I'm sitting here at work with Mozart's Serenade #6 in D K. 239, Serenata notturna, playing on the iPod. It is sublimely perfect, gorgeous, inspired music. (Just thought I would share.)
Of course he is, I love Mozart.... My favorite: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9vttZzUPg3A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> DD
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wo4pdhKL4b4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
What . . .exactly . . . makes him a Genius . . . . Artistic Geniuses are always the hardest for me to quantify. If enough folx like your stuff . . . mere popularity . . ..does that make you a Musical Genuis? Genuis has been used for Stevie Wonder as well . . .and I was never sure what it meant I mean . . .being blind and playing .. . pretty impressive. . but Genuis? Rocket River
I don't think it's really about popularity. It's a mix of innovation, influence, and to a lesser degree, skill. Also, Stevie isn't impressive because he's blind. He's impressive because he's good. Being blind is a huge handicap in life. In music, not so much.
I am not belittle either Just curious about the criteria Who else stands out as Musical Genuises? and why? Anyone Modern? Rocket River
Well it's a pretty subjective term unless you're talking about somebody's IQ. Under my qualifications, it's very difficult to pinpoint a genius until after their time is over. Also, what do you mean by modern? Still alive? Or currently in their prime? If I had to guess, I'd say Lady Gaga is going to be recognized as one of the most influential musicians of this generation, even though I don't really like her music. Probably Carrie Underwood, Kanye, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys. Taylor Swift is building herself a surprisingly impressive legacy. I can't really think of anyone in rock right now. Maybe Coldplay? I dont know much about the art music nowadays, but John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Alan Menken have written their names firmly in the film history books. Just my opinion though. I could very well be wildly wrong.
Mozart made some great music. I'm really big on the Requiem. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/33h48282ezM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Some of his operatic stuff is pretty good too.
Well, at least with Mozart specifically, many call him a genius because he was able to compose the music in his head before ever putting ink to paper. Many of his manuscripts have no corrections whatsoever. This was exceedingly rare among even the greatest composers (Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, etc.). At the same time, his music followed very traditional forms but at the same time he was able to innovate on traditional forms in some ways. I think he displayed some pretty incredible intellectual prowess even while being an artist.
I think there has to be not only excellence, but some new achievement or orginality in their field. Miles Davis and Duke Ellington would be geniuses, I think. I don't see many people considering rock or pop musicians geniuses because many don't consider it a "true art form."
I think influence also has to do with it, which can only be seen in hindsight. Mozart influenced music as a whole. Just the same, The Beatles influenced music as well. I'd say they're all geniuses, though maybe on different scales.
