| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 6:23:42 PM | Whenever I tell people that I'm a Prince fan, I get one of 2 responses:
1. Oh, he's a musical genius
2. Prince? Are you gay?
Which one are you?
Like Mozart... Prince is a musical prodigy (master guitarist, bassist, pianist, drummer, singer, composer, producer, arranger... you name it he can do it), yet he will not be truly appreciated by the mainstream until after he's gone :( | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 6:33:32 PM | | to refer to someone as a 'modern-day mozart' is akin to comparing someone to shakespeare. or graham. these people made statements no one had encountered or even considered. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 6:36:20 PM | | never really thought he was that great of a guitarist,my ex-wife has all his Cds,and I am a very opened minded when I listen to music and I heard alot of his music,its fine,I would consider somebody like Mike Keneally as a musical prodigy that far exceeds any mainstream creative artist out there..cheers | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 6:46:18 PM | | His studio recordings doesn't do him justice as a guitarist. You have to hear him live... one example that you can find on the net is his Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame performance in the tribute to George Harrison. He and the other inductees played "My Guitar Gently Weeps" and he nailed that solo like it was going out of style. I admit, technically, he may not be as good as Vai or Van Halen... but he's one of the most versatile, creative and soulful guitarists on the planet. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 6:52:27 PM | I agree...comparing one genius to another is not giving credit to the artist as an individual.
Prince USED to be great...I can't attest to his recent stuff, as mainstream radio just doesn't play it. It all went downhill after he changed his name to that symbol, then became known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. What a crock. I kind of lost respect for him during the midst of it. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 7:17:20 PM | I can see what you're saying.
Obviously, he's not Mozart, but then Mozart ain't Prince either...
they do have certain likenesses however:
1) Prince has been the most creative, prolific musician on the rock scene (in the public eye, at least...) probably since Stevie Wonder stepped back a little bit. (But, we know there are people out there nobody's heard of that might be better, but never got heard...).
2) Prince is an arrogant little twit and alot of people really dislike him. he really enjoys that... and being talented. He has kind of an "in your face" personality.
3) I don't like him either, but one should recognize talent, and he's way got that. Every once in awhile I'll hear him do something that just blows me away... in fact, MOST of what I've heard him do blows me away. he's great to listen to. It's HIM that I don't like.
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 7:28:57 PM | There is a story behind the name change, and it was for business reasons, not because he was insane... but i won't get into it now.
IMO, he went downhill when he hooked up with Larry Graham (former Sly Stone bassist, and one of the greatest bass players of all time) and became Jehovah's Witness. This affected his songwriting greatly and he began to get very preachy in his songs. | |
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calaf
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Joined: 2/27/2006
Msg: 8 | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 9:04:32 PM | | Musically, not a whole lot. But that's not what I'm trying to get at. I'm saying Prince is to his generation what Mozart was to his. People today say Andre3000 of Outkast is the "Prince" of Hip Hop... but he is nowhere near as talented as Prince... but judging by the state of Hip Hop, and pop music today... Andre3000 probably is the closest to Prince than anyone else making popular music. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 10:59:14 PM | Prince is NOT Mozart, or even close. He's talented, very talented but he's nowhere near Mozart.
Composer Jan Swafford described Mozart's music (even the less inspired) as a "completely lucid world where everything makes sense". He's right. Go to a venue where Mozart's music is being played live. If the performance and the accoustics are good the clarity will be almost frightening. About fifteen years ago i saw a performance of "Cosi fan Tutte" at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto and was blown away. The Elgin uses entirely natural sound for period performances (or did at that time). There were no microphones to be seen (and believe me, I looked). It was all natural and I've never heard sound so clear in my life. Every instrumental section was luminous and stunningly clear. Wolfie was doing the Producer's job a hundred years before there were producers.
Prince is talented, very talented, and he got a bad rap over the controversy surrounding his name. But he is no Mozart. Saint-Saëns and Mendelson were just as talented and Schubert was more original during the early stages of his development but none of them had their talent take form the way Mozart's did. The talent counts for a lot but circumstances and temperament are important as well. Felix never had a "Leopold" pushing him the way Wolfie did. Schubert lacked the teachers and influences available to Mozart. Saint-Saëns found public appeal early and stayed lazy thereafter. Mozart was pushed relentlessly by his father and grew up with a complete understanding of his craft and a complete lack of sense about practical matters. Music was as natural to him as breathing, even before his financial troubles began. When he was pressed (and even before that) natural became second nature.
This man composed about six CD's worth of masterpieces during the last six months of his life. The Magic Flute, Le Clemenza di Tito, The Clainet Concerto, Ave Verum Corpus, the Canatata for Freemasonry and the opening Introit from the Requiem were all written between May and November of 1791. There's nobody else like that around. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/2/2006 11:32:35 PM | | Even though I had studied Mozart, I hadn't sat down and listened to any Prince. Mozart did not enjoy the success that Prince has (buried in a pauper's grave), but he did have musical connections from a very young age. The things I recall from my studies over 10 years ago were that he was capable of some very sound, creative, technical composing. I believe that Beethovan even spoke highly of him. But, he didn't play well with the status quo. I recall a professor telling of him writing a piece that the aristocrats could dance to (I believe it may have been a waltz?) and he would purposefully write something screwy in to mess up their dance, thus causing them to step on toes or be a beat off, etc. I don't recall that in a book. What I do recall from books is that he had this strange obsession with anal humor (read a book of his letters). Either way, it's been too long for me to give much more detail on his music. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/3/2006 1:13:16 PM | I'm not comparing Prince's music to Mozart's music at all... there is NO comparison! I am pointing out the similarities of their position in music in their respective eras. Both are one of the most talented musicians of their times, yet underappreciated and often misunderstood.
Prince is talented, very talented, and he got a bad rap over the controversy surrounding his name. But he is no Mozart. Saint-Saëns and Mendelson were just as talented and Schubert was more original during the early stages of his development but none of them had their talent take form the way Mozart's did. The talent counts for a lot but circumstances and temperament are important as well. Felix never had a "Leopold" pushing him the way Wolfie did. Schubert lacked the teachers and influences available to Mozart. Saint-Saëns found public appeal early and stayed lazy thereafter. Mozart was pushed relentlessly by his father and grew up with a complete understanding of his craft and a complete lack of sense about practical matters. Music was as natural to him as breathing, even before his financial troubles began. When he was pressed (and even before that) natural became second nature.
actually, from reading what you wrote here... I find a couple more similarities in their lives. Prince's father was also a musician, a jazz musician who fronted a band called "The Prince Rogers Trio", and hence, named his son after his band. He bought Prince his first piano and taught him how to play. You mentioned Schubert who was more original than Mozart in the early stages, but his talent never took form the way Mozart did. In Prince's career, this was Rick James. The first 2 Rick James albums blew Prince's out of the water. But by the time the album 1999 was released in 1982, it was clear that Prince was winning the race and he never looked back. | |
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calaf
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Joined: 2/27/2006
Msg: 13 | |
| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/3/2006 5:34:43 PM | | Let's wait 200 years and see if people are still listening to Prince. I promise you that they will be listening to Mozart. I will find out in 10,000 years when they thaw out my frozen head and clone me a new body. I will send a message back in time for you guys if I can. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/3/2006 6:18:48 PM | If I live to be 232, I'll still be listening to "Kiss".
You can't be too flirty, mama
I know how to undress me
Yeah! | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/4/2006 2:21:07 PM | Whenever I tell people that I'm a Prince fan, I get one of 2 responses:
1. Oh, he's a musical genius
2. Prince? Are you gay?
Why only 2 options? I'm gay, think His earlier stuff is great, new stuff sux. I started playing guitar seriously after Purple Rain came out.
Prince and Whacko Jacko are soul mates I think. They both weird. That whole thing with making a symbol his name, and reading the bible to hookers is a bit Whacko.
Ricky Martin is ghey. William Hung roolz. | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/7/2006 10:44:51 PM | you all should see the dvd
"prince live in Las vegas"
it is amazing, he is the new god father of funk | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/8/2006 7:23:27 AM | I like some of Princes music but to compare him to mozart is a little off
the edge.
lol
now Lenny.... he may be a different story ;) | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/8/2006 4:26:21 PM | | u talking about Lenny Kravitz? Pick up a copy of "Rave Unto the Year 2000 DVD", Lenny was a guest on the show and they played "Fly Away" and "American Woman" together. Prince played circles around him... Lenny looked like a school kid trying to impress his teacher. you comparing Kravitz to Prince... is kinda like me comparing Prince to Mozart, I suppose, LOL | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/11/2006 2:05:36 AM | Prince is spiffy in his own right,but please dont ever compare him to Mozart.Thats almost like blasphemy to me | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/11/2006 3:22:21 PM | Why can't I compare him to Mozart then? They do share some similarities in their lives and careers. and Prince is probably the closest comparison among modern pop/rock musicians. Is it because you're a classical snob who doesn't bother to read the message and just over-react to the thread title?
ps. and besides, I did not come up with the term "modern day Mozart". Many critics in the past have used that to describe Prince on many occasions.
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/11/2006 8:16:55 PM | He sat right along side my Kiss and my Mozart. Yes I like him I like him alot. There is a time for everything and everything in it's place.  | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/11/2006 8:25:08 PM |
u talking about Lenny Kravitz?
the first "Lenny" that popped into my mind was Lenny Breau...and if we must compare someone to Mozart...Breau would be closer.... | |
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| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/11/2006 11:16:50 PM | ^I decided to come back and expound a bit upon the post I made last night,because I was tired and pretty blunt.I apologize for that:).Im hardly a classical music snob I appreciate all genres of music,its just that,aside from the fact that Mozarts music is absolutely brilliant,it holds a significant meaning for me.One of my best friends in the world,who has since passed away first introduced me to his classical compositions. Some people only listen to Mozarts music on the surface,which then it merely seems happy and pretty,but that is missing the point of what Mozart wrote.Everything is a process,from the development of musical ideas to the structure of the work.Every piece magically falls in its place,even when Mozart usurps expectations(classical typical forms ect) ,or when he may do something unexpected or odd,the seeming imperfection is what makes the music so wonderful and perfect.Mozart also had a way of really showing his scurrilous sense of humor at times too.See,it isnt just about the fact that Mozart was such a brilliant composer,but also the special memories I have attached to his music.Critics ,as you say,may compare Prince to Mozart,but they are two totally different types of musicians each unique in their own highly individual ways.I didnt mean to ruffle your feathers,its just ,in my eyes,no one will ever compare to Mozart:)I do think Prince is very talented,I just have a hard time grasping this comparison,even though in ways I guess I can appreciate where the idea came from.Have a great night,Kat
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calaf
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Joined: 2/27/2006
Msg: 25 | |
| Prince - the modern day Mozart
Posted: 9/12/2006 4:54:26 PM | | That's OK Kat. Why don't we try to track down the OP and chop his head off? Or maybe break him on the rack? | |
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