# If Mozart Were Alive Today... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984 "2003-05-23T06:37:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/21 "2011-10-28T19:21:39Z")
Interesting question that I sort of recently asked. At the school where I work, they have an audio department - mostly with students who enter school to become the next great Grammy winner of song of the year. However, many are now seeing other directions -such as writing scores for movies. One thing that technology has made easier is for even the slightly talented to lay several tracks of music, on their own, to create a very intricate score. They can start off with the piano melody, then add strings, horns, drums, other sounds and eventually create some really nice scores. The good news is that many students are now doing exactly this. What would have taken a Mozart genius back then to simply create this in their mind and hand write the notes for each instrument is now done electronically and they can get instant feedback and go back in to fiddle with that drum beat, or change up the strings section, or whatever. Some of these students are kind of shy to play what they are creating - it is not the “norm” for what their friends listen to, but I am amazed at the different directions they are moving. It might not mean that classical music will be making a huge comeback on the pop charts, but it is interesting to see that many students who might not look like traditional classical composers are starting to experiment with far more intricate scores. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/22 "2011-10-28T19:31:07Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I’ve heard him compared to Tupac Shakur or Jimi Hendrix: Virtuoso, cutting edge, party animal, died young. > > Of course, if he was alive today, he wouldn’t be any of those guys, since they’re dead, but… you know what I mean. I don’t think he was really as cutting edge as Hendrix. More like, oh, McCartney, or maybe better Keith Richards: Mozart and Richards both took what was more or less already there but did it with such note perfect control they’re the central figure of the style. Both managed to be creative but were very happy to be widely appreciated, and never went for novelty for the sake of novelty, or God forbid intentionally pushing the boundaries of their audience’s comfort zone. I suppose there’s the personal life similarities as well – certainly not aiming for happy boring middle-class life (unlike McCartney , or (from what we can tell) Bach) and quite eager to escape a workaday, um, mindset. But not out to oppose the middle-class life either (as opposed to, oh, Johnny Rotten or John Lennon or to some degree Beethoven). Oh, looks like we’re out of time, folks. Tune in next week for another edition of “Half-arsed parallels between rock and classical musicians”! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/23 "2011-10-28T19:41:51Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I don’t think he was really as cutting edge as Hendrix. More like, oh, McCartney, or maybe better Keith Richards: Mozart and Richards both took what was more or less already there but did it with such note perfect control they’re the central figure of the style. Both managed to be creative but were very happy to be widely appreciated, and never went for novelty for the sake of novelty, or God forbid intentionally pushing the boundaries of their audience’s comfort zone. I suppose there’s the personal life similarities as well – certainly not aiming for happy boring middle-class life (unlike McCartney , or (from what we can tell) Bach) and quite eager to escape a workaday, um, mindset. But not out to oppose the middle-class life either (as opposed to, oh, Johnny Rotten or John Lennon or to some degree Beethoven). > > Oh, looks like we’re out of time, folks. Tune in next week for another edition of “Half-arsed parallels between rock and classical musicians”! I kinda dig that - certainly a worthy effort! ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/24 "2011-10-28T19:49:58Z")
Mozart was a wild partier. He would have died of an overdose before publishing a second album. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/25 "2011-10-28T20:26:47Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If Mozart were alive today, he would be famous for being the oldest man in the world… Tom Lehrer would certainly have to eat his words. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/26 "2011-10-28T20:29:31Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > But seriously, I think this question has already been answered by the classic film “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” That was Beethoven, but I get what you’re saying. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/27 "2011-10-29T02:52:43Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Mozart was a wild partier. He would have died of an overdose before publishing a second album. I don’t know that he was a particular wild partier, was he? He was bad with money, enjoyed scatological humor and I guess was always pulling pranks on people, but I don’t know that he was particularly wild. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/28 "2011-10-29T03:07:37Z")
He was a superstar He was popular He was so exalted Because he had flair He was a virtuoso Was a rock idol And everyone cried Come on and rock me Amadeus ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984/29 "2011-10-29T03:22:17Z")
If Mozart were alive today, he would continue to be a composer. Alas! As things stand now, he remains doomed to be a decomposer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-mozart-were-alive-today/176984.md?page=1)