More on prodigies...

Hello to All,

In my last posting, I mentioned the pleasure of hearing young Rebekah Heckler, a thirteen-year-old violin prodigy from Godfrey, Illinois. Since then I have found myself thinking about prodigies, what they have to teach the rest of us and the best way to nurture their growth, development and happiness. I suspect that in doing so we might discover ways to improve the lives of non-prodigies as well.

The first time I heard a prodigy perform was many years ago, when young Hayuru Taima, also thirteen at the time, performed the "Konzertstuck" for piano and orchestra, by Carl Maria von Weber. The music tells the story of a medieval lady awaiting the return of her knight from the Crusades--lots of flourishes and emotion. I found witnessing such talent to be a haunting and spiritual experience. To this day I am not convinced that science can come up with a rational explanation for such remarkable ability. Someone once remarked that a prodigy simply has been blessed to be born with a remarkable mechanical ability, perhaps facilitated by his/her particular body type and genes. Anyone who has studied music knows that this response falls far short; the successful performance of a piece of music requires not only physical skill, but also insight into the nature of the piece, a sense of phrasing and musical line, as well as sound judgment of musical choices.

A wise lady with a mystical bent I once knew felt that prodigies were simply evidence of reincarnation, their talent having been developed over previous lifetimes, and I suppose this explanation makes about as much sense as any mainstream scientific explanation I have seen put forth.

So what do you think? Feel free to post a comment.

More on this topic soon.

Thanks,
Gary