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R. JACQUES BLUMENTHAL|JACQUES BLUMENTHAL, whose charming songs have been or many years so popular in every drawing-room and concert-hall in the kingdom, was born at Hamburg on October 4, 1829; and, having shown precocious signs of musical talents, was trained at first under Grund in his native city, and then under Von Bocklet and Sechter at Vienna. At seventeen he removed to Paris, in order to study under Hertz at the Conservatoire, where he attained his extraordinary proficiency in pianoforte playing. Two years later he took up his permanent residence in London, where he has ever since resided, with occasional visits to a house which he possessed at Montreux. He early had the honour of being selected as pianist to the Queen, and soon became known as a very fashionable teacher; while his fame as a composer was continually increasing. Of all his songs, perhaps "The Message " has been the most widely and justly popular; though, indeed, he is a composer whose work can never be anything but brilliant and effective. We are happy to be able to place before our readers, in the following pages, a song—"Wilt Thou Understand?"—written by Mr. Blumenthal especially for this magazine, and which, we hope, will prove as popular as any of the beautiful melodies which have made his name a household word.