Only Mozart...

You know how we say that only Mozart is an artistic genius, and you are not him?

You may be unaware of what that actually means, so here’s a lovely little video showing you the development of Mozart’s music throughout his life. I don’t know about you, but any music I wrote before puberty was… not this.

People sometimes think how depressing it is that humans like Mozart exist when they themselves have to struggle with their art, but I take comfort in the fact. Whenever I’m frustrated in my composing or writing or cocktailology-ing, I remember that I am not Mozart, nor was meant to be.

It lets me off the hook, for example, from having to sit down and whip out Ten Little Waltzes on the spot. Sure, it shouldn’t have taken me since 2018 to write them, but part of the problem is that I haven’t actually worked on them.

And yes, Mozart was equally lazy, but the difference is that if he had a concert that night and hadn’t yet written the concerto, the only people who were discomfited by that were his copyists and possibly the musicians who had to sightread it in front of an audience. He just sat down and scribbled it out. (Plus, he probably didn’t even write the piano part down, just played what was in his head.)

But I am not Mozart, and you can’t make me be. That is a comfort.


A reminder that I am recruiting collaborators for the world premiere of William Blake’s Inn in March 2025. Read about that here and email me if you’re interested.