List of child music prodigies
![a child (Mozart) in formal embroidered 18th century costume, left hand thrust into his waistcoat. He looks directly out of the picture, although his body is turned towards the right.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart_2.jpg/200px-Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart_2.jpg)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1763, aged seven.
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain to the level of an adult expert performer.[1][2][3] This is a list of young children (under age 10) who displayed a talent in music deemed to make them competitive with skilled adult musicians. The list is sorted by genre and instrument.
Classical[]
Piano[]
Name | Born | Instrument | Debut[a] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Charles-Valentin Alkan | 1813 | Piano, composition | 5 | Entered Paris Conservatoire at age 5, youngest ever admission.[4] |
Martha Argerich | 1941 | Piano | 4 | Orchestral debut at age eight[5] |
Kit Armstrong | 1992 | Piano | 5 | Concerto debut at eight; Morton Gould Young Composer Award for five consecutive years[6] |
Claudio Arrau | 1903 | Piano | 5 | Could read notes before letters[7] |
Daniel Barenboim | 1942 | Piano | 7 | [8] |
Emily Bear | 2001 | Piano | 5 | Composed and released her first piano album at age five[citation needed] |
Vincenzo Bellini | 1801 | Piano | 5 | Began studying music theory at two, the piano at three, and by the age of five could apparently play well |
Lili Boulanger | 1893 | Piano, violin, cello, harp | 6 | Attended Louis Vierne's organ classes at the Paris Conservatoire at age six[9] |
Frédéric Chopin | 1810 | Piano | 7 | Wrote his first composition, a polonaise, which is still studied and performed today.[10] |
Georges Cziffra | 1921 | Piano | 9 | Entered the Franz Liszt Academy at age nine, after some four years performing in a traveling circus |
Carl Filtsch | 1830 | Piano | 6 | Composed concerto at thirteen; died at age fourteen[11] |
Josef Hofmann | 1876 | Piano | 10 | [12] |
Evgeny Kissin | 1971 | Piano | 10 | Entered music school at age six[13] |
Franz Liszt | 1811 | Piano | 9 | Performed first major concert at age eleven[14] |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 1756 | Piano, violin | 4 | One of the most prolific composers of the Classical Era. Performed all over Europe with his father Leopold and sister Nannerl[15] |
Sergei Prokofiev | 1891 | Piano | 9 | Composed an opera at age nine |
Camille Saint-Saëns | 1835 | Piano | 5 | Gave his first public recital at age five |
Strings[]
- Joseph Joachim (1831–1907)
- Jascha Heifetz (1901–1987)
- Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999)
- Ida Haendel (1928–2020)
- Yo-Yo Ma (born 1955)
Composing[]
Name | Born | Talent | Debut[a] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Samuel Barber | 1910 | Composer, conductor | 7 | Attempted an opera at age ten; attended the Curtis Institute of Music at age fourteen[16] |
Frédéric Chopin | 1810 | Composer | 7 | Began concerts and polonaises at age seven; attained notability by age fifteen[17] |
Alma Deutscher | 2005 | Composer, pianist, violinist | 6 | Composed first piano sonata at age six, first violin concerto at age nine, and first full-length opera, Cinderella, at age ten.[18] |
Felix Mendelssohn | 1809 | Composer, conductor | 9 | [19] |
Gian Carlo Menotti | 1911 | Composer | 7 | Composed first opera at age eleven[20] |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 1756 | Composer | 4 | His first compositions were Andante (K. 1a) and Allegro (K. 1b)[21] |
Niccolò Paganini | 1782 | Composer, violinist | 7 | [22] |
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b The age at which the musician had their first public performance.
References[]
- ^ "Child Prodigies". in: Feldman, David H.; Morelock, M. J. (2011). "Prodigies". In Runco, Mark A.; Pritzker, Steven R. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Creativity. Encyclopedia of Creativity (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 261–265. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-375038-9.00182-5. ISBN 978-0-12-375038-9.
For the purposes of this and future research, a prodigy was defined as a child younger than 10 years of age who has reached the level of a highly trained professional in a demanding area of endeavor.
- ^ Rose, Lacey (2 March 2007). "Whiz Kids". Forbes. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
At the moment, the most widely accepted definition is a child, typically under the age of 10, who has mastered a challenging skill at the level of an adult professional.
- ^ Feldman, David Henry (Fall 1993). "Child prodigies: A distinctive form of giftedness". Gifted Child Quarterly. 27 (4): 188–193. doi:10.1177/001698629303700408.
- ^ Conway, David (2012). Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-01538-8, pp. 222–224.
- ^ "Martha Argerich (Piano) – Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ "Kit Armstrong". Freewebs.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Claudio Arrau Biography". Princeton.edu. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Four – Audio Interviews – Daniel Barenboim". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Radio 3 – Composer of the Week – 1. Early promise". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ Jachimecki, p. 420.
- ^ Jeffrey Biegel Performer Blog (2006-01-10). "Jeffrey Biegel". Sequenza21.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "PMC ESSAYS: Zakrzewska – Pianists 100 Years Ago (2)". Usc.edu. 2000-08-08. Archived from the original on 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Music – Artists". BBC. Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2006-02-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Mozart's Vienna". Luxurytraveler.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Samuel Barber". Schirmer.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Fryderyk Chopin: Poet of the Piano". 2008-02-09. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ Eddy, Melissa (June 14, 2019). "A Musical Prodigy? Sure, but Don't Call Her 'a New Mozart'". Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ "Felix Mendelssohn Bio". Archived from the original on January 10, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
- ^ "Gian Carlo Menotti". Schirmer.com. 1911-07-07. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ Cliff Eisen, Stanley Sadie, '(Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed May 9, 2006)
- ^ "Legendary Violinists. Niccolo Paganini". Thirteen.org. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
Further reading[]
- Musical Prodigies: Masters at an Early Age by Renee B. Fisher ISBN 0-8096-1854-0
- Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives by Claude Kenneson ISBN 1-57467-046-8
Categories:
- Lists of musicians
- Child classical musicians