Vanessa-Mae in top 10 music greatest modern child progigies

[Xanthippe]

Vanessa-Mae is ranked 5 in the top 10 of music's greatest child prodigies of our modern times by Music UK and Ireland. Vanessa-Mae comes fifth after Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Britney Spears and Charlotte Church.

Source: Music UK & Ireland

I think that the positions 1 and 2 of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder may well be undisputed, but I feel we have a case to rank Vanessa-Mae third or fourth at least.

The criteria for ranking are not clear to me. When it comes to record sales, I guess Vanessa-Mae sold more than Charlotte Church. I recently read that Charlotte sold about 10 million copies in total. Vanessa-Mae equals this with The Violin Player sales already. Moreover, Vanessa-Mae single handedly redefined her instrument with her concept of violin acoustic fusion music. I guess that is more of a career achievement than Charlotte Church and Britney Spears have.

I am enormously biased of course, but what do others think?

[CarrollTowerCX]

Xanthippe,

Michael Jackson was a talented singer and dancer. I enjoyed his music years ago, before he decided to change his appearance and then the many chancy things he got involved in. Singer,dancer yes child prodigy?????

Stevie Wonder, was born blind. It is a great achievement for him that he could learn to play so many instruments. I liked his music when i was younger. I do not know his biography or personality, so it is hard for me to comment on his child prodigy status....though I feel he

probably was one.

Britney Spears and Charlotte Church, are just vocalists. Talented, yes, but really a child prodigy? Voices change over time.

Now in my opinion the only real Child Prodigy listed here; with the possible exception of Stevie Wonder; is Vanessa-Mae.

Remember she started to play the Piano at age three, and the Violin at five. The Violin is one of the most difficult musical instruments to play . Also she is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest to record the Tchaikovsky and Beethoven Violin Concerto's at age thirteen.

So I think Vanessa-Mae is much more of an Child Prodigy than the others. Singing and Dancing is nowhere as demanding nor require the talent and constant practice that Violin playing requires.

May she play forever !

This has been the opinion of....CX

[zeta]

I think Michael Jackson was a child prodigy. He started very young and he had many difficults to survive in the music business, at first with his father. In the end, many people criticize him for many reasons that may be they dont know and could not be true.
Stevie Wonder is blind and i think to learn music with that difficulty it must be really hard.
Vanessa deserves a third position.
It's my opinion!

[CarrollTowerCX]

Michael Jackson had a very unhappy childhood. He was both physically, verbally and mentally abused by his sadistic father Joe Jackson. His method of supervising his childrens musical careers was very cruel in the extreme. Beatings, verbal abuse and name calling. Shoving the male children into the wall or tripping them to cause them to fall was part of his "managing " technique.

Michael wasn't the only one to be abused by his father. He did much the same to his other sons. Though I do not know if it was to the same degree as Michael.

Because of these childhood memories, it made Michael a very insecure adult.The abusive treatment, vilification and physical harm he received would last a lifetime. Most of his later problems could be traced back to this.

Later in life he tried to relive his missed childhood, by being around young children. Entertaining them with Carnival rides etc. But when he would spend overnights with them at his house, that was a big mistake.

Conniving parents would have their children accept his invitation to stay at his house. Then they would coach them to tell false stories about what went on there. All in the hopes of getting millions of dollars of his money in out of court settlements.

Also his attempts to keep changing his physical appearance was a monkey on his back.

All in all, fame and money was as nothing in the long run to him. his father killed the joy in his life. He was, without a doubt a very talented person.

Well, putting every thing into perspective, I guess he could after all be a child prodigy....but still???

Too bad Michael, you should have had a happier life.

CX

[Raytac]

I believe,that Vanessa Mae was true child prodigy.About this ranking I don't know what to say,because,I agree with you Xanthippe,I don't know criteria of ranking and so on.But Vanessa is one of most talented and prodigy childs,that's for sure and she has deep talent and potention,because most of child prodigies later facing with problems and later becomes not so interesting.But Vanessa Mae with years becoming more and more interesting and show other sides of her talent.She has a real talent,like diamond,or violins made by ancient masters,who not fade away but becomes even brighter then before! So,that's my opinion.Beside this,Vanessa has unique talent.

[CarrollTowerCX]

Raytac,

I am with you and Xanthippe. I do not understand their method of selecting the top ten Child Prodigies either. Is it total recording sales, popularity, length of time in their career, etc?

All I know for sure, is that they made the right decision in picking Vanessa-Mae for inclusion on this list. Though I, like both of you, agree she should be higher. Number two or three at least.

To put it in American slang of years ago; " I'm nuts about her music !"

May she play forever !

CX

[Xanthippe]

I guess all on the list started their careers at a very young age when they were a child.

In order to make such a list, you need to have some criteria that can be substantiated in one way or another. Sales figures are such a criteria, no doubt. Secondly, you can try to evaluate the influence an artist had on the development and definition of his/hers field of excellence.

When we look at sales figures, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder come first, definitley. I can imagine that Britney Spears will be third, but Vanessa-Mae sold more than Charlotte Church, that is when the figures of 10 million that they use in the description for Charlotte is correct. Vanessa-Mae sold 8 to 9 million copies of The Violin Player alone, and that is a figure from years ago.

Looking at influence and career achievements, Vanessa-Mae come above Britney Spears and Charlotte Church. Vanessa-Mae single handedly redefined how the violin is viewed and used in m odern music. She developed the acoustic-fusion concept, and achieved unprecedented successes with her style at a young age. Coming from a traditional classical background, Vanessa-Mae branched out, and broke bounderies between and merged uncomparable styles of music.

In my opinion, we have a case to rank our derearest Vanessa-Mae at third position.

[CarrollTowerCX]

Xanthippe,

Still not knowing the exact criteria they used to select the top ten modern day Child Prodigy's your thesis is very convincing. Vanessa-Mae, did indeed bring the Violin out of the concert hall and here in America out of the Country Music venue to a new day as a popular musical instrument. Her style is what was needed to bring the appreciation of a whole new audience to the Violin. She has brought in Teenagers and young Adults as well as those of us are who are older. This to show that the Violin is not just for Classical Music, but for all modern day music as well. Her performances are always sensational. I agree with you too, that she should definitely be listed as number three at least.

May she play forever !

CX