Once considered an unnatural occurrence or wunderkind, today a prodigy is usually understood as a child under the age of ten who displays extraordinary talent and an ability to develop incredibly quickly. This course will examine the lives of select musical prodigies from the eighteenth century to the present. Some of them excel on one or more musical instruments, others at composing, some at both. And what about conductors?

Among composers, fortunately, some of the most prodigious talents, like Mozart and Mendelssohn, were also superb letter-writers at an early age; they give us a rare opportunity to learn, in their own words, how they reacted to their own extraordinary gifts.

Classes will consist of short lectures and discussions as well as listening to interviews and music on YouTube and CDs. If you love classical music and want to see and hear prodigies in action, you’ve just met the prerequisites for this course!