people of musical and general culture; his father being a performer on the flute, violin, violoncello, and piano, as well as a chorister; while his mother was a pianist, a leading soprano-singer in choirs, a lady of fine musical taste, appearing often in public, and taking always a leading part. At the early age of six years, Frederick evinced a surprising fondness for music; but it was not until he was eleven years old that he began its real study. This he did under his mother's direction, taking lessons on the piano-forte. At this time he found the study of music difficult, and the acquirement of its scientific rudiments was to him dry work. In one year, however, its charming beauties began to open before his young mind; and after this he rapidly developed a talent for music, felt the inspiration of the beautiful art, and became ambitious to excel. After studying for some time the piano, and becoming, for one of his years, quite proficient as a performer, he began to take lessons on the organ under the direction of Miss R.M. Washington, an accomplished teacher of that instrument, of the piano-forte, and of harmony. The organ for some time quite absorbed his attention. This grand and most comprehensive of instruments, with its great scope and capacity for the production of harmonic beauties, so delighted, indeed so charmed, our young enthusiast,--for such he had now become,--as to leave him with scarcely any inclination or time for other studies. He resolved then to learn all that it was possible to know about the organ, not only in awaking to life its tones of grandest harmony, but also, and in order to better accomplish the same, to study its wonderful mechanism.