Think you know books? Try our new Book Trivia!

Child Musical Prodigies Past and Present

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

The Lucy Variations

by Sara Zarr
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • First Published:
  • May 7, 2013, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2014, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Child Musical Prodigies Past and Present

This article relates to The Lucy Variations

Print Review

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart A music prodigy is a child, 12 or under, whose talent is considered on a level and competitive with skilled adult musicians. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is still deemed one of the greatest child music prodigies—born in 1756, he started playing harpsichord at age three. By the age of five he was accomplished at reading and playing music and by age six began performing publically, eventually becoming one of the most famous and prolific composers in history. Other historic well-known music prodigies include George Bizet who started studying at the Paris Conservatory of Music before he was ten; Frederic Chopin who composed "Polonaises in G minor and B flat major 9" at the age of seven; Franz Liszt who performed his first major concert at eleven; and Felix Mendelssohn who began making concert appearances at age nine.

On the more contemporary front, Bjork began studying classical music when she was five, releasing her first album when she was eleven and Tori Amos attended the Peabody Institute at age five. Taylor Swift was writing music by the time she was eleven, and mandolinist Chris Thile cofounded the new-grass group Nickel Creek when he was eight.

But beyond these household names, there are many other music prodigies, with new ones being thrust into the limelight every year. Two highly engaging children recently caught the public's attention; seven year-old Alma Deutscher and six year-old Tsung Tsung.

Compared by many to Mozart, Alma Deutscher of Surrey, England, could name the notes on the piano by age two, received a violin for her third birthday and could play Handel sonatas before she was four. She began composing by the age of five and in 2012, at the age of seven, made the news after writing her first short opera, titled "The Sweeper of Dreams." She has said that she hopes someday to "compose like Mozart, play the violin like Perlman and play the piano like Barenboim."

Watch Alma talking about her opera on the BBC, and click below to listen to the opera:



Tsung Tsung from Hong Kong, made news last year when he appeared on The Ellen Show and performed Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight Of The Bumblebee." Wearing a pint-sized tuxedo instead of the pajamas seen in previous videos, Tsung Tsung gave a dramatic performance, throwing his arms in the air like an Olympic victor at the end of the piece.

You can watch Tsung Tsung's performance on The Ellen Show, in the video below:



Filed under Music and the Arts

Article by Sharry Wright

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Lucy Variations. It originally ran in June 2013 and has been updated for the May 2014 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Tapestry of Time
    by Kate Heartfield
    Love, war, and the supernatural collide in this dazzling historical fantasy by international bestselling author Kate Heartfield.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

Win This Book
Win These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

"[An] atmospheric tale of unexpected hope." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author

Enter

Book
Trivia

  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.