A musician revered as an ace and a genius. Brilliant musician - Anton Rubinstein

The presence of musical memory, musical ear, possession of a sense of rhythm, emotional susceptibility to music are called musical abilities. Almost all people, to one degree or another, have all these gifts from nature and, if desired, can develop them. Outstanding musical ability is much rarer.

The following “set” of mental properties of an artistic personality can be attributed to the phenomenon of exceptional musical talents: absolute pitch, phenomenal musical memory, outstanding ability to learn, creative talent.

The highest manifestations of musicality

The Russian musician K.K. Saradzheva from childhood revealed a unique ear for music. For Sarajev, all living beings and inanimate objects sounded in certain musical tones. For example, one of the artists familiar to Konstantin Konstantinovich was for him: D-sharp major, moreover, having an orange tint.

Sarajev claimed that in an octave he clearly distinguishes 112 sharps and 112 flats of each tone. Among all musical instruments, K. Saradzhev singled out bells. The ingenious musician has created a musical catalog of the sound spectra of the bells of Moscow belfries and more than 100 most interesting compositions bell games.

F. List, S.V. Rachmaninov, D. Enescu and other brilliant musicians had a phenomenal memory: they could, looking at the musical text, memorize a piece of music with fantastic speed and accuracy without an instrument.

F. Liszt played from the sheet, as M.I. Glinka, several numbers from his handwritten score of the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila", retaining all the notes - to the surprise of the listeners (Glinka's handwriting was very illegible). F. Liszt was helped by an extraordinary musical intuition.

Once, at the request of M. Ravel, in front of the captious music publisher D. Enescu, he brilliantly played Ravel's new violin sonata by heart. He first saw the text of it half an hour before the performance.

I.S. Bach, W. Mozart memorized the most difficult orchestral works hearing them only once. The rarest musical memory was possessed worldwide famous performers: I. Hoffman, S. Feinberg. L. Oborin, S. Richter, D. Oistrakh, which helped them to have a huge concert repertoire.

A companion of musical talent is the gift of virtuoso playing musical instruments. The highest technique of owning an instrument, which gives unlimited freedom to performing movements, for a musical genius, first of all, is a means that allows him to reveal the content of music deeply and with inspiration.

S. Richter plays “The Water Game” by M. Ravel

An example of extraordinary musical ability the phenomenon of improvisation on given topics can also serve, when a musician creates a piece of music, without prior preparation, in the process of its performance.

Children are musicians

hallmark unusual musical abilities is their early manifestation. Gifted children are distinguished by a strong and quick memorization of music, a penchant for musical composition.

Children who have musical talent, already by the age of two they are purely intoned, and by the age of 4-5 they learn to read music freely from a sheet and reproduce the musical text expressively and meaningfully. Geeks are a miracle so far inexplicable by science. It happens that artistry and technical perfection, the maturity of the performance of small musicians turns out to be better game adults.

W. Mozart from the age of 4 began to play the clavier and violin, composed music. From the age of 6, he gave concerts in Europe, where he performed his own and other people's works, read from a sheet with extraordinary ease, and improvised on given topics. F. List with early childhood surprised the listeners with his virtuoso piano playing.

Now the whole world is flourishing children's creativity and there are a lot of geeks today.

11-year-old girl - vocalist from Moscow V. Oganesyan sings complex opera arias, From the age of 4, the young Russian pianist V. Kutuzova has been performing on stage, the violinist from Berlin A. Kamara began to play the violin from the age of 2.

A young conductor from Uzbekistan Eduard Yudenich entered the stage at the age of 6 to lead symphony orchestra. He began playing the violin at the age of three, then mastered the piano. Having a phenomenal musical memory, the boy knows by heart the scores of all the works that he conducts. At the age of seven, he conducted an orchestra performing Liszt's orchestral poem Preludes.

F. Liszt “Preludes” – Eduard Yudenich conducts

Quotes about creativity. Musicians and singers about creativity

MUSICIANS AND SINGERS ABOUT CREATIVITY

You have to feel strongly for others to feel.

I resolutely and sternly banished the pernicious Russian "maybe" from my working life and relied only on a conscious creative effort. I don't believe in one saving power of talent, without hard work. Without her, the greatest talent will fizzle out, as a spring will die out in the desert ... I don’t remember who said: “genius is diligence” ...

The capable are envied, the talented are harmed, the brilliant are avenged.

Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin

I don't believe in one single power of talent, without hard work. Without her, the greatest talent will fizzle out, as a spring will die out in the desert, not making its way through the sands ...

Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin

It is interesting to observe how an artist's creativity depends on the growth or degradation of his inner self! The work of any artist is nothing but the pursuit of truth, simplicity, authenticity.

A musician is not a profession, but a nationality.

The music should be loud enough to drown out the coughing of the audience, and quiet enough not to drown out the barrage of applause.

Leonid Utyosov

What we play is life.

I owe you nothing but a good game.

To be creative person is more than just being different. Anyone can be weird, it's easy. It is difficult to be as simple and great at the same time as Bach. Making things simple, incredibly simple - that's creativity.

Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979), American jazz double bassist and composer

I'm obsessed with improvement.

Charles Aznavour

I have worked all my life like a beast. Until the age of sixty, he had never been on vacation.

Charles Aznavour

Sincerity is always relevant on stage. French chansonnier at the same time mime, tragedian and poet. And none of these incarnations allows you to hide a person behind a mask.

Charles Aznavour

If I knew where they come from good songs I would try to go there much more often.

Leonard Cohen

Creative people, if there are no opportunities for self-realization, as you know, perish.

With music, everything is much easier. It happens that a melody comes to my mind when I'm cooking dinner, then I drop everything, go for a guitar and sit down to play right in the kitchen. Once I recorded a whole disc like that ...

I believe that music is the voice of a special spirit whose task is to collect the dreams of the world, and which, passing through the minds of people, is able to settle, even for a short time, their strife, or shake souls, destroying social inconveniences.

Adriano Celentano

If you are doing something beautiful and sublime, and no one notices this, do not be upset: the sunrise is generally the most beautiful sight in the world, but most people are still sleeping at this time.

John Lennon (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) was a British rock musician, founding member of The Beatles.

When I was twelve years old, I often thought that I must be a genius, but no one notices. I thought: “I am either a genius or a madman. Which of them? I can't be crazy because I'm not in a psychiatric hospital. So I'm a genius." I want to say that genius, apparently, is one of the forms of insanity.

John Lennon

I lost the most important thing for an artist - the freedom of creativity, because I allowed myself to be enslaved by imposed ideas about what an artist should be.

John Lennon

Talent is the ability to believe in success. Complete nonsense when they say that I suddenly discovered a talent in myself. I just worked.

John Lennon

It's not me that's important, my songs are important. I'm just a postman delivering songs.

When I watch the news, I understand that the world is ruled by those who never listen to music.

Bob Dylan

Music changes faster than you can change.

Aretha Franklin (born March 25, 1942) American singer rhythm and blues, soul and gospel

Politics and creativity are incompatible things.

Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942), British musician, singer, one of the founders bands The Beatles

If I'm free, it's only because I'm working.

Music is my religion.

Jimi Hendrix

In order to discover the laws that belong to the world of primary images, the artist must awaken to life as a person: almost all of his noble feelings, a considerable share of intellect, intuition, and the desire to create must be developed in him.

The Laws of Art originate not in the material, but in ideal world where Beauty dwells, matter can only indicate the boundaries within which artistic inspiration spreads.

Delia Steinberg Guzman

If you ever really wrote music, you will continue to do so.

George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001), English rock musician, singer and songwriter

Inspiration surrounds you on all sides, and in Everyday life him the most.

Mick Jagger (born 26 July 1943), English rock musician, vocalist of the band The Rolling Stones

Real poetry says nothing, it only indicates possibilities. Opens all doors. You can open any that suits you.

We just played what we wanted. It is impossible to invent something artificially. It has to be carried like a child. Or bring out like a flower. What does cold thinking mean when you have a living instrument in your hands, and it breathes, it cries, it wants to tell the whole world something?

What's good about music is that when it hits you, you don't feel pain.

Talent can help with the debut, and then only work on improving your skills.

Modern painting is just like women: you will never enjoy it if you try to understand it.

Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 - November 24, 1991) British singer, vocalist of the rock band Queen

I do not want to become some kind of star, I will become a legend.

Freddie Mercury

I am absolutely cold and indifferent to everything. But in that case, I ask myself, where does this stormy source of creative energy come from? I do not understand. The songs of David Bowie do not belong to me - I just release them through myself into this world. Then I listen and am amazed: their author, whoever he was, at least experienced strong feelings! I don't get to know them.

David Bowie

The basic method is simple: you need to bring people to a state where they simply have to react to me. I love shock tactics. In my opinion, creativity that does not shock is devoid of any meaning.

David Bowie

The greatest chances for success are in those groups in which real like-minded friends play, professionalism is a thing to come, a unifying idea is important.

Music has a healing power. For a few hours, she can make you leave your body so that you can finally look at yourself from the outside.

Elton John

I have always been interested only in the artistic side of life.

A cliché about a reclusive composer who loses the remnants of his mind over a musical manuscript unjustifiably and even insultingly for contemporary musicians. According to James Rhodes, a popular pianist and composer, there is a clearly proportional relationship between music, creativity and mental balance, which does not harm, but rather supports the health and mood of creative people.

A Study on Prejudice

Crazy composer ... note by note he pulls music out of himself into a manuscript, lost 7 kilograms while composing his own last opera. The cold has long developed into bronchitis, always suffering from coughing, lack of sleep and malnutrition. He mumbles something under his breath, shouts at passers-by, draws stave on napkins in cafes and restaurants. He sits alone at the piano, chilled, hungry, and looks at the inscription on the wall: “You don’t have to be crazy to compose music, but it’s easier this way”; an inscription that is written in his own handwriting, in his own blood.

This is not just a prejudice - it is a historical and cultural cliché that has become part of the public perception of all artists. But it is as erroneous as it is widespread.

Cause cliché

The truth is that the connection between craziness and creativity is just as strong and logical as the causal relationship between a zodiac sign and intelligence.

The fact that society has decided to link madness and creativity is very easy to explain. How else can we mere mortals explain the incredible creative power of such geniuses as Mozart or Beethoven. Of course, it is easier for us to explain this by some strange mental disorder or psychological illness. We cannot agree that both of these people were completely ordinary, otherwise where is the magic lost? And what to do with the question: why am I not like that?

What is madness?

Creativity is an extremely broad concept. Creating music becomes not just a job for composers, but a passion and love of their lives, the reason for their existence. Each of contemporary composers I swear that the great musicians weren't crazy.

Excited? Oh sure. Angry, impoverished, alcoholic, anxious, nervous, suffering from bouts of depression and grief. But these traits are not at all the definition of insanity. In fact, from time to time they can characterize each of us.

Of all the great composers today, only Schumann would find himself hospitalized for his bipolar disorder. Apart from him, none of musical geniuses would not have received a positive diagnosis of any psychological disorder.

Diagnosis in psychology, in general, is a very interesting thing. We are all a little crazy. A good (or bad) psychologist can diagnose this or that disorder to any person. In fact, we know very little about how our own consciousness works. Once upon a time, the great English romantic poet Keats received a diagnosis of " mental disorder based on poetry. We would like to think that since that time we have reached new heights in psychology, but in fact little has changed.

What is creativity?

During creative process the musician doesn't care about him at all psychological condition. However, as soon as he thinks about his own health, creativity immediately becomes absolutely necessary. In this case, it is important to note that all composers achieved their heights not because, but in spite of being restless, nervous and unbalanced.

Creativity and creative force are a sign of mental stability, and not a disorder. Creativity saves people from routine, depression, fears and hopelessness. The ability to speak out, to pour raging emotions into music, is what saves the composer from insanity.

Biographical example

The constructive, saving energy of creativity can be demonstrated by the example of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Author of the greatest musical works orphaned at the age of 10, lost several brothers and sisters, faced constant physical and moral abuse at school, spent several years next to a relative who hated him. As a teenager, he walked hundreds of kilometers to get to the best music school. He had 20 children, 11 of whom died at an early age. His beloved wife died suddenly when the composer was on a short trip. Having experienced so much grief, any person would go crazy, but Bach remained an absolutely rational, mentally balanced person until the end of his days. And all because he expressed his emotions, all his tears and sorrows in music.

He never stopped working for a day. Without music, it is likely that he would have gone mad. He did not need the encouraging findings of modern research proving that creativity has a positive effect on both social and emotional and intellectual development. He didn't need to read that creative people have great potential. He just knew it ... he knew and never stopped working for a moment.

Creativity in the modern world

Today, we regularly try to find a solution to our problems, to justify them with anything, if only we were allowed to continue to lead our calm and measured way of life. Creativity does not tolerate regularity, it does not recognize frames and stereotypes. Creativity lives and creates life. Composers, artists, sculptors and writers do not need to look for oblivion in serials, in social networks and luxury resorts. In their inner world the whole universe lives and develops.

There is one secret that the general public doesn't know or prefers to ignore: you don't have to become a composer or an artist to be creative. One of the saddest myths of our time is the myth that only a small part of people are creative. As Picasso said: all children - the greatest painters, the biggest problem of our society is that we prevent them from being artists.

Any science about a person in one way or another faces an eternal discussion - what is more important in the development of a personality: natural qualities or upbringing? Supporters of both opinions tend to reduce this debate to unequivocal answers, but, fortunately, recent research has shown that the situation is slightly different. It turns out that we are quite capable of influencing who we become. T&P translated an excerpt from the new book by renowned business coach Miles Downey, The Genius in Each of Us, about the history of these points of view, the secrets of Mozart's genius, and how a person's genes react to his external environment.

Francis Galton (1822–1911) – English explorer, geographer, anthropologist and psychologist, founder of differential psychology and psychometrics, statistician

Disputes about the priority of one over the other, the interconnections and mutual influences of nature and education on each other began in mid-nineteenth century from the work of Francis Galton. In a simplified form, nature is all the innate qualities of a person, its genetic heritage, and upbringing is external elements, social and cultural, that affect how a person becomes: how parents treat him, what and how he is taught at school and university, what he encounters in life and how his relationships with others develop.

Radicals on the side of nature and passionate about biopsychology argue, for example, that all features human behavior, down to the smallest traits of character, is nothing but the result of evolution. There is nothing strange in this view, especially considering that one of its earliest and most ardent proponents, Francis Galton, was a cousin of Charles Darwin. Behaviorists stand on the other side of the barricades, convinced that all human actions are determined primarily by their existence in the social environment. One of the most prominent and well-known supporters of this idea is the English educator and philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). Studying a personality from its very birth, he came to the conclusion that the consciousness of a child in the womb is a tabula rasa, that is, Blank sheet, something virgin and untouched, filled with experience over time. This idea is directly opposed to the idea that some knowledge is inherent in us from birth - and by nature itself.

The behavioral method of carrot and stick and the desire to please the authorities are still the main ones. driving forces management

The idea of ​​the priority of nature dominated society until the middle of the 20th century. To understand why, it is enough to imagine the cultural and social atmosphere of that era. The idea that a person can influence who he becomes in the future was too revolutionary to be accepted lightly. People had to know their place in society, otherwise the hard workers would have refused to work in the fields and factories, soldiers - to die on the battlefield, servants - to respect the rich and those in power. Even into the second half of the century, the carrot-and-stick behavioral approach and the desire to please superiors were, and still are, the main drivers of management. Few people seriously care about creating internal motivation in employees and providing them with opportunities for growth.

ten year rule

The real breakthrough that marked the way out of the impasse came with the appearance of the work of the Swedish psychologist Anders Eriksson and his colleagues, entitled “The Role of Deliberate Practice in Achieving Outstanding Results.” The study was based on the experience gained by the scientist in the work on the project of the American Carnegie Mellon University, dedicated to the study of the features of memory. With the help of William Chase and an anonymous lay student, Eriksson conducted an experiment to greatly improve memory skills. The results showed that at right choice methodology and sufficient intensity of training, the subject is able to memorize and reproduce from memory up to 80 numbers. Biological characteristics were not related to this ability in any way. This discovery marked the beginning of a long 30-year journey for Eriksson to promote the concept of talent and convince its many doubters.

Those who were previously considered gifted turned out to be hard workers, whose main advantage was the ability to work hard and methodically.

Later - in 1991, already at the University of Florida - he conducted, perhaps, his most famous study. The experimental group consisted of students of the violin department of the Berlin Academy of Music. Together with two colleagues, Ericsson tried to determine what factors are the causes of the highest achievements in the arts. That's what the experiment was about. The students were divided into three groups according to their qualifications. The first group included the best of the best - violinists who were given a unique solo career and worldwide recognition. In the second - students, whose abilities allowed them to count on places in the most famous orchestras. In the third - potential teachers-practitioners. After long and informative interviews, the researchers found what they were looking for: it turned out that the most extraordinary talents had more than a decade behind them by their 20th birthday game practice- an average of about 10 thousand hours of exercises and rehearsals. All without exception. The second group boasted 8 thousand hours, the third - only 4 thousand (again, on average). Those who were previously considered gifted turned out to be hard workers, whose main advantage was the ability to work hard and methodically.

Subsequently, similar studies were undertaken more than once: the experimental groups were composed of representatives of the most different areas human activity. But the results were unchanged. Thanks to the work of Eriksson, the 10-year rule, or the 10,000-hour rule, has been firmly established in the everyday life of psychologists. As the British athlete Mohammed Farah, who won two gold medals at once, said in an interview with the BBC, Olympic Games ah 2012 in London (including for the race for 10 thousand meters), "the secret of success is in hard work and determination."

musical genius

As an example of a genius and gifted person (that is, one who demonstrates his talent from early childhood, becoming more and more virtuoso without any special training), Mozart is very fond of citing. He did not get up from the piano when he was three years old, wrote his first piece at the age of five, and went on tour in Europe when he was six.

But look how many interesting things you can learn by looking at his biography a little closer. Let's start with his older sister Maria Anna, who played the harpsichord superbly thanks to her constant studies with her father. That is, Mozart from early childhood heard music and saw people constantly practicing for musical instrument. It is not surprising that one day he began to repeat after his sister. Wolfgang Amadeus' father, Leopold, was a prominent musician, composer and teacher, and a very progressive teacher: his methods are very reminiscent of the Suzuki method (it seems not only to me, but to everyone who is interested in education). He got busy music education son at the very moment he saw his interest, and devoted most of his life to him - with amazing results. There is nothing surprising, however, in this result: with such a backlog, Mozart simply had no choice but to become a genius. And one more thing: some critics claim that early works Mozart are not so good compared to the more mature ones that he started writing at the age of 17, a little more than ten years after his debut.

ping pong champion

A similar story is told by Matthew Seed in his bestseller The Jump. He became the best ping-pong player in Britain in 1995, when he was 24. This story is notable for at least two things: thousands of hours of training and great luck. Matthew says that when he was eight years old (the family then lived in Reading), his parents bought a ping-pong table and put it in the garage. They themselves have never played this game, so about any family tradition do not have to speak. They just had a very large garage - compared to their neighbors, at least. Matthew's first partner was his older brother Andrew. They were so carried away by the game that they did not leave the table for hours, testing each other, training their skills and inventing new tricks. All these factors, converging at one time in one place, gave Matthew the opportunity to train.

“Even without realizing it, we spent thousands and thousands endlessly at the table happy hours', he writes. Luck came in the form of a local school teacher, Mr. Charters, who was responsible for extracurricular work and including - incredibly, but true - for table tennis. And he was one of the best, if not the best, English coach and in this capacity was in charge of the local ping-pong club, where he invited the Sid brothers to play and train after school, on holidays and weekends. The guys were lucky to be born in a land rich in talents, so they had a chance to train not only with local champions, but also with national and even world champions. Andrew managed to win three national junior titles. Matthew, however, fate has prepared something special. It so happened that it was at this very time that the legendary Chen Xinhua - perhaps the best player in the history of ping-pong - married a woman from Yorkshire and moved to these parts. He had already finished his career, but when he saw Matthew, he agreed to train him. After this meeting, the young man long years remained number one in England, three times became the champion of the Commonwealth and twice - the Olympic champion. By his own admission, had he been born just on a different street, none of this would have happened. However, we are not so much interested in luck as long years of hard training - as the main component of future success.

Genes and environment

However, you probably already guessed that in the confrontation between nature and upbringing, not everything is so simple. The first cloud that eclipsed the rising sun of supporters of education was doubts about the validity of the ten-year rule. It turned out that 4 thousand hours were enough for someone, and 22 thousand were not enough for someone. There were more and more such examples, and eventually the exceptions began to refute the rule. It turned out that if you take two people, one of whom has a clear ability for a particular type of activity, and the other does not, and train them according to the same program, the first will progress much faster than the second. So it's not just about practice.

Further, everything becomes even more confusing - to the point that, at first glance, some theses even contradict each other. Stefan Holm - Swedish athlete, high jumper - spent many years on grueling training, wanting to bring his technique to perfection. Despite the large physique for the chosen sport, Stefan - prime example rule of ten years: in 2004 he became the gold medalist of the Olympic Games. So, education is the key to success? Yes, not so. How, say, to explain the phenomenon of Donald Thomas, a basketball player at Lindenwood University, who, having neither the proper equipment nor any significant training, easily overcame the bar of 2 meters 21 centimeters, and completely unexpectedly for himself? In the same year he was invited to the national team Bahamas, and in 2007 at the World Championships, he overtook Stefan Holm in the battle for first place. The secret of Donald's success lay in the abnormal length of the Achilles tendons, thanks to which he jumped as if on springs: the ligaments themselves pushed the body up. His story is a clear argument in favor of the superiority of nature. Both athletes were the brightest figures of their time, who reached the top of the sports Olympus. But they got there by different paths.

As you read this, you must be thinking that these two fates are a clear example of the age-old "nature or nurture" opposition, even in some sense its climax. But it's not quite like that. The union "or" means that we must choose one thing, we have no right to leave both options. Those who believe in nature consider genes to be a kind of blueprint, according to which personality is then built. Proponents of education, on the contrary, deny the existence of any kind of genetic predisposition. But neither of them for some reason take into account the fact that genes themselves are able to respond to the environment.

Here is what Lino Paso Pampillon and Tamara Kutrin Milyan write in one of the articles of the Enabling Genius project:

After the end of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists realized that humans have about 20,500 genes (about the same as a mouse) and that the genome is only a small part of an evolving personality. Much more important role is played by secondary, epigenetic factors. Epigenetics is associated with chemical changes directly affecting the DNA sequence. In essence, it determines how genes respond to a particular environment. Researchers often compare genetics to a piano keyboard: the resulting melody depends on which keys and how exactly we press. Someone will hear a Mozart concerto, someone will hear the discordant scales of a neighbor who has recently begun to learn to play.

Flow

I cannot end this chapter without telling you about one more aspect of higher achievement, which in this moment is investigated extremely actively, - the so-called flow. Flow is a special state of mind that differs from a fixed genetic setting in that it can be turned on and off. Years ago, my wife Jo paid me for a gliding course as a birthday present. I was somewhat familiar with flying machines, because as a child I often flew with my father, who was a licensed pilot and belonged to a small amateur club located on the outskirts of Dublin Airport. For the first time he took to the skies in his 20s: during the Second World War, he had a chance to pilot Spitfires and Hurricanes - legendary and extraordinary cars in every way.

Once he was shot down in the sky over Normandy, and he escaped only by a miracle, getting out of a burning plane literally in last moment. The sky was in his blood, and he perceived each flight as a special and extremely important event. I think it was inherited, so Joe's gift caused me a whole storm of emotions. Glider flight is very different from airplane flight, if only in that in the event of an error, the pilot does not have an engine with which to correct this error. Slightly relax your attention - and now the device has already deviated from the desired course and is rapidly losing altitude. Get distracted more - and you can’t do without a parachute. The instructor taught me on the go - right during training flights, opening his mouth only when it was really necessary, because thanks to my father, I already had piloting experience. And yet, every time I heard the instructor's voice, I got distracted. And then one fine day - we were just practicing a turn and landing approach - he suddenly realized this and threw a phrase in the middle: “Yes, *** [damn], just fly!” And I flew. He freed me. Gave me complete control. I was as concentrated as possible and at the same time relaxed, I became one with my glider. And entering the turn, almost did not lose height. This is the flow state. The moment when genius reaches its peak.

The term "flow" was first proposed by the American scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience", published in 1990, when he headed the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. This is how he describes flow: “To be fully involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego drops. Time flies. Each action, movement, thought follows from the previous one, as if playing jazz. Your whole being is involved and you use your skills to the limit.” It is the use of all your skills to the limit that makes the state of flow so important in achieving the highest results.

We have the power to influence who we become. Every moment of our life, every action is controlled by consciousness to one degree or another - and the flow has nothing to do with it, because everyone can turn on this mode. There are at least three variables in the "genius equation": our genetic heritage, our environment, and our state of mind. Two of them we can quite define ourselves, so an excuse like “I am who I am” is nothing more than a vulgar sophism.

Geniuses, young geniuses, very young geniuses... What names come to mind? Probably something like this: Da Vinci, Robertino Loretti... And Mozart, of course! Where without Mozart?

Little Magician Mozart

Mozart is perhaps one of the most famous young geniuses. Indeed, already in childhood, he was admired by all of Europe, he was called a little magician and invited to speak to the most famous and eminent people of that time.

Genius - of course, you can’t argue with this, but genius is only 10% of success, and the remaining 90% is work and education. So let's try together to see how Mozart was brought up and, perhaps, we will find something for raising our children.

Wolfgang was born into a poor family in the middle of the 18th century. His father was court organist and bandmaster in Salzburg. He was a skilled musician and an excellent violinist and organist. Mozart's mom was a beautiful, cheerful and good-natured woman, and dad was sometimes strict and adamant - completely an ordinary family, right?

As much as the mother loved to pamper and cherish her children, so the father was strict and demanding. FROM early age he took part in the upbringing of children (oh, how modern dads sometimes lack this), accustomed them to order and obligation. He himself put the children to bed and sang lullabies.

According to contemporaries, until the age of three, Wolfgang was not much different from other children: he was a lively and cheerful boy, often asked if he was loved. The only thing that expressed his musicality at that time was that he liked to accompany all his games with songs and music.

Encounter with "serious" music

Mozart's encounter with "adult, serious" music began when his five-year-old sister was taught to play the harpsichord. Wolfgang was also present at the first lesson, and the lesson made a great impression on him. After that, the boy was “not torn off” from the instrument. The father tried to show him a little minuet - and the boy repeated it unmistakably. Then they started working with him. What can be said here? Be more attentive to your kids - especially if they are very interested in something! And suddenly it wakes up little genius?

Mozart's father did not want to introduce Wolfgang to the rules of composing music too early, but this did not stop the baby from writing his first concerto at 4 years old. His father found him behind a pile of musical paper, all the sheets were in blots and notes, and the boy claimed that he was writing a harpsichord concerto and had already finished the first part. When the older Mozart figured out the notes and blots, he was amazed: before him was a completely correctly written concerto, although not executable due to difficulty. Conclusion? Do not laugh at the scribbles-paintings of our kids, even if they really are not the famous "Sunflowers", but obscure handwriting. Otherwise, we risk forever discourage the child's interest in drawing, writing music, writing poetry, etc. etc.

Wolfgang studied very successfully: whatever he did, he devoted himself to the matter with all his heart. He really liked mathematics. True, solving mathematical problems, the kid could write not only on paper, but also on walls, benches, and on the floor. When the child sat down at the piano, no one dared not only approach him with a joke, but even just speak! At such moments, Wolfgang's face became so serious and concentrated that many, looking at this prematurely developed talent, feared for its longevity.

Early fame and childish pranks

At the age of six, Mozart's journey through Europe began. They moved from city to city, conquering different cities and people. The glory of extraordinary children (Wolfgang and his gifted sister Nannerl) flew before them. They were received by dignitaries and royalty. Unfortunately, there is very little information left about whether such an early fame hit the baby’s head and whether he had a “star disease”.

Most likely not, because Wolfgang did not agree to play in front of people who did not understand music. If he could be persuaded, then he played empty, insignificant things. (Please note: no imposition of paternal will! Leopold gave Wolfgang full right choose where, when and what to play). And at the court in Vienna, he remained true to himself: he did not agree to play anything serious until they called Wagenseil, one of best musicians and composers of the time. And one more thing should be noted. important point: the genius of Mozart and the talent of his sister brought their parents considerable funds and fame, but the parents remembered that children are, first of all, children who should have a childhood and, of course, children's fun and pranks. The famous and serious musician Wolfgang often interrupted his studies to play with a cat or gallop through the rooms on his father's cane.

What conclusions can be drawn from the story of Mozart's childhood? Be attentive to your children, respect their interests, be sure to create all the opportunities for the development of hidden talents. And do not forget that a child's childhood happens only once in a lifetime, do not rush to make your baby an adult. And even if you do not grow up a little genius or a great talent, let you have just a happy child!