I watched Amadeus last weekend with my boys. I haven't seen it since the 80's; tremendous movie with Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham, among others.

Anyway, he was a prodigy... a spectacular musician who wrote his first symphony before the age of 8, among other things!

The character F. Murray Abraham played was in an insane asylum, and told a priest that he was responsible for Mozart's death. He played a little ditty of his work, and the priest did not recognize it... he played another one of his dittys, again, the priest did not recognize it... he said, well, how about this one... played a bit, and the priest says, Oh, that's great! Yes that's wonderful, I recognize that! He stopped playing and said, that was Mozart.

My point... in a hundred years, I believe Prince's music, his scores, his arrangements, will be looked back on and still be recognized. His work has already been played by symphonies and performed by the ballet. His music will stand the test of time.

In that sense - I think, like Mozart, his music will live forever... can you name another artist of the day that will have that staying power?

Amadeus could NOT carry prince's FUNK rag.

Uh huh I know the whole dialogue to this because it was my father's favorite movie. I always thought Prince's fashion during lovesexy was very Mozart inspired. As for the music, they are both musical geniuses but different styles and different times but I don't think it is far fetched to compare them to one another. My God, can you imagine learning to play 20 instruments BY YOURSELF there is no other way to explain that except a gift that you were given to be able to do that. Just like Mozart started writing full blown symphonies, operas and other pieces of music at such a young age.

Years ago, some female friend of his said that Amadeus was Prince's favorite movie and he watched it over and over again. The Edwardian clothes and look was from that era, Prince was a pop star with hints of classical greatness in his music and looks. He has always came across as a genius, serious, dark, moody, mysterious, distant,frighteningly intense, like beethoven even more than mozart.

one of my favorite movies -- top 5 easily
mozart was a masterful songwriter and arranger
one of the most prolific composers ever
he could obviously write down exactly what he heard in his head
not just a melody, but an entire score at once

prince can't write music by hand
this limits his creation
he's gotta jam and record to preserve what he hears
half of his "songs" are grooves, tunes, and studio effects
he's never arranged for full orchestra
and those 20+ instruments he learned
it's not quite the feat we all make it out to be
once you learn brass, you can play them all
learn woodwind, you understand the rest
learn percussion, guitar, and keys
then everything else comes easily
prince played by ear and made up his own songs
he didn't read from a score or play for the philharmonic
he got his technique from watching and hearing others play
not to mention all those moody hours he spent alone

anytime you want -- compare notes, literally
place mozart next to prince, sheet to sheet
arrangements, harmonies, and melodies
yeah, prince is a musical genius
probably in more ways than mozart
but when it truly comes to the art and craft of songwriting
wolfy takes the lead
and even today there are others just as inspiring
take a peek into Berklee and see what you can see

but i gotta admit
as a whole
for what Prince is
and for what Prince does
i can't think of anyone dead or alive
who's been or done any better

btw, for conspiracy theorists
there are some other interesting similarities
between the two

[Edited 5/10/07 1:04am]

Snap said:

so.. u're saying that when he writes ballads straight from the piano.. that's not original? to this day.. when i see the beginning of UTCM.. (piano scene) .. that is one of the most kick ass pieces he's written to me..

i do it myself
and so do hundreds others
but that's merely one voice and ten fingers
i agree, prince does beautiful stuff
amazingly beautiful
and performs it well
but still
he's not the only one
when it comes to writing a song
others excel just as well
and better

Snap said:

I was referring to your statement..

Flowerz said:

Well, there is certainly a difference in the products of composers and songwriters, I don't think that is fully being taken into account. The aims of both are a bit different and similar in many ways too. They both are judged mainly on their abilities to inspire. However, the common man is much more easily moved today by simple music. The layperson may not be able to appreciate many things about classical music. It's a very difficult comparison. I would put it this way, The Beatles wrote songs that were much simpler than lots of classical music that wouldn't be able to move anyone. Classical is technical, complex, european and very rulebound. I doubt if Prince can make that kind of music, nor should he, it would be a total waste of time for him. There is no doubt that the Mozarts and Beethovens were specialists at the study and creation of symphonic music and that all the techniques and methodology in that vein of music, would not have much in common with what Prince has done. I think the comparison holds however in that there has always been a general aura around prince that he was a pop version of mozart or a great classical composer, something i believe he has always been very conscious of. It would make an endless arguement, the world has changed so much, and basic craft would be useless to many modern musicians, who has time to learn all that fossilized crap? I never did so I quit and did my own thing, that is what American art is. I've seen classical musicians play some exquisite, incredibly complex stuff that just doesn't move me, every musician makes that kind of music, but I don't believe that superficial things like that are of much artistic or creative merit at all.

One need only listen to the song "Condition of the Heart" to hear a glimpse of Prince's orchestral potential.

It's probably his most symphonic take on a song... the strings, the piano, the arrangement, the choir of vocals, his lead... mmm. brilliant. Add to the fact that he is playing every note of music and singing every part, it's, dare I say... genius.

Keeping this in mind - it is my opinion that if Prince ever truly wanted to write for a symphony, or create an opera, he could.

June7 said:

Oh, he had better write one! I've been waiting for that to happen for a long time.


Come on Prince, channel you inner Mozart. I know you can do it! I'll be your mezzo soloist if you need one.


[Edited 5/10/07 9:42am]

mozfonky said:

Ummmm...Amadeus didn't live during the Edwardian period. He died in 1791. Edward VII of England (for whom the Edwardian period is named) wasn't crowned until 1901.

But, yes -- there were some Lovesexy outfits inspired by the clothing of Mozart's time.

Snap said:

U guys are funny. If the technology that is available 2 today was around back in Amadeus time.....they would NOT have been writing by hand.

Graycap23 said:

To your point, I believe Irving Berlin couldn't read or write music, either. He employed the same transcriber for most of his career, and had a piano with a keyboard he could shift to compose in different keys. (He played in C major only.)

Mozart died at, what, 35? I'm glad Prince is not the next Amadeus.

Genesia said:

1901???

June7 said:

Ummm...yes?

Edward VII succeeded his mother, Queen Victoria. He was king from 1901 to 1910.

Genesia said:

yeah, i just looked it up, all I knew was that Prince's ruffles and lace were always called "edwardian" and I always thought that it was the same as what the classical guys wore. You are correct my four eyed friend.

mozfonky said:

Yeah, I know they called it Edwardian. But ruffles and lace were long gone by then. Reporters are lazy. I know -- I was one.

Genesia said:

Irving Berlin could only play in F sharp

JesseDezz said:

So he liked the black keys then.

When I first learned who Prince really was (not that Purple Rain was a good source), this was going back a year or two...

I did think of him as a musical genius like Mozart. They were alike in the fact that their lives were dedicated to the music.
And I had a fear Prince would be the type who'd die for his art the way Mozart did...
but after learning about how he grounded himself during his years as , that fear went away.

Needless to say, Prince is a musical genius and is just plain awesome.

Genesia said:

My bad... I was thinking of the Victorian period...

UCantHavaDaMango said:

I read a biography on Irving Berlin years ago - many thanks to the local neighborhood library!

I/f all you know of mozart and the classics that time you are music challenged mozart and many others will touch your soul and you feel as if angels are calling to you you may even break into tears no prince will fade like a rose compared to them

misslilly said:

Don't assume about what I know or don't know musically. You don't know me enough to be making that type of statement about me, however poorly written...

OMG no fucking way is he anywhere near ANY of master classical composers.

SlamGlam said:

You see? That's better. That's just a straight disagreement.

SlamGlam said:

But, in a hundred years from now, who knows what they're going to be listening to, and what they will consider as noteworthy.