Child Prodigies
- Thread starter elderpiano
- Start date
John Watt
Member
Seeing "child prodigies" hits a sour note with me.
If you believe a "soul" can be reborn, and a violin virtuoso can replay again, sure, I can go with that.
Seeing a YouTube video is a modern phenomena, and validates this performance in front of us.
It's also musical, something that is part of our abilities and interests, so it hits a note right away.
But look back at previous generations of "Chinese" entertainment, and what did we see?
On Ed Sullivan, it was Chinese people balancing plates or doing extreme athletic activity.
Sometimes they swallowed live fish, long worms or used snakes in their noses,
getting on American talk shows.
Even if this young boy wanted to be a violin virtuoso before he could walk and talk,
what kind of life is he living if he's this good already?
"Amadeus" is one of my favorite movies,
but it did give me the impression that Mozarts' father used him like a trained act,
pushing his level of musicianship on him and taking him around to show him off.
We can see how that affected Mozart, all the pressure, leading to his early death.
This kid is locked in as a violinist, probably for life, and for me, that's a life sentence.
If I ever read about him cashing in and taking off to live at a beach-front resort,
strumming a guitar and writing his own songs, I'll be more happy for him.
As his fingers get stronger, I hope he develops more hammer-ons and offs.
I like violinists who wave their bow in the air while they're playing.
I'd get into dueling with Frederik Magles' conductor baton if that was me.
I can see the strain of maintaining his performance jerking him around onstage,
creating bad habits that might prevent a more expressive style.
I know what it's like to feel like a deer caught in the headlights,
when I'm filling in for a band with a big crowd cheering me on.
That's when I look back and regret some amplifier or effects settings I didn't change.
My favorite part was watching him tune up, a nice way to... oh yes... orient yourself onstage.
If you believe a "soul" can be reborn, and a violin virtuoso can replay again, sure, I can go with that.
Seeing a YouTube video is a modern phenomena, and validates this performance in front of us.
It's also musical, something that is part of our abilities and interests, so it hits a note right away.
But look back at previous generations of "Chinese" entertainment, and what did we see?
On Ed Sullivan, it was Chinese people balancing plates or doing extreme athletic activity.
Sometimes they swallowed live fish, long worms or used snakes in their noses,
getting on American talk shows.
Even if this young boy wanted to be a violin virtuoso before he could walk and talk,
what kind of life is he living if he's this good already?
"Amadeus" is one of my favorite movies,
but it did give me the impression that Mozarts' father used him like a trained act,
pushing his level of musicianship on him and taking him around to show him off.
We can see how that affected Mozart, all the pressure, leading to his early death.
This kid is locked in as a violinist, probably for life, and for me, that's a life sentence.
If I ever read about him cashing in and taking off to live at a beach-front resort,
strumming a guitar and writing his own songs, I'll be more happy for him.
As his fingers get stronger, I hope he develops more hammer-ons and offs.
I like violinists who wave their bow in the air while they're playing.
I'd get into dueling with Frederik Magles' conductor baton if that was me.
I can see the strain of maintaining his performance jerking him around onstage,
creating bad habits that might prevent a more expressive style.
I know what it's like to feel like a deer caught in the headlights,
when I'm filling in for a band with a big crowd cheering me on.
That's when I look back and regret some amplifier or effects settings I didn't change.
My favorite part was watching him tune up, a nice way to... oh yes... orient yourself onstage.
Ella Beck
Member
This link from Classic fm shows some young children doing amazing stuff.
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/child-prodigies-video/
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/child-prodigies-video/