Spinning Silk Music

Update on the book Musical Prodigies by Claude Kenneson.

Niccolo Paganini lived from 1782-1840. He was a violinist, but before he learned violin, he learned to play the mandolin at the age of five. At age seven, he started studying the violin and began composing. By the time he was eight years old, he had written his first sonata. Typically, when he composed music, he did not use any instrument. He was a member of the Jacobins. He enjoyed imitating other instruments with his violin. The famous piece by Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, was based on Paganini’s Caprices.

“My great rule in art is complete unity within diversity.”–Niccolo Paganini (pg. 75, Musical Prodigies by Claude Kenneson)

Update on the book Musical Prodigies by Claude Kenneson.

The first major musical prodigy covered in this book is on of the most admired and celebrated classical composers of all time–Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was undeniably a child prodigy. The book mentions that he started his lessons at age 3 because his sister (age 7) was starting hers. He soon began to compose little pieces and even made up a way to write down his musical thoughts at age 4. He and his sister, Nannerl, performed in a variety of venues at the direction of their father, Leopold Mozart. People were amazed at how well these two children could play music.

This past weekend, my husband and I went to a Third Day concert in the Charlotte area with some friends of ours. It was part of a family-friendly Fourth of July celebration produced by Charlotte’s Christian radio station, NewLife 91.9FM.

This was the first time I had ever been to a Third Day concert. My favorite Third Day songs are “God of Wonders” and “Your Love Oh Lord”. The concert started out with two other bands–Leland and Hyperstatic Union. Of those two, Hyperstatic Union really had the best sound and the most professional style. Leland may improve over time–the musicians seemed to really mean what they were saying/singing. Leland’s sound could be described as light rock. As they gain more experience, they need to tighten up their sound and make it more precise. Hyperstatic Union, on the other hand, already has a very tight, precise sound that is enjoyable to listen to. Their style is loud rock.

Then came the band we were waiting for–Third Day. The songs had a good message and I recognized the ones that I had heard on the radio (89.3FM in Greenville, SC). The concert was enjoyable and the musicians seemed sincere about their message. A couple of things would have made the concert even better in my opinion. One–lower the volume of the music for greater enjoyability. Two–balance the voices and instruments to make the voices stand out better. Both of these things would make it easier to understand and appreciate the words that are being sung.

After the main concert, there was a spectacular fireworks show combined with recorded music which made for a very interesting experience. At the end of the fireworks show, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was playing and towards the end of the song, the fireworks stopped–until–as the song finished, the fireworks were released en-masse! It was great!

I am currently reading a book entitled, Musical Prodigies, by Claude Kenneson. Keep an eye on this blog for a review when I am finished. The book is full of stories of many musical prodigies and their lives.