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.
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 [citation needed] |
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 |
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 [16] |
Samuel Barber | 1910 | Composer, conductor | 7 | Attempted an opera at age ten; attended the Curtis Institute of Music at age fourteen[17] |
Frédéric Chopin | 1810 | Composer | 7 | Began concerts and polonaises at age seven; attained notability by age fifteen[18] |
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.[19] |
Felix Mendelssohn | 1809 | Composer, conductor | 9 | [20] |
Gian Carlo Menotti | 1911 | Composer | 7 | Composed first opera at age eleven[21] |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 1756 | Composer | 4 | His first compositions were Andante (K. 1a) and Allegro (K. 1b)[22] |
Niccolò Paganini | 1782 | Composer, violinist | 7 | [23] |
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.
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.