Korngold is a myth ?
Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 4:55 pm
A few months ago, I found a book that was published in 1993 titled (in French) “Le Printemps des Génies – Les Enfants Prodiges.†(Geniuses in their Prime – Children Prodigies).
Obviously, my interest was piqued and I bought it, expecting to find an interesting chapter on Korngold.
Well… no such luck.
Not only that, but … I could find NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of the “last prodigyâ€.
It gets worse: One of the chapters, written by one Pierre-Michel Menger, centers specifically on prodigy composers, going so far as to list “Early compositions by noted composers of the 20th century before their 25th birthday†!
… and still no mention of Korngold.
Just like the hero of the recent French film “Jean-Phillipeâ€, I had suddenly slipped into a terrifying parallel world where Korngold had never been.
This wouldn’t be so bad (and it is, isn’t it?) if the book had been produced by a second rate publisher (it wasn’t) and written by hacks, but M. Menger is an officially appointed researcher who works for the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) a government-sponsored organization!
So, what should one make of such a goof?
I contacted Mr. Menger for his feedback, but got none.
What I keep wondering is this: Is it really possible that in 1993, a reasonably well educated music enthusiast could ignore that Korngold had ever existed, and furthermore, is it conceivable that someone who’s devoted his professional life to research could document child prodigies of the 19th and 20th Century, and not find out that in Vienna less than a hundred years ago, a young man had produced a major part of his artistic output well before his 25th birthday, amongst which 3 operas, one of which (“Tote Stadtâ€) is said to be one of the most celebrated of the 20th century?
In a more general manner, what I’m wondering is: before two important biographies on the subject were published in the late 90s, was information on Korngold so scarce that the above situation was in fact possible?
Obviously, my interest was piqued and I bought it, expecting to find an interesting chapter on Korngold.
Well… no such luck.
Not only that, but … I could find NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of the “last prodigyâ€.
It gets worse: One of the chapters, written by one Pierre-Michel Menger, centers specifically on prodigy composers, going so far as to list “Early compositions by noted composers of the 20th century before their 25th birthday†!
… and still no mention of Korngold.
Just like the hero of the recent French film “Jean-Phillipeâ€, I had suddenly slipped into a terrifying parallel world where Korngold had never been.
This wouldn’t be so bad (and it is, isn’t it?) if the book had been produced by a second rate publisher (it wasn’t) and written by hacks, but M. Menger is an officially appointed researcher who works for the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) a government-sponsored organization!
So, what should one make of such a goof?
I contacted Mr. Menger for his feedback, but got none.
What I keep wondering is this: Is it really possible that in 1993, a reasonably well educated music enthusiast could ignore that Korngold had ever existed, and furthermore, is it conceivable that someone who’s devoted his professional life to research could document child prodigies of the 19th and 20th Century, and not find out that in Vienna less than a hundred years ago, a young man had produced a major part of his artistic output well before his 25th birthday, amongst which 3 operas, one of which (“Tote Stadtâ€) is said to be one of the most celebrated of the 20th century?
In a more general manner, what I’m wondering is: before two important biographies on the subject were published in the late 90s, was information on Korngold so scarce that the above situation was in fact possible?