(unknown newspaper of 1949, Salt Lake City?)


Blind Songster Visits Salt Lake City Thursday

Blind Louis T. Hardin, "the man in the square clothes" who arrived in Salt Lake City Thursday, belongs to no special religious group or cult. He is a song writer.
Mr. Hardin wears his square garments and goes barefoot because he believes that under the rights established by our Constitution he can dress as he pleases. He fashions his simple clothes himself, but they are all square, including his earrings; and because he is blind, he finds it convenient to make them as simply as possible.
Mr. Hardin is a composer, interested mainly in writing classical music. He got his training at the Iowa School for the Blind, and schools in Arkansas, Tennessee, and New York.

Studied Conducting

In New York, as a guest of Dr. Arthur Rodzinski, he attended all rehearsals of the Philharmonic orchestra, and studied conducting under Leopold Busch, first violinist of the orchestra.
Latest work of the 33-year-old musician is his song "Moondog", and often he is nicknamed "Moondog" himself. Mr. Hardin sells his music on street corners throughout the country, publishing his music at his own expense.
Currently, he is working on a new dance rhythm called "L'Americana". Described by Emily Kelly, noted New York dancer, as "snakey", he has used "Snake Time" as a subtitle for the music. Music in snake time is either five or seven beats to the bar, and in three speeds: low snake, moderate snake, and fast snake, Mr. Hardin explains.

Music in Braille

"I can write anything in Braille music notation", he said, "but unless I have a well-trained copyist, I am sunk." Much of the copy work for Mr. Hardin is done by Dr. Richard M. Williams, composer, arranger, and pianist.
Born in Kansas in 1916, Mr. Hardin lost his sight in a Forth of July accident when a dynamite cap with which he was playing exploded. Always interested in music, he did not turn to it exclusively until the accident prevented him from leading an average life.
Mr. Hardin said he is considering opening a dance studio in Salt Lake City.