10 Acknowledged Geniuses

1. Isaac Newton. Estimated IQ 190 to 200. A scientist - a physicist - ahead of his time. Although best known for his universal principles of gravity (which weren’t inspired by an apple falling in his head), the 17th-century thinker was also a mathematician, astronomer and writer, contributing to the principles of visible light and laws of motion. We also have Newton to thank for calculus, as he developed the techniques of integration and differentiation that are still used to this day.
2. Leonardo da Vinci. Estimated IQ 180 to 220. Like others considered geniuses, he had a wide range of skills, excelling in everything from art and science to music and architecture. Although best known for his paintings, da Vinci’s scientific work spanned topics including aerodynamics, anatomy, botany, geology, hydrodynamics, optics and zoology. Fascinated by anything mechanical, he sketched plans for flying machines, tanks, combat devices and submarines - in the 15th century!
3. William Shakespeare. Estimated IQ 210. He completed 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems and a variety of other poems—several of which contain everyday phrases still in use. While Shakespeare’s contributions to the English language have lived on, none of his original manuscripts have survived. He easily could have faded into obscurity had it not been for the efforts of a group of actors who published a collection of 36 of his plays in 1623, in a book known as the First Folio.
4. Blaise Pascal. Like others on such lists Frenchman Blaise was a philosopher and mathematician. WHen he was 3 in 1626, his mother died, leaving his father, Étienne (a lawyer and amateur mathematician) to run the household. Blaise was homeschooled using unconventional methods: most notably, mathematics being forbidden under 15 years of age. Naturally, 12-year-old Blaise (whose IQ was estimated between 180 and 195) wanted to rebel, so he secretly began to teach himself geometry. Eventually, Étienne gave in and gave Blaise permission to read a text by Euclid. As a teenager, Blaise accompanied his father to meetings of Parisian mathematicians and impressed them with his projective geometry theorems. When his father got a job as a tax collector, Blaise spent three years developing the first mechanical calculator to assist him.
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Estimated IQ 150-165. This is based on his incredible precocity, musical talent, memory and ability to compose complex works mentally, though some speculate it could be even higher. He demonstrated extraordinary intelligence through skills like playing music after one hearing, mastering multiple languages and describing acoustics without hearing them, indicating intelligence beyond typical IQ measures.
6. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Estimated IQ 165-175. His father was a vicar and headmaster of an elementary school. He had a total of 14 children with two wives. Coleridge was the youngest in the family and accompanied his father to school, where he was known for being a bright student and voracious reader. Following his father’s death in 1781, Coleridge, aged 9,  began attending Christ’s Hospital School, London. With his sights set on following in his father’s footsteps as a clergyman, he enrolled in Jesus College, Cambridge in 1791, but during his first year, he discovered that his personal views did not align with those of the Church of England and dropped out. He spent the next four years planning a utopian community with a philosophy student he met while travelling. After befriending Wordsworth in 1795, he decided to take up poetry - eventually becoming a leader of the British Romantic Movement.
7. Marie Curie. Estimated IQ 180-200.Not only was Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie the first woman to win the Nobel Prize but she was also the first person to win it twice. And in two different categories. Curie  shared the 1903 prize for physics with her husband, Pierre, and another scientist for their “combined, though separate” work on radioactivity, and then was awarded the the prize for chemistry in 1911. Most of her work focused on radioactivity - including discovering radium and polonium and other contributions to the development of X-rays used during surgery. She put her technology to work in World War I, where she served on the front lines as the director of the Red Cross Radiological Service.
8. Albert Einstein. Though someone whose name has become synonymous with “genius” Einstein’s estimated IQ is only around 160. Although IQ tests were readily available during his lifetime, the famous physicist never took one. Although it is unclear how, exactly, his IQ was estimated, his scientific contributions - including theories of space, time, mass, motion and gravitation - are well documented. While he’s best known for his theory of relativity, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921 for his work related to the photoelectric effect.
9. Nikola Tesla. Estimated IQ 160-310. Tesla was born in 1856 in a region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that is now part of modern-day Croatia. His father, Milutin, was a Serbian-Orthodox priest, while his mother, Đuka Mandić, was “an inventor of the first order,” per her son’s description, who created various household tools and devices, as well as innovations related to weaving. “I must trace to my mother’s influence whatever inventiveness I possess,” he wrote in 1919 in an article published in Electrical Experimenter magazine. After studying electrical engineering in Europe, Tesla moved to the USA in 1884. Though best known for inventing the first alternating current (AC) motor and developing AC generation and transmission technology, his numerous other inventions include the Tesla coil (used in radios and televisions), the Tesla turbine and shadowgraphs (a type of X-ray technology).
10. Stephen Hawking. If theoretical physicist Hawking ever took an IQ test, he never revealed his score. In fact, when a reporter for the New York Times Magazine asked him about it in a 2004 interview, Hawking said that he had “no idea” what his score was and that “people who boast about their IQ are losers.” That hasn’t stopped people from trying to figure it out. The estimate is aroound 160. What really matters is that his scientific discoveries were (literally) out of this world, contributing to the basic laws governing the universe. Perhaps even more importantly, Hawking was committed to making his work accessible - something he did on countless television appearances and through his bestselling book A Brief History of Time.

Mozart's Requiem ENO

If you have an hour to spare check BBC Iplayer and the ENO performance of Mozart's Requiem. Well worth a listen. Skip to 7:38 if you only want the music. Link here.

10 Non-Welsh Welsh Names

Here are 10 common and less common names that I think of as Welsh but that are not Welsh in origin (Aled, Gareth, Hywel, etc). After each one I have given a rough figure of how many were born in Wales with that name between 1880 and 1990. The names tend to start off in England then spread to Wales where they dominate.

1. Haydn, Hayden or Haydon (thousands)
2. Byron (890 and more)
3. Mansel (810)
4. Denzil (474)
5. Luther (384)
6. Handel (267)
7. John Elias (166)
8. Calvin (71)
9. Omri (22)
10. Mozart (6)

Mozart

I picked up a nice hardback biography of Mozart by Paul Johnson the other day and have read it with enjoyment. I like short biographies and Paul Johnson, although he is a bit schoolteacherish, is a good writer. He does well with Mozart who was clearly a genius. As a Catholic himself Johnson is good at bringing out the religious dimension. He is also keen to debunk some of the Mozart myths as seen in Amadeus, etc. The chapter on opera was the hardest to read as I know nothing about opera and have no wish to change that particularly. It is clear though that if writing operas was the only thing Mozart had done he would be rightly famous. Yet it is far from being all that he did.

Reading the biography prompted me to gather my Mozart CDs (there must be nine or ten of them) and start listening to them again. Yes, he is amazing.

10 Cataloguers of Classical Music

1. Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV)

Schmieder, Wolfgang (1950).

Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV). Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel. BWV (The designation BWV, an abbreviation of Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, which Schmieder created, is more usual for Bach's works, but S numbers are found in some older references; subsequent 2nd and 3rd editions are mostly reprints).

2. Béla Bartók (BB, DD or Sz)

Somfai, László (1996).

Béla Bartók: composition, concepts, and autograph sources. Ernest Bloch lectures. 9. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08485-3.

BB

Dille, Denijs (1974).

Thematisches Verzeichnis der Jugendwerke Béla Bartóks: 1890-1904. Kassel: Bärenreiter. ISBN 978-3-7618-0437-7.

DD

Szőllősy, András (1948).

Bartók Béla válogatott zenei írásai. Zenetörténet kézikönyvei. 3. Budapest: Mágyar Kórus.

Sz 

(Bartók's works have been designated by numbering systems developed by three different catalogers. Szőllősy's chronological index is the most frequently used. It includes Bartók's musicological writings as well as his compositions.)

3. Ludwig van Beethoven (Hess, WoO or Bia)

Hess, Willy (1957). Verzeichnis der nicht in der Gesamtausgabe veröffentlichten Werke Ludwig van Beethovens. Zusammengestellt für die Ergänzung der Beethoven-Gesamtausgabe. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel.

Hess

Kinsky, George; Halm, Hans (1955).

Das Werk Beethovens; thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner sämtlichen vollendeten Kompositionen. München: G. Henle Verlag.

WoO

Biamonti, Giovanni (1968). Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven, comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati. Torino: ILTE.

Bia

(The Biamonti Catalogue sought to incorporate all works listed in other places, including the Beethoven Gesamtausgabe, the Kinsky-Helm catalogue (WoO numbers) and the Hess catalogue). 4. Johannes Brahms (WoO)

McCorkle, Margit L. (1984).

Johannes Brahms: thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis. München: G. Henle. ISBN 3-87328-041-8.

WoO

5. Claude Debussy (L)

Lesure, François (1977).

Catalogue de l'œuvre de Claude Debussy. Centre de documentation Claude Debussy Publications. 3. Genève: Minkoff. ISBN 2-8266-0657-3.

L

6. Antonín Dvořák (H, B, S or T)

Herbert, Peter J. F. (1988).

Antonín Dvořák, Complete Catalogue of Works. [Great Britain]: Dvořák Society for Czech Music. OCLC 315534955.

H

Burghauser, Jarmil; Clapham, John (1996). Antonín Dvořák: thematický katalog [thematic catalogue]. Prague: Bärenreiter Edition Suprahon. ISBN 978-80-7058-410-1.

B

Šourek, Otakar (1917). Dvořákś Werke ... ein vollständiges Verzeichnis in chronologischer thematischer und systematischer Anordnung. Berlin: N. Simrock. OCLC 7629267.

S

Trufitt, Ian T. (1974).

Antonín Dvořák, Complete Catalogue of Works. Great Britain: Dvořák Society of Great Britain. OCLC 11677657.

T

7. Joseph Haydn (Hob)

Hoboken, Anthony van (1978) [1957].

Joseph Haydn; thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis. Mainz: B. Schott’s Söhne. ISBN 978-3-7957-0003-4.

Hob.

(The Hoboken-Verzeichnis was created in 1957. Haydn's string quartets are still generally referred to by their opus numbers.)

8. Felix Mendelssohn (MWV or S)

Wehner, Ralf (2009).

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke (MWV). Leipziger Ausgabe der Werke von Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Serie 13, Werkverzeichnis. Band 1 A. Wiesbaden. ISBN 978-3-7651-0317-9.

MWV

Seiffert, Max (1908). Ausgewählte Werke. Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern. 17, 9. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel.

S

9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (K, also WSF)

Köchel, Ludwig van Ritter (1964).

Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amadé Mozarts; nebst Angabe der verlorengegangenen, angefangenen, von fremder Hand bearbeiteten, zweifelhaften und unterschobenen Kompositionen (6. Auflage, bearbeitung von Franz Giegling, Alexander Weinmann, Gerd Sievers ed.). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel.

K

(Mozart's opus numbers are particularly scattered and useless and are no longer used at all (for instance, there are two sets of violin sonatas both called Op. 1). Köchel's Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämmtlicher Tonwerke W. A. Mozarts was published in 1862 and has been substantially revised four times since then. KV numbers (short for Köchel-Verzeichnis) are often used for Mozart's works in Europe.

Wyzewa, Teodor de; Saint-Foix, Georges de (1912).

W.-A. Mozart, sa vie musicale et son œuvre de l'enfance à la pleine maturité (1756-1777): Essai de biographie critique, suivi d'un nouveau catalogue chronologique de l'œuvre complète du maitre. Paris: Perrin et Cie.

WSF

10. Antonio Vivaldi (F.  M, P, RN or RV)

Fanna, Antonio (1986).

Opere strumentali di Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): catalogo numerico-tematico (2a edizione riveduta e ampliata ed.). Milano: Ricordi. ISBN 88-7592-022-2.

F

Malipiero, Gian Francisco (1968). Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Catalogo numerico-tematico delle opere strumentali. Milano: Ricordi.

M

Pincherle, Marc (1948). Antonio Vivaldi et la musique instrumentale. Paris: Floury.

P

Rinaldi, Mario (1944). Catalogo numerico tematico delle composizioni di Antonio Vivaldi, con la definizione delle tonalità, l'indicazione dei movimenti e varie tabelle illustrative. Roma: Editrice Cultura moderna.

RN Ryom, Peter (1973).

Antonio Vivaldi: thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke (RV). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 978-3-7651-0372-8.

RV

(Bonus:

Richard Wagner (WWV)

Deathridge, John; Geck, Martin; Voss, Egon (1986). Wagner Werk-Verzeichnis (WWV): Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke Richard Wagners und ihrer Quellen erarbeitet im Rahmen der Richard Wagner-Gesamtausgabe. Mainz: Schott. ISBN 978-3-7957-2201-2.

WWV

[Also includes Wagner's literary works])

10 Classical Era Composers

1. HAYDN, Franz Josef 1732 - 1809 Prolific Austrian composer, instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio.

2. MOZART, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus 1756 - 1791 Prolific Austrian composer. Created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that profoundly shaped classical music.

3. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van 1770 - 1827 Compos r and pianist, a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art. He remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers.

4. CIMAROSA, Domenico 1749 - 1801 Writer of operas who though certainly not as famous today as some of his contemporaries, was in his time both celebrated and handsomely rewarded for his works.

5. SALIERI, Antoni0 1750 - 1825 Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher.

6. CLEMENTI, Muzio 1752 - 1832

7. BACH, Carl Philip Emmanuel 1714 - 1788 German musician and composer, fifth child and second (surviving) son of J S Bach. His second name honours his godfather Georg Philipp Telemann. An influential composer in the transition between baroque and classical periods.

8. GLUCK, Christoph Willibald Ritter von 1714 - 1787 Composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period.

9. STAMITZ, Carl Philipp 1745 - 1801 German composer of partial Czech ancestry. The most prominent representative of the second generation of the Mannheim School, founded by his father Johann.

10. SCHUBERT, Franz Peter 1797 - 1828 Short lived Austrian composer who died before his 32nd birthday but was extremely prolific in life, composing over 600 secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music.

Home Schooled

One of the things to come out in the obituaries for Malcolm McLaren was that he was home schooled to the age of 10 by his grandmother. That set me thinking about famous home schooled people. There is a little room for argument over what home schooled means but I think the following lists are interesting adn hopefully accurate.

1. Ten famous Christians

John Owen
Matthew Henry

Jonathan Edwards

John (and Charles) Wesley
John Newton
John Witherspoon

William Carey
Dwight L Moody
Hudson Taylor

C S Lewis

2. Ten Authors

Hans Christian Anderson

William Blake

Robert Browning

Pearl S Buck
Agatha Christie

Charles Dickens

Sean O'Casey

George Bernard Shaw

Mark Twain
Phyllis Wheatley

3. Ten composers and artists

J S Bach

Anton Bruckner
Felix Mendelssohn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Francis Poulenc

William Blake

John Singleton Copley
Evelyn de Morgan
Claude Monet
Andrew (and Jamie) Wyeth

CM 05 Mozart

Again, with Mozart you're spoiled for choice. This is the alla turca rondo, the third movement of the Piano Sonata No 11. It's been done to death by classical, jazz and rock artists.