Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Has anyone heard of this Jay Greenberg? Wowzers!!

Jay Greenberg

Yikes!

And he's 14! I wonder how good they are though, must be quite good if he can rack up all those awards.

I heard one of his overtures (9/11 Overture), written when he was 12. It was quite good. Before the performance (which was recorded - I found it on the web), he discusses his use of the Dies Irae theme, the instrumentation, and how he came up with his pen name, "Blue Jay".

His professor at Juilliard said this kid could sit down and write an entire piano sonata in 30 minutes, at the age of 8, and it would be a decent piece of music.

He's said to be the greatest composer-prodigy since Mozart and Mendelssohn.

I heard one of his pieces on that 60 minutes interveiw. It was pretty goo actually.

here is the 9/11 overture...

http://www.fromthetop.org/Radio/Performers.cfm?pid=1586

I saw this child on "60 Minutes." His behavior suggests he may be autistic. His facility with music appears to be akin to "Rainman's" facility with numbers. Yes, it is amazing. The child has a strange and incredible facility. Does that mean he has talent as a composer? No. The pieces I've heard are largely undisciplined and mimic others -- which one might expect from a child. The child has much to learn if he is going to put this "gift" to use. From the way he and his parents were talking on "60 Minutes," it sounds like they think he has nothing to learn -- indeed that others have much to learn from him! I'm betting nothing ever comes of him.

I couldn't agree more enthusiastically that this wunderkind isn't anything to write home about.


Most of the WTC Bombing-inspired compositions I have heard sound like glorified movie scores-- Mr. Greenberg's sounds to me like it could be the score for a forthcoming Steven Spielberg/Jerry Bruckheimer/Mel Gibson/Ron Howard/'Insert Oscar-toting film director here' dramatization of the events of September 11th, 2001.

Moreover, the little one's use of the Dies Irae is far from remarkable, while his inability to explain WHY he includes the theme is either endearing, disingenuous, or profoundly ignorant, depending on how much sympathy you're willing to extend this bound-for-exploitation novelty.

I'll say this-- if in 25 years he is the greatest composer since Mozart, I'll eat my hat... or my words... or whatever one does to express incredulous acquiescence in the 21st century ...

I'd quite like to see you eat your hat, actually. Webcast it!

He has the talent, sure. But not much else. His symphonies are like movie scores to me and are kind of boring.