List of child music prodigies

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.

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.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1763, aged seven

Classical

Piano
Name Born Instrument Debut[lower-alpha 1] 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
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, composition 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
Cory Henry 1987 Piano, Organ 6 Began playing both the piano and the B3 organ at two years old; played a recital at the Apollo Theater when he was six.[16][17]

Strings

Composing
Name Born Talent Debut[lower-alpha 1] Notes
Nino Rota 1911 Composer 8 First piano composition at age eight; attended Milan Conservatory at age 9; first opera performed publicly at age eleven [18]
Samuel Barber 1910 Composer, conductor 7 Attempted an opera at age ten; attended the Curtis Institute of Music at age fourteen[19]
Frédéric Chopin 1810 Composer 7 Began concerts and polonaises at age seven; attained notability by age fifteen[20]
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.[21]
Felix Mendelssohn 1809 Composer, conductor 9 [22]
Gian Carlo Menotti 1911 Composer 7 Composed first opera at age eleven[23]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756 Composer 4 His first compositions were Andante (K. 1a) and Allegro (K. 1b)[24]
Niccolò Paganini 1782 Composer, violinist 7 [25]
Erich Wolfgang Korngold 1897 Composer, conductor 9 Started composing at age 7. Wrote cantata at age 9 and first ballet, ‘Der Schneemann’ at age 11.
Sergei Prokofiev 1891 Composer, pianist, and conductor Composed first piano piece at age 5. First operetta, ‘The Giant’ composed at age 9.
César Franck 1822 Composer, organist, pianist, teacher Attempted piano concerto at age 12 and cantata at age 13 among other various works.

Notes
  1. The age at which the musician had their first public performance.

References
  1. "Child Prodigies". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) in: Feldman, David H.; Morelock, M. J. (2011). "Prodigies". In Runco, Mark A.; Pritzker, Steven R. (eds.). 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Feldman, David Henry (Fall 1993). "Child prodigies: A distinctive form of giftedness". Gifted Child Quarterly. 27 (4): 188–193. doi:10.1177/001698629303700408. S2CID 144180264.
  4. 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.
  5. "Martha Argerich (Piano) – Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  6. "Kit Armstrong". Freewebs.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  7. "Claudio Arrau Biography". Princeton.edu. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  8. "Four – Audio Interviews – Daniel Barenboim". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  9. "Radio 3 – Composer of the Week – 1. Early promise". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  10. Jachimecki, p. 420.
  11. Jeffrey Biegel Performer Blog (2006-01-10). "Jeffrey Biegel". Sequenza21.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  12. "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.
  13. "Music – Artists". BBC. Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  14. "The Musical Times: Franz Liszt 1811-1886". Archived from the original on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2006-02-04.
  15. "Mozart's Vienna". Luxurytraveler.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  16. Leggett, Steve. "Cory Henry : Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  17. Incollingo, Joe (February 25, 2016). "Snarky Puppy's Cory Henry on five organ essentials". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  18. "Nino Rota, Un timido protagonista del Novecento musicale". EDT.it. Retrieved 2022-04-14., pp. 179-180.
  19. "Samuel Barber". Schirmer.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  20. "Fryderyk Chopin: Poet of the Piano". 2008-02-09. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  21. Eddy, Melissa (June 14, 2019). "A Musical Prodigy? Sure, but Don't Call Her 'a New Mozart'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  22. "Felix Mendelssohn Bio". Archived from the original on January 10, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
  23. "Gian Carlo Menotti". Schirmer.com. 1911-07-07. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  24. Cliff Eisen, Stanley Sadie, '(Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed May 9, 2006)
  25. "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
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