Extraordinary musical abilities. Brilliant musician - Anton Rubinstein What is madness
Any science about man, one way or another, faces the eternal debate - what is more important in the development of personality: natural qualities or upbringing? Proponents of both opinions tend to reduce this debate to clear-cut answers, but, fortunately, recent research has shown that the situation is a little different. It turns out that we are quite capable of influencing who we become. T&P translated an excerpt from the new book by famous business coach Miles Downey, “The Genius in Each of Us,” about the history of these points of view, the secrets of Mozart’s genius, and how a person’s genes react to their external environment.
Francis Galton (1822–1911) - English explorer, geographer, anthropologist and psychologist, founder of differential psychology and psychometrics, statistician.
Disputes about the priority of one over the other, the interconnections and mutual influences of nature and nurture on each other began in the middle of the 19th century with the works of Francis Galton. In a simplified form, nature is all the innate qualities of a person, its genetic heritage, and education is external elements, social and cultural, that influence what a person will become: how his parents treat him, what and how he is taught at school and university, what he encounters in life and how his relationships with others develop.
Radicals who stand on the side of nature and are passionate about biopsychology argue, for example, that all features of human behavior, down to the smallest character traits, are nothing more than the result of evolution. There is nothing strange about this view, especially considering that one of its earliest and most ardent proponents, Francis Galton, was a cousin of Charles Darwin. On the other side of the barricades are behaviorists, convinced that all human actions are determined primarily by his existence in the social environment. One of the most prominent and famous supporters of this idea is the English educator and philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). Studying the personality from its very birth, he came to the conclusion that the consciousness of the child in the womb is a tabula rasa, that is, a blank slate, something virgin and untouched, filled with experience over time. This idea is directly opposite to the idea that some knowledge is inherent in us from birth - and by nature itself.
The behaviorist carrot-and-stick method and the desire to please superiors still remain the main driving forces of management
The idea of the priority of nature dominated society until the middle of the 20th century. To understand why, it is enough to imagine the cultural and social atmosphere of that era. The idea that man himself could influence who he would become in the future was too revolutionary to be accepted lightly. People had to know their place in society, otherwise hard workers would refuse to work in the fields and factories, soldiers would refuse to die on the battlefield, servants would refuse to respect the rich and powerful. Even in the second half of the century, the behaviorist carrot-and-stick approach and the desire to please superiors remained - and still remain - the main driving forces of management. Few people seriously care about creating intrinsic motivation among employees and providing them with opportunities for growth.
Ten year rule
The real breakthrough that broke the impasse came with the publication of a paper by Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson and his colleagues entitled “The Role of Deliberate Practice in Achieving Outstanding Results.” The study was based on the experience gained by the scientist while working on a project at the American University of Carnegie Mellon, dedicated to studying the characteristics of memory. With the help of William Chase and an anonymous ordinary student, Ericsson conducted an experiment to significantly improve memory skills. The results showed that with the right choice of methodology and sufficient intensity of training, the test subject is able to remember and reproduce up to 80 numbers from memory. Biological characteristics were unrelated to this ability. This discovery was the beginning of a long 30-year journey for Ericsson to promote the concept of talent and convince many doubters of it.
Those who were previously considered gifted turned out to be hard workers, whose main advantage was the ability to persistently and methodically study
Later - in 1991, already at Florida State University - he conducted perhaps his most famous research. The experimental group consisted of students from the violin department of the Berlin Academy of Music. Together with two colleagues, Ericsson tried to determine what factors cause the highest achievements in art. That's what the experiment was about. The students were divided into three groups according to their qualifications. The first group included the best of the best - violinists who were destined for a unique solo career and worldwide recognition. In the second - students whose abilities allowed them to count on places in the most famous orchestras. The third group includes potential practicing teachers. After lengthy and insightful interviews, the researchers found what they were looking for: it turned out that the most extraordinary talents, by the time they turned 20, had more than ten years of playing experience under their belts - an average of about 10 thousand hours of exercises and rehearsals. All without exception. The second group could boast 8 thousand hours, the third - only 4 thousand (again on average). Those who were previously considered gifted turned out to be hard workers, whose main advantage was the ability to study persistently and methodically.
Similar studies were subsequently undertaken more than once: experimental groups were made up of representatives from various spheres of human activity. But the results were unchanged. Thanks to Ericsson's work, the ten-year rule, or the 10,000-hour rule, has reliably come into use among psychologists. As British track and field athlete Mohammed Farah, who won two gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (including the 10,000 meter race), said in an interview with the BBC, “the secret of success is hard work and determination.”
Musical genius
As an example of a person who is brilliant and gifted (that is, one who demonstrates his talent from early childhood, becoming more and more virtuoso without any special training), they love to cite Mozart. He didn't leave the piano until he was three, wrote his first piece at age five, and toured Europe when he was six.
But look how many interesting things you can learn by looking at his biography a little more closely. Let's take, for starters, his older sister Maria Anna, who played the harpsichord superbly thanks to constant lessons with her father. That is, Mozart heard music from early childhood and saw people constantly practicing a musical instrument. It is not surprising that one day he began to repeat after his sister. Wolfgang Amadeus's father, Leopold, was a prominent musician, composer and teacher, and a very progressive teacher: his methods are very reminiscent of the Suzuki method (it seems so not only to me, but to everyone who is interested in issues of education). He took up his son's musical education the minute he saw his interest, and devoted most of his life to it - with amazing results. There is nothing surprising, however, in this result: with such a foundation, Mozart simply had no choice but to become a genius. And one more thing: some critics argue that Mozart's early works are not that good compared to the more mature ones, which he began writing at the age of 17, a little more than ten years after his debut.
Ping pong champion
Matthew Seed tells a similar story in his bestselling book, The Jump. He became Britain's top ping pong player in 1995, when he was 24. The story is remarkable for at least two things: thousands of hours of practice and a lot of luck. Matthew says that when he was eight years old (the family then lived in Reading), his parents bought a ping-pong table and set it up in the garage. They themselves never played this game, so there is no need to talk about any family tradition. They just had a very large garage - compared to their neighbors, at least. Matthew's first partner was his older brother Andrew. They were so carried away by the game that they did not leave the table for hours, testing each other, training their skills and coming up with new techniques. All these factors, converging at one time in one place, gave Matthew the opportunity to train.
“Even without realizing it, we spent thousands and thousands of endlessly happy hours at the table,” he writes. Luck came in the form of a local school teacher, Mr. Charters, who was responsible for extracurricular activities, including - incredibly, but true - table tennis. He was also one of the best, if not the best, English coach and in this capacity he was in charge of the local ping-pong club, where he invited the Sid brothers to play and train after school, on holidays and weekends. The guys were lucky to be born in a land rich in talent, so they had the opportunity to train not only with local champions, but also with national and even world champions. Andrew managed to win three national junior titles. For Matthew, fate had something special in store for him. It so happened that it was at this very time that the legendary Chen Xinhua - perhaps the best player in the history of ping pong - married a woman from Yorkshire and moved to these parts. He had already finished his career, but when he saw Matthew, he agreed to train him. After this meeting, the young man remained number one in England for many years, becoming Commonwealth champion three times and Olympic champion twice. By his own admission, if he had just been born on another street, none of this would have happened. We are, however, not so much interested in luck as in long years of hard training - as the main component of future success.
Genes and environment
However, you probably already guessed that in the confrontation between nature and nurture, not everything is so simple. The first cloud that eclipsed the rising sun of education supporters was doubts about the fairness of the ten-year rule. It turned out that 4 thousand hours was enough for some, while 22 thousand was not enough for others. More and more such examples were collected, and eventually exceptions began to disprove the rule. It turned out that if you take two people, one of whom has obvious abilities for a particular type of activity, and the other does not, and train them according to the same program, the first will progress much faster than the second. So, it's not just a matter of practice.
Then everything becomes even more confusing - to the point that, at first glance, some theses even contradict each other. Stefan Holm - a Swedish athlete, high jumper - spent many years on grueling training, wanting to bring his technique to perfection. Despite his large physique for his chosen sport, Stefan is a shining example of the ten-year rule: in 2004 he became an Olympic gold medalist. So, education is the key to success? Yes, but not so. How, say, can we explain the phenomenon of Donald Thomas, a player on the basketball team at Lindenwood University, who, without the proper equipment or any significant training, easily cleared the bar of 2 meters 21 centimeters, and completely unexpectedly for himself? That same year he was invited to the Bahamas national team, and in 2007 at the World Championships he beat Stefan Holm in the battle for first place. The secret of Donald's success was the abnormal length of the Achilles tendons, thanks to which he jumped as if on springs: the ligaments themselves pushed the body upward. His story is a clear argument for the superiority of nature. Both athletes were the brightest figures of their time, reaching the top of the sports Olympus. But they got there by different paths.
Reading this, you might think that these two fates are a clear example of the age-old “nature versus nurture” opposition, even in some sense its culmination. But it's not quite like that. The conjunction “or” means that we must choose one thing; we have no right to leave both options. Those who believe in nature consider genes as a kind of blueprint on which personality is then built. Proponents of education, on the contrary, deny the existence of any genetic predisposition. But for some reason neither one nor the other takes into account the fact that genes themselves are able to respond to their environment.
This is what Lino Paso Pampillon and Tamara Cutrin Miljan write in one of the articles of the Enabling Genius project:
Since the end of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists have realized that humans have about 20,500 genes (about the same as a mouse) and that the genome is only a small part of the evolving personality. Secondary, epigenetic factors play a much more important role. Epigenetics refers to chemical changes that directly affect the sequence of DNA. Essentially, it determines how genes respond to a particular environment. Researchers often compare genetics to a piano keyboard: the resulting melody depends on which keys we press and how we press them. Some will hear a Mozart concerto, others will hear the discordant scales of a neighbor who has recently started learning to play.
Flow
I cannot end this chapter without telling you about one more aspect of higher achievement that is currently being researched very actively - the so-called flow. Flow is a special state of mind that differs from a fixed genetic set in that it can be turned on and off. Many years ago, my wife Jo paid for me to take a glider course as a birthday gift. I was somewhat familiar with flying machines because as a child I often flew with my father: he was a licensed pilot and belonged to a small amateur club located on the outskirts of Dublin airport. He first took to the skies in his early 20s: during the Second World War, he had the opportunity to pilot Spitfires and Hurricanes - legendary and extraordinary machines in all respects.
Once he was shot down in the sky over Normandy, and he was saved only by a miracle, getting out of the burning plane literally at the last moment. The sky was in his blood, and he perceived every flight as a special and extremely important event. I think it was inherited, so Joe's gift caused a whole storm of emotions in me. Flying on gliders is very different from flying on airplanes - if only in that in case of an error the pilot does not have an engine with which this error could be corrected. Relax your attention a little - and now the device has already deviated from the desired course and is rapidly losing altitude. Get more distracted and you won’t be able to do without a parachute. The instructor taught me on the fly - right during training flights, opening his mouth only when it was really necessary, because thanks to my father, I already had piloting experience. And yet, every time I heard the instructor’s voice, I was distracted. And then one fine day - we were just practicing a turn and approach - he suddenly realized this and threw out a phrase in the middle: “Yes, *** [damn], just fly!” And I flew. He freed me. Gave me complete control. I was extremely concentrated and at the same time relaxed, I became one with my glider. And entering the turn, I practically lost no altitude. This is the state of flow. The moment when genius reaches its peak.
The term “flow” was first coined by the American scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, published in 1990, when he was head of the psychology department at the University of Chicago. This is how he describes flow: “Being fully involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego drops away. Time flies. Every action, movement, thought follows from the previous one, as if you were playing jazz. Your whole being is involved and you are using your skills to the limit.” It is the use of all your skills to the limit that makes the state of flow so important in achieving the highest results.”
We have the power to influence who we become. Every moment of our life, every action is controlled to one degree or another by consciousness - and flow has nothing to do with it, because everyone can turn on this mode. There are at least three variables in the “genius equation”: our genetic heritage, our environment and our mental state. We can easily determine two of them ourselves, so an excuse like “I am who I am” is nothing more than vulgar sophism.
The cliché about a reclusive composer losing the remnants of his mind over a musical manuscript is unjustified and even offensive for modern musicians. According to James Rhodes, a popular pianist and composer, there is a clearly proportional connection between music, creativity and mental balance, which does not harm, but rather supports the health and mood of creative people.
A Study of Prejudice
Crazy composer... pulls music out of himself note by note into a manuscript, lost 7 kilograms while composing his latest opera. The cold has long developed into bronchitis, and he always suffers from coughing, lack of sleep and malnutrition. He mumbles something under his breath, shouts at passers-by, draws staves on napkins in cafes and restaurants. He sits alone at the piano, chilled, hungry, and looks at the inscription on the wall: “You don’t have to be crazy to compose music, but it’s easier this way”; an inscription that is written in his own handwriting, in his own blood.
This is not just a prejudice - it is a historical and cultural cliché that has become part of the public perception of all artists. But it is as wrong as it is widespread.
Reason for the cliché
The truth is that the connection between madness and creativity is as strong and logical as the cause-and-effect relationship between zodiac sign and intelligence.
The fact that society has decided to link madness and creativity is very easy to explain. How else can we mere mortals explain the incredible creative power of such geniuses as Mozart or Beethoven? Of course, it’s easier for us to explain this by some strange mental disorder or psychological illness. We cannot agree that both of these people were completely ordinary, otherwise where is the magic lost? And what to do with the question: why am I not like this?
What is madness?
Creativity is an extremely broad concept. Creating music becomes not just a job for composers, but the passion and love of their lives, the reason for their existence. Each of the modern composers is ready to swear that the great musicians were not crazy.
Excited? Yes, sure. Angry, impoverished, alcoholic, anxious, nervous, suffering from bouts of depression and grief. But these traits are not at all the definition of madness. In fact, they can describe all of us from time to time.
Of all the great composers today, only Schumann would be hospitalized for his bipolar disorder. Apart from him, no other musical genius would have received a positive diagnosis of any psychological disorder.
Diagnosis in psychology, in general, is a very interesting thing. We're all a little crazy. A good (or bad) psychologist can diagnose any person with a particular disorder. In reality, we know very little about how our own consciousness works. Once upon a time, the great English romantic poet Keats was diagnosed with a mental disorder based on poetry. I'd like to think that we've reached new heights in psychology since then, but in reality little has changed.
What is creativity?
During the creative process, the musician is not at all concerned about his psychological state. However, as soon as he thinks about his own health, creativity immediately becomes absolutely necessary. In this case, it is important to note that all composers achieved their heights not because, but despite the fact that they were restless, nervous and unbalanced.
Creativity and creative power are a sign of mental stability, not disorder. Creativity saves people from routine, depression, fear and hopelessness. The opportunity to speak out, to pour out raging emotions into music, is what saves the composer from madness.
Biographical example
The constructive, saving energy of creativity can be demonstrated by the example of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The author of the greatest musical works was orphaned at the age of 10, lost several brothers and sisters, faced constant physical and mental abuse at school, and spent several years next to a relative who hated him. As a teenager, he walked hundreds of kilometers to get to the best music school. He had 20 children, 11 of whom died at an early age. His beloved wife died suddenly while the composer was on a short trip. Having experienced so much grief, any person would have gone crazy, but Bach remained an absolutely rational, mentally balanced person until the end of his days. And all because he expressed his emotions, all his tears and sorrows in music.
He never stopped working for a day. Without music, it is likely that he would go crazy. He didn't need encouragement from modern research showing that creativity has a positive effect on both social, emotional and intellectual development. He didn't need to read about how creative people have great potential. He just knew it... he knew it and never stopped working for a moment.
Creativity in the modern world
Today we regularly try to find a solution to our problems, to justify them with anything, if only we are allowed to continue leading our calm and measured lifestyle. Creativity does not tolerate regularity; it does not recognize frameworks and stereotypes. Creativity lives and creates life. Composers, artists, sculptors and writers do not need to seek oblivion in TV series, social networks and expensive resorts. An entire universe lives and develops in their inner world.
There's one secret that the general public doesn't know or chooses to ignore: you don't have to become a composer or an artist to be a creative person. One of the saddest myths of our time is the myth that only a small part of people are creative. As Picasso said: all children are the greatest painters, the biggest problem of our society is that we prevent them from remaining artists.
Every music lover wants to know more about their musical idols. Long gone are the days when interesting and important information was obtained bit by bit, collecting newspaper and magazine clippings about your favorite musicians, giving them to each other to read and exchanging articles. Today, to find out news, read interviews with artists or the history of a group, just go online. But for those who are interested in everything related to idols, this is not enough. Books about your favorite performers and composers are tangible, material things that give you the opportunity to literally touch the world of performers.
Today you can easily find many books dedicated to music in stores. These are biographies and autobiographies of musicians, stories of various groups, books on music theory and textbooks for those who want to master a musical instrument themselves. New publications about music are published regularly. Every music lover will find something for themselves in this abundance.
Each song has its own story
Would you like to attend a rehearsal of your favorite rock band? How about finding out how musicians compose their hits, and what is behind each of their songs? If your answer is yes, then the Stories Behind the Songs series is for you!This series includes books about the most popular and beloved performers in the world. You will learn the fascinating stories of rock bands, the authors will introduce you to the secrets of the creation of all studio albums and major hit compositions, and tell stories about the events that influenced the writing of songs.
Each book in the series contains a huge number of photographs illustrating the creative path of performers and groups. Many of these photographs are being published for the first time.
Among the new products in the series, we can highlight a book dedicated to the band Radiohead. Author and musicologist James Doheny, who wrote this book, tells the story of each song of this famous group.
Previously, books have been published (and have already become real hits) about bands such as U2, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Abba and other teams who wrote songs recognized as modern classics. The absolutely legendary “Beatles” and “Rollings” were not spared either.
Musical legends and idols
Another great series for connoisseurs of quality music. In the books in the series you will find excerpts from interviews with musicians, information about their personal lives and views. Particularly worth noting are the books “Rammstein. Burning Hearts", "David Bowie: Meetings and Interviews", as well as "Motorhead. On autopilot."For those who love our
The world rock scene is great, but what can you read about our domestic rock stars? For those who prefer Russian live music, we can recommend the books in the “Legends of Russian Rock” series, in which eleven publications have already been published about various musicians and groups.In these books you will find stories about the history of Russian rock. The history of some performers stretches over several decades, but even the debut works of these musicians are still listened to and loved today. This, perhaps, is the phenomenon of Russian rock music: it is relevant at all times.
Among the new products in the series, I would like to note the book “Pavel Kashin. Along the Magic River" is an honest and frank story by one of the most popular contemporary Russian performers and authors. Pavel Kashin remains aloof from high-profile parties, but his songs are known and loved by millions.
Another group, “The King and the Clown,” was awarded two whole books published in the “Legends of Russian Rock” series. In addition, the series includes publications dedicated to such groups as “Chaif”, “Nautilus Pompilius”, “Kino”, “Secret” and “Resurrection”. By the way, the group “The King and the Jester,” already mentioned above, is so popular that books about it continue to be published not only in this series. The “Old Book” /book/korol-i-shut-staraya-kniga-833644/ was recently released - a unique collection of drafts, thanks to which every fan of the group can immerse themselves in the creative process, learn how the songs were created, and read many poems that are so and did not become songs.
Books for connoisseurs of symphonic music
For those who want to learn more about modern musicians and composers who have already become classics, we can recommend the series of books “Eternal Music. Illustrated biographies of great musicians." The authors of the works published in this series were people who personally knew Shostakovich, Richter, Prokofiev and other heroes of these biographies.For example, the book of memoirs of Sergei Rachmaninov is the only genuine memoir document - the composer’s story about himself. Unfortunately, Rachmaninov did not leave a detailed autobiography. Musicologist Oscar von Riesemann recorded the memoirs of the brilliant composer - this book was first published in 1934 in London.
Another musician, the first Grammy Award winner in the USSR, Svyatoslav Richter, is described in the book “About Richter in His Words.” Richter himself approved the publication of this book.
Book by Valentina Chemberdzhi “Music lived in the house. Shostakovich. Prokofiev. Richter" is not a memoir, but rather sketches for portraits of musical figures in the dramatic context of the country's history. These pages contain not only stories about Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Richter, but also about other, undeservedly forgotten, but worthy of admiration people.
Other books about music
“Music of my life. Memoirs of a Maestro" is a book written by Raimonds Pauls, the father of Latvian pop music, whose songs are known and loved not only in Latvia, but also in Russia, and throughout the world. He earned many awards, titles, and became a laureate of a number of prizes. But these regalia are almost never mentioned next to his name. For millions of people, Raymond Pauls remains the owner of one “title” - Maestro."Voice. Musical literacy for vocalists" is a publication that will be useful to everyone who wants to take their first steps into the world of music theory. Despite the title, the book is addressed not only to vocalists, but also to a wide range of readers who want to learn more about music.
“Immersion in Music” is a book by Mikhail Kazinik, also known as “Secrets of Geniuses-2”.
In this work, the famous philosopher, art critic, director, playwright Mikhail Kazinik introduces readers to the peculiarities of the work of famous composers, reveals the secrets of the impact of different types of music on the listener, and addresses the eternal themes of good and evil, death and immortality, love, passion, obsession. Learn the secrets of music by reading this book!
“Music as a chance” is a book by the famous musician Vladislav Kolchin. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. There is no cure for this disease, which affects many people around the world. Except, perhaps, music... This is a very personal book about music, filled with a lot of autobiographical details.
A book with the simple title “Music” is not simple at all.
This is quite a voluminous publication, on the pages of which the world of music is presented in all its diversity of styles, trends and genres. The authors made a successful attempt to cover this world as fully as possible.
Who becomes a genius? A talented child who was brought up in a musical environment, or an efficient student ready for long hours of study? This debate rarely goes without mentioning famous musicians who, from childhood, began to show artistic abilities that were atypical for their peers. They played melodies on musical instruments by ear when they had only recently learned to speak, performed their own works during final exams at the conservatory, performed in front of the royal family while their peers were just learning to read music, and signed contracts with recording studios without even graduating from school. Anna Ryzhkova tells what the childhood of famous musician prodigies was like.
Frederic Chopin
Chopin's parents - Justina and Nikolai - knew foreign languages, were well educated and musically developed. They noticed their son's sensitivity to music early on: at the sound of a sad melody, he began to cry, and when his mother performed funny Polish dances for him, he laughed, danced and tried to pick out songs on the piano by ear.
Chopin's first teacher was his older sister; she studied music with Pan Zhivny, who quickly noticed Frederic's talent and soon began to pay more attention to the boy. He recorded his simple pieces for the aspiring composer and taught him musical technique. Chopin first demonstrated his skills in front of a general public at the age of eight. He performed at a concert in favor of the poor in the hall of the Radziwill Palace. The boy appeared on stage in a velvet suit with a lace collar and played a technically difficult concert by the Czech composer Jirovec. Chopin still didn’t understand what had caused so many admiring reviews in his performance, and when he discussed his impressions of the first concert with his mother, he said: “Everyone liked the collar the most. You know, mom, everyone was looking at him!”
He composed his first serious work - a polonaise in G minor - at the age of six. “The author of this Polish dance is a young artist who is barely eight years old... He is a true musical genius, for he not only performs difficult works with the greatest ease and extraordinary taste, but is also the author of several dances and variations, which music connoisseurs “they never cease to admire,” critics in the Polish press wrote about Chopin at the time.
The young composer was often invited to perform in the houses of the aristocracy. He took part in concerts at the Belvedere Palace with the Grand Duke of Poland Konstantin Pavlovich and even presented two of his polonaises to Maria Feodorovna, the Tsar’s mother, during her visit to Warsaw. This is how Chopin found his way into high society, began to tour extensively in European countries, and soon began teaching music.
Where to listen
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
A tedious childhood, as Mozart's formative years are often called, was unlikely to really bore the child. Everyone around him was involved in music, so playing music in the family gradually became something natural. From the age of four, Mozart began simultaneously learning to play the harpsichord, organ and violin. In many ways, the child’s desire for music is the merit of the father. Leopold Mozart was a fairly famous Austrian violinist and composer, the author of a manual on playing the violin.
Already at the age of four, the boy had enough musical ability to write a short concerto for the harpsichord. The boy sat at the table, moving his pen over the paper with the staff, staining his fingers in the inkwell. When the work was ready, adults at first did not believe that a hastily written musical text with blots would be of any artistic value. And then they decided to play the “concert” of four-year-old Wolfgang from the notes. “Look, Mr. Schachtner,” the father turned to his court musician, “how everything here is correct and meaningful!”
At the age of six, Wolfgang was already giving concerts in different countries with his sister and father. At the beginning of 1764, his first sonatas for violin and harpsichord were published. On the title page there was an inscription: “The author of the music is a seven-year-old boy.” All this time, Leopold Mozart made sure that his studies were strict and regular. Traveling with concerts around London, the child prodigy writes six more sonatas for harpsichord with violin or flute accompaniment and, in addition, takes up composing a symphony, and his father notes: “Everything he knew before is nothing compared to what he can do.” Now".
Mozart had absolute pitch and, at the age of seven, could, for example, easily determine how different the sound of a musical instrument was from a tuning fork. One day, Schachtner allowed Wolfgang to play his violin (the boy thought it played more softly and sonorously). And when Mozart picked up his instrument again, he noticed: this violin is tuned one-eighth of a tone lower - and he was absolutely right.
Although musicologists still question the authorship of some of Mozart's works and discuss the methods of musical training that were applied to the young composer, he remained in history as the most talented of musical prodigies, whose ability to improvise helped create brilliant chamber and symphonic works.
Where to listen
At the concert “Mozart – the genius from Salzburg” performed by the chamber orchestra “Instrumental Capella”. The concert takes place as part of the “Classics at Heights” project, and its name here takes on a literal meaning - the music will be performed at an altitude of 220 meters, on the 58th floor of the Empire tower in Moscow City.
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev began studying music under the guidance of his mother, Maria Grigorievna. Not yet able to write down notes on paper, at the age of five he began composing simple melodies, spending hours at the home piano. The musician had to learn the notes just so as not to lose his small works.
At the age of nine, Prokofiev first heard Charles Gounod’s opera “Faust” and realized that the time had come to move from small plays to large forms. He wrote music for his first opera in three acts (The Giant), for which he came up with all the plot lines himself.
Noticing Sergei's talent for composition, Maria Grigorievna brought her son to the famous Moscow musician Sergei Taneyev, who recommended inviting the composer Reinhold Gliere, a graduate of the conservatory, for lessons. Gliere spent two summers in a row with Sergei in Sontsovka, preparing the young musician to enter the conservatory. Thirteen-year-old Prokofiev arrived in St. Petersburg for the exam with a large folder of original works: two operas, a sonata, a symphony and many small piano pieces.
At the conservatory, Sergei became the youngest student. The young man, who for fun counted the exact number of mistakes in the musical problems of his classmates, had difficulty getting along with his peers. Not all teachers understood Prokofiev: in composition theory classes, his works seemed too bold, and he did not even dare show some plays to the professors, anticipating their reaction. “If I was indifferent to the poor quality of the composer’s diploma, then this time my ambition got to me, and I decided to graduate first in piano,” the composer recalled his preparation for the performance exam.
Prokofiev, instead of the program piano concerto, decided to perform his own First Concerto. He handed the commission the notes of the newly published work and sat down at the instrument. With this triumphant performance (in addition to a diploma with honors, he received the Anton Rubinstein Prize - German piano) the adult career of pianist and composer Sergei Prokofiev began.
Where to listen
The work of composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries can be heard at the VIII International Festival “The Road to Christmas”. The music of Rachmaninov, Sviridov and Mussorgsky will be illustrated with sand animation. The entire program will be performed by the State Orchestra "Guslars of Russia" and the organ duet "Bel Canto", and the text of Pushkin's "Blizzard" (Sviridov's music for the film based on this work will be performed at the concert) will be read by artist Pyotr Abramov.
Yo Yo Ma
1955 (age 62)
Winner of 17 Grammy awards, Yo Yo Ma was born in Paris into a Chinese family. His mother was a singer, and his father conducted an orchestra and composed music. When Ma was seven years old, the whole family moved to New York, where a gifted boy with outstanding musical abilities continued to master the violin, viola and cello.
A prodigy musician who, from the age of five, felt confident on stage in large concert halls, at the age of seven spoke for President John Kennedy. And a year later, Ma participated in a concert by Leonard Bernstein, which was broadcast throughout the country on TV. At the age of 15, the cellist graduated from Trinity School in New York and became a soloist in the Harvard orchestra, which performed the performance “Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations.” He then studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Leonard Rose and received a bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1976.
Frank Robinson
1938 (age 78)
Frank Robinson is a self-taught musician who is remembered by everyone as an artistic kid nicknamed Chile Sugar, who performed music with complex jazz chords with ease. The boy taught himself jazz, neglecting the classical technique of playing the piano: Frank, for example, hit the keys with his fists and elbows when he considered such a technique appropriate.
At the age of six, he made his debut in a boogie-woogie competition, at the age of eight he participated in a concert at the White House and starred in the film “No Leave, No Love.” Twelve-year-old Frank was considered one of the most popular performers in the USA, he signed contracts with recording studios, traveled with concerts in Europe. And at the age of 15, he abruptly interrupted his musical career, graduated from school, entered the university and defended his dissertation in psychology.
“I just wanted to go to school. I wanted to get an education, so I asked my dad if it was possible to stop all this. I really dreamed of getting a college degree,” recalls Frank Robinson.
Only in the early 2000s did Frank Robinson return to the stage again - he had long ago given up publicity, performs at various venues in his native Detroit, and makes music for his own pleasure.
Where to listen
You can listen to jazz music with your children at the Interactive Jazz Show for the Little Ones. The Classy Jazz orchestra combined in its program “Mukha Tsokotukha and Barmaley” compositions from the period of the “youth of jazz”, but you should not expect a serious atmosphere from the concert: children are allowed to move freely around the hall, dance and even touch musical instruments on stage.
Quotes about creativity. Musicians and singers about creativity
MUSICIANS AND SINGERS ABOUT CREATIVITY
You have to feel strongly for others to feel.
I decisively and sternly expelled the pernicious Russian “maybe” from my working life and relied only on conscious creative effort. I generally don’t believe in the saving power of talent alone, without hard work. Without it, the greatest talent will fizzle out, just as a spring will die out in the desert... I don’t remember who said: “genius is diligence”...
They envy the capable, harm the talented, and take revenge on the brilliant.
Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin
I generally don’t believe in the power of talent alone, without hard work. Without it, the greatest talent will fizzle out, just as a spring will die out in the desert, not making its way through the sands...
Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin
It is interesting to observe how an artist's creativity depends on the growth or degradation of his inner self! The work of any artist is nothing more than the pursuit of truth, simplicity, authenticity.
A musician is not a profession, but a nationality.
The music should be loud enough to drown out the coughing of the audience, and quiet enough to not drown out the storm of applause.
Leonid Utesov
What we play is life.
I owe you nothing but a good game.
Being a creative person is more than just being different from others. Anyone can be weird, it's easy. It is difficult to be as simple and great at the same time as Bach. Making things simple, incredibly simple - this is creativity.
Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979), American jazz double bassist and composer
I'm obsessed with improvement.
Charles Aznavour
I worked like a beast all my life. I had never been on vacation until I was sixty.
Charles Aznavour
Sincerity is always relevant on stage. The French chansonnier is simultaneously a mime, a tragedian and a poet. And none of these hypostases allows you to hide your personality behind a mask.
Charles Aznavour
If I knew where good songs come from, I would try to go there a lot more often.
Leonard Cohen
Creative people, as we know, die if there are no opportunities for self-realization.
With music everything is much simpler. It happens that a melody comes to my mind when I’m preparing dinner, then I drop everything, go get my guitar and sit down to play right in the kitchen. I once recorded an entire disc like this...
I believe that music is the voice of a special spirit whose task is to collect the dreams of the world, and which, passing through the consciousness of people, is able to settle, even for a short time, their discord, or shake souls, destroying social inconveniences.
Adriano Celentano
If you do something beautiful and sublime, and no one notices, don’t be upset: the sunrise is generally the most beautiful sight in the world, but most people are still sleeping at this time.
John Lennon (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) - British rock musician, one of the founders and member of The Beatles.
When I was about twelve years old, I often thought that I was probably a genius, but no one noticed. I thought: “I’m either a genius or crazy. Which of them? I can’t be crazy, because I’m not in a mental hospital. That means I'm a genius." I want to say that genius is apparently a form of madness.
John Lennon
I lost the most important thing for an artist - freedom of creativity, because I allowed myself to be enslaved by imposed ideas of what an artist should be.
John Lennon
Talent is the ability to believe in success. It’s complete nonsense when they say that I suddenly discovered a talent in myself. I was just working.
John Lennon
It's not me that matters, it's my songs that matter. I'm just a postman delivering songs.
When I watch the news, I realize that the world is ruled by those who never listen to music.
Bob Dylan
Music changes faster than you can change.
Aretha Franklin (born March 25, 1942), American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel singer
Politics and creativity are incompatible things.
Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942), British musician, singer, co-founder of The Beatles
If I'm free, it's only because I'm working.
Music is my religion.
Jimi Hendrix
In order to discover the laws belonging to the world of primary images, the artist must awaken to life as a person: almost all of his noble feelings, a considerable share of intelligence, intuition, and the desire to create must be developed in him.
The laws of Art originate not in the material, but in the ideal world where Beauty lives; matter can only indicate the boundaries within which artistic inspiration spreads.
Delia Steinberg Guzman
If you ever actually wrote music, you will continue to do so.
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001), English rock musician, singer and composer
Inspiration surrounds you from all sides, and in everyday life there is more of it.
Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943), English rock musician, vocalist of The Rolling Stones
Real poetry doesn't say anything, it only points out possibilities. Opens all doors. You can open any one that suits you.
We just played what we wanted. It is impossible to invent something artificially. This must be endured like a child. Or bring it out like a flower. What does cold reasoning mean when you have a living instrument in your hands, and it breathes, it cries, it wants to tell the whole world something?
The good thing about music is that when it hits you, you don't feel any pain.
Talent can help with your debut, and then only work on improving your skills.
Modern painting is just like women: you will never enjoy it if you try to understand it.
Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 – November 24, 1991), British singer, lead singer of the rock band Queen
I don't want to become some kind of star, I will become a legend.
Freddie Mercury
I am absolutely cold and indifferent to everything. But then, I ask myself, where does this vibrant source of creative energy come from? I don't understand. David Bowie's songs don't belong to me - I just release them through myself into this world. Then I listen and am amazed: their author, whoever he was, at least experienced strong feelings! It is not possible for me to know such people.
David Bowie
The main method is simple: you need to bring people to a state where they are simply forced to react to me. I love shock tactics. In my opinion, creativity that does not shock is devoid of any meaning.
David Bowie
The greatest chances for success are those groups in which real like-minded friends play; professionalism is a gain; a unifying idea is important.
Music has healing powers. She can force you to leave your body for a few hours so that you can finally look at yourself from the outside.
Elton John
I have always been only interested in the artistic side of life.