*Beethoven’s birthday is unknown; December 17th, 1770 is his baptismal date

The Other Prodigy and His Childhood Polonaise

When one thinks about musical prodigies, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may come to mind. A composer, pianist, and overall musical genius from as early as age four, Mozart came packaged with an eccentric personality typical of prodigies: unnervingly stoic as a child and whimsically erratic as an adult. With that in mind, it is easy to overlook another prodigy in the world of classical music: Fryderyk Chopin.

Though Chopin, melancholic and delicate, lacks the eccentricities typical of geniuses, he is undoubtedly one. Like Mozart, the pianist and composer was talented in music from a young age. At the age of seven he wrote a Polonaise in G Minor that was published by his father. Around that time he was also already giving concerts and winning the attention and gifts of aristocrats.

Though Chopin’s childhood polonaise lacks the sophistication and refinement typical of his adult self, it is a rare peek into his child mind and the musical gears that were undoubtedly already turning in it. The piece has an innocent quality that is absent from Chopin’s mature works. Whenever I play any of Fryderyk Chopin’s music, I always feel as if he is a dear friend and I am speaking with him. When I play Chopin’s childhood polonaise, unlike our normal conversations he is seven years old.