Inspiring tales about ultra talented pianists are abundant in our history, but it is stories about the really young ones that most fascinating. Mozart, for example, played to European royalty at a ridiculously early age, also beginning to compose music at the age of five. Many more stories present themselves, of pianists with incredible talent and startling youth.
One such example is Frdric Chopin, a 19th century polish composer, who began giving public concerts at age seven, and went on in the same year to compose two polonaises. His talent soon had him compared to Mozart as a child, and so he was widely renowned as being a child prodigy. He grew up to become a virtuoso in his art.
Ludvig van Beethoven is another much cited example of a child prodigy. Baptised on 17th December 1770, he was only seven when he gave his first public performance, and his talents were already astounding then. His father famously exaggerated that he was six on the posters for the performance.
It would be a shame, however, if it was thought that such achievements were restricted to the wealthy in the 18th and 19th century, and that the 21st century was lacking in such ingenuity. There have been many cases of unbelievably young children playing with equally unbelievable talent. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of children as young as four playing very complex piano that many adults would find difficult.
One specific story really stands out. Born in Birmingham, Cyril Vincent was only seven years old in 2008, which was the year in which he passed his grade four piano exam. This was after only playing the instrument for two years as well! Beating the competition by five years, he became the youngest student to be admitted into University of Music and Theatre in Hanover in Germany, where he pursued his art for three months.
One such example is Frdric Chopin, a 19th century polish composer, who began giving public concerts at age seven, and went on in the same year to compose two polonaises. His talent soon had him compared to Mozart as a child, and so he was widely renowned as being a child prodigy. He grew up to become a virtuoso in his art.
Ludvig van Beethoven is another much cited example of a child prodigy. Baptised on 17th December 1770, he was only seven when he gave his first public performance, and his talents were already astounding then. His father famously exaggerated that he was six on the posters for the performance.
It would be a shame, however, if it was thought that such achievements were restricted to the wealthy in the 18th and 19th century, and that the 21st century was lacking in such ingenuity. There have been many cases of unbelievably young children playing with equally unbelievable talent. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of children as young as four playing very complex piano that many adults would find difficult.
One specific story really stands out. Born in Birmingham, Cyril Vincent was only seven years old in 2008, which was the year in which he passed his grade four piano exam. This was after only playing the instrument for two years as well! Beating the competition by five years, he became the youngest student to be admitted into University of Music and Theatre in Hanover in Germany, where he pursued his art for three months.
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