Prodigy, 12, Compared To Mozart

60 Minutes ^

[montag813]

I didnt think the kid was so impressive on the show. Mozart was actually good. His music is lame. Also he never edits his pieces, and another "genius: showed how relentlessly Beethoven marked up his sheets.

[dwilli]

I enjoyed the piece and have no doubt the kid is a genius but
I ain't buying the part about the kid at 2 years old drawing an
image of a cello complete with bow and he had never seen one
or even had any idea what a cello was.

[Maigrey]

PING!

[Bon mots]

Hmmmm... real audio. Does anybody have a non "Real Audio" format file? I would like to hear it.

[angkor]

frankly, his music is CRAP.

I don't think it's crap, but it does lack emotive breadth from what little I've heard.

But he's 12 years old, and you couldn't expect much more. Give him 5 years.

[MaineRepublic]

Mozart's famous works were composed well after he was 12 years old. Mozart was a prodigy too, but the works we hear today were not the ones he composed prior to his teen years.

[AnAmericanMother]

Stuff that sounds "pretty complicated" always reminds me of somebody's doctoral dissertation in music . . . not something that you walk away humming.

Mozart and Bach have a heavenly simplicity about them even at their most complex.

I'll reserve judgment on the merit of the music til we hear some of it -- that said, it's delightful to hear of a kid being so inspired and working so hard, and his parents supporting him. Hope things work out for him and he has a long and happy life in music.

[pray4liberty]

God bless Jay.

[debboo]

I listened and I believe you are right. There is no depth. Of course it could be that he is channelling music from a simpler time.

[AnAmericanMother]

There's a difference between being the next Mozart and the next Saint-Saens.

Very true! But it was nice Sunday to sing the Saint-Saens "Ave Verum" instead of Mozart's setting . . . just for a change. (Watch the alto section struggle with a chromatic scale!)

[Popman]

Cute story, but frankly, his music is CRAP

Yeah, you're right. I listened, what a waste of talent.

The kid should be writing rap songs.

[Dalite]

This kid understands music. There is a lot to be said for that. Of course, he is above average intelligence; many studies have found children with a musical background do better scholastically.

Brian Wilson was another prodigy; although at a different time and different age. He listened to Phil Spector productions until he could write the score and include every instrument that Spector used in his "Wall of Sound" concept.

Apparently Jay has a similar understanding of the complexities of music; reverse engineering a sound in his head (that has never been played before, because he hasn't composed it yet). His keen hearing shaped his desires at a young age. I would imagine that his folks played some classical music while he was young, or even in the womb.

Jay is a prodigy because of this exceptional capability at such a young age. Brian Wilson is a similar prodigy because he was technically deaf in one ear.

Let's hope that Jay's folks let him continue with his first true love, without keeping him in a pressure cooker to use it to support others. This is the death of creativity, when it becomes the creator's responsibility for the existence of those that cling to the creator's talent.

This kind of talent, especially in music, historically has turned out to be a real curse.

By the same token, most truly talented figures in history faced emotional demons due to a society that was so out of step to their way of thinking.

[jtminton]

HE IS THE FIRESTARTER!

[js1138]

The question becomes: is he limited to music in the older classical styles, or will he be able to compose in a modern style.

And if he composes in a modern style, will anyone want to listen?

Is it even possible to write modern music that is listenable, without being accused of simply copying the style of an old master?

[theDentist]

The thing is, he composes the score for every instrument in a full orchestra. When he was only 10!

That's nothing. I once told a dirty joke in front of a classroom of kids when I was only 9! :)

[montag813]

I don't think it's crap, but it does lack emotive breadth from what little I've heard.

It's absolute crap. We don't need to wait 5 years. Mozart wrote better stuff than this at age 4. this kid has a brain anomoly which makes him able to compose, transpose and deal with music radically in his own head. that's nice, but too bad he has no actual talent to go along with this. Brain Wilson was similarly gifted, but at least he had talent.

[MaineRepublic]

LOL!!

Maybe he will get good enough to be in a Vibe Awards brawl.

[Holicheese]

CBS is Freddo to me.

[Ike]

Did you see the segment where he took the Beethoven sonata he's been studying with his piano teacher (a concert pianist) and turned it upside down & played it? He mentally transposed the clefs, and played the music upside down & backwards! Didn't sound bad, either! The teacher was properly amazed.

[CasearianDaoist]

I cannot get any sound from this link.