A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
The pianist Andor Földes (1913-1992) was one of the great child ‘prodigies’ of the early twentieth century, making his public debut performing a Mozart concerto with the Budapest Philharmonic in 1921 when he was just 8 years old. Földes went on to enjoy a successful concert and recording career, as well as writing several books, including the seminal Keys to the Keyboard (1950), in which he comments,
“Everybody knows about prodigies; the writer of this book happened to be one. But the great majority of people are inclined to forget that for every prodigy who has made good, there are a thousand others who for one reason or another have not fulfilled the promise shown in their early youth.
They are the less fortunate ones, whose careers may have been ruined by a premature start in public playing, or because of the inevitable conflict between the growing pains of adolescence and the growing responsibilities of the budding artiste; the ones who have never made the grade, to the everlasting chagrin of their parents.”
That Földes was himself a prodigy adds resonance to his viewpoint, and though he proved to be that one in a thousand who found continuing success, he undoubtedly witnessed those he describes as “less fortunate”.
Continue reading A Child Prodigy Speaks