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The Nation's Pulse
Meet Jonathan
Who is this sensational boy conductor?
Except for a few jealous conductors who hate child prodigies, the music world has leapt aboard the “Jonathan” phenomenon, a precocious boy whose video clip has now passed 5,362,000 views on YouTube.
By way of comparison, the video of Shaquille O’Neal stiffly conducting the Boston Pops last December is barely over a million, and Sarah Silverman’s standup routine on Jews and German cars is in the mere 800,000s.
This is no “dancing baby” animation. This is a three-year-old child who has all the fluid moves, all the tempo changes and all the dynamics down pat in conducting a recording of the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony standing on a podium in his parents’ living room. He knows the music.
Several viewers say they start their day with this video, it conveys such an overwhelming feeling of joy and amazement. “I have to get a fix every day. That’s been going on for weeks now,” says one woman.
I have watched it ten times. In the first few seconds it appears to be just another cute kid waving his arms to a recording of a symphony. Then you realize he is locked into the music, expressing himself with his full body, frowns, smiles, rolling of eyes. He glides from mood to mood, from being possessed to jumping with joy at Beethoven’s percussive blows and syncopations.
“This is what we all feel,” wrote one mother from Boston, “but we can rarely show it, especially when we ‘grow up’.”
Jonathan can be viewed in action here:
The boy’s identity is still a mystery. His mother’s off-camera voice at the end seems American-accented but she has not yet come forward to claim him. In one written comment, she says he was provided with a baton and podium at his own request. In the video he seems right at home on it.
Jonathan has a gift rarely seen at any age — that of a joyful, emotional conductor capable of bringing classical music to life. As one viewer wrote, “Now we know where Leonard Bernstein went.”
Another says he took a conducting class in music school where half the students were less proficient than Jonathan, “including me”.
Many ask, “Who is this kid?” Several urge his parents to call Juilliard and get him on a career track. Dozens want to see him in front of an orchestra.
One man heard Jonathan’s voice shouting “Louder!” to the recorded music but is convinced he said it in Russian, “Gromche!”
The video is running on several Internet sites. Composer-conductor Allen H. Simon posted it on ChoralNet, a site for conductors. He says he just happened to see the clip on the Internet and copied it knowing nothing about the boy. His conducting colleagues have been fascinated by the boy’s natural moves.
For most viewers, the charm of this performance is the combination of genuine talent and child-like behavior. At one point Jonathan needs to wipe his nose on his sleeve, which he does without losing the beat. And at the climax he accidentally drops the baton and collapses in giggles, rolling on the floor.
That’s one act Bernstein never tried.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (17) | Leave a comment
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gerald brennan| 3.3.11 @ 7:00AM
"And at the climax he accidentally drops the baton and collapses in giggles, rolling on the floor. That's one act Bernstein never tried."
Actually, I think Bernstein DID do that.
Seriously -- this is dumb-ass nonsense. Conducting isn't about dancing. The best pretty much just stood there and radiated charisma and authority.
Find some kid to do THAT.
Gerald Brennan
Ann Arbor, MI
Alan Brooks| 3.3.11 @ 11:26PM
"Except for a few jealous conductors who hate child prodigies"
Maybe you are being facetious, but anyway, a common mistake is to think others are jealous because they don't like something -- or are simply not interested. I don't like Bob Dylan's voice, but that doesn't mean it is out of jealousy-- it is dislike of raspy singing, not jealousy any more than the fact I dislike Jimi Hendrix's singing makes me racist.
If someone doesn't like Mick Jagger's loutish (fake) persona, does that mean they are jealous?
Is anyone jealous of Zappa's childish, Howard Sternish lyrics?
Jealous of John Cage conducted by Boulez? dancing courtesy of Isadora Duncan?
At the end there is a poem read by Maya Angelou.
Feeling jealous yet?
Alan Brooks| 3.3.11 @ 11:31PM
BTW,
since this is a political blog, who here is jealous of John Lennon's politics (or jealous of his having a wife such as Yoko, or jealous of Yoko's music and singing)?
Let's see a show of hands.
Cromulent| 3.3.11 @ 9:05AM
I need another AA'er, Jay Nordlinger, to weigh in on this.
Cug Smith| 3.3.11 @ 9:27AM
Mr. Brennan,
Lighten up a little. As someone with degrees in Music History& Literature (Musicology), I think it is refreshing to see a small child exhibiting a joy of music that actually involves more than a simple melody, a few chords, or bad poetry. Although "Jonathan" doesn't display the nuances of a polished conductor (accurate dileniation of meter, tempo, cueing, etc.), he does seem to have a "feel" for the music, and has obviously memorized much of the performance (anticipating changes in dynamics and tempo). This shows his attention span allows consumption of more than two-minute ditties and nursery rhymes. Hopefully, if he continues to appear genuinely interested in serious music, his parents will pursue piano training (something I lacked going into college, which hampered my ability to become a truly well-rounded musician or conductor). As someone who played only clarinet, and then began singing tenor in college, I can testify to the fact that the ability to easily recognize chord structures and sight-read a score, is hard to achieve if you only learn to perform on linear, single-note at a time, instruments. If he starts mastering basic music skills simultaneously with mastering basic language skills between the ages of three and seven, the abilities should come more naturally than if he waits until third grade to join a school band. Therefore, by age seven, teachers should be able to see if he has the potential (and the desire) to become a serious musician. Even if he does not pursue a career in music, I believe the benefits of studying music will contribute to his ability to deal with other concepts in his education (math, history, literature, physics, etc.).
Cug Smith
Pierre Part-Belle River, LA
Mark Long| 3.3.11 @ 9:40AM
I thoroughly enjoyed it--and not just because I'm a huge fan of Beethoven and the kid is obviously enjoying himself. I'd like to see what he can do with a complete symphony by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, or even Mahler. We will probably have to wait a few years for that. If the talent is genuine I do hope his parents make sure he gets the proper training.
As for his nationality, I think he is clearly American: at one point he says, "This is fun!"
big bob| 3.3.11 @ 10:10AM
I have degrees in conducting from one major school of music and have taught conducting at several others. I must note that while this young man is highly "fluid" and flexible, and while he clearly recognizes what is coming in this Beethoven symphony, this is not conducting.
I am reminded of a video that appeared on YouTube a few years ago where the son of a country western singer was videotaped by his nanny pantomiming a song made famous by his dad, Randy Houser. His name was Drake and he knew every little nuance of a song called "goin out with my boots on", or something akin to that. It was amazing. This is no different. He has watched and absorbed the movements of someone conducting and follows extremely well. But in short, he is not conducting. Again, factoring in the fact that he is somewhere around 3-4 yrs. old, he may end up enjoying a career in music. But he is following, not leading. While that may describe many current conductors who get paid to conduct (!!!), one must have a mind moving 2-3 measures ahead at all time in order to pass information on to a performing group.
So enjoy the little tyke, but make no mistake...this guy is not headed for the NY Phil any time soon.
scythe| 3.3.11 @ 10:53AM
I think the kid is adorable and no doubt his performance has thrown fear into the hearts of some of the ego maniacs who have made conducting a profession. Always thought they were overrated and the "skill" questionable. If someone knows a piece of music thoroughly and throws themselves into it, they can surely mimic many of the moves of a professional. This three year old just proved the point. If I were a "conductor" I'd be a little nervous after seeing this.
Who Knows?| 3.3.11 @ 1:14PM
Two things arose about this phenom---
To begin with---to REALLY “begin with”---is sure seems to me that this kid’s happy ability and enjoyment of “conducting” Beethoven provides some evidence that reincarnation is at work.
Perhaps “nature”, besides DNA-led possibilities, continuously flows, from life to life, with whatever breaks spent between them.
Also, as an impressionable child, I’ll bet he was very early introduced to Beethoven.
I once worked with a pregnant woman, making banana protein drinks, using a blender for hours at a time.
The girl she birthed, when around four or so, would thrill us all by making a rapidly fluctuating sound that seemed to be whole bodily, very much in the same frequency of the sound made by the blender.
As a lifelong lover of classical music, I can testify that repeated listening “WORKS”!
When I was around 18, I bought a record of Wagner’s Love Death and Prelude from Tristan and Isolde, and right away, it sounded like just random noise! But, I was determined to get my money’s worth, so I just kept playing it over and over again, and soon enough it became beautifully addictive!
Happily, much the same thing occurred in my 50’s, when I discovered Mahler, Elgar and Bruckner---especially the latter!
Nowadays, I can’t get enough of Shostakovich, in particular.
Why, in my ever seeking for “NEW” composers to absorb, an old Romantic-music-preferring guy like me has learned to go backwards in time, to appreciate Baroque, etc.
In short, nature and nurture have a lot to do with one’s expression as a human being, over ALL time---and space.
But, we ALL always choose both our reality, and our reactions to whatever arises.
Franco| 3.3.11 @ 1:31PM
All professional conductors are professional musicians (Bernstein was a pianist, etc.) first. Otherwise it's just some guy waving a stick.
PaulD| 3.3.11 @ 3:23PM
He isn't conducting; he's reacting to a recorded piece of music. 99% of the work of a conductor is done BEFORE the performance, molding the orchestra into his vision of the piece. This kid might be a dancer one day, or possibly even a conductor, but he's a long way from either now. He's just a cute kid having fun.
Fay Voshell| 3.3.11 @ 3:47PM
I wept with joy, delight and wonder. Absolutely transfiguring.
Occam's Tool| 3.3.11 @ 7:24PM
I don't know how many of you recall this, and I'm not talking about the obviously troubled young man he's become, but Tiger Woods was on TV showing his Golf moves when he was approximately this little guy's age. We will wait and see. (Even a guy like me knew what I wanted to do by age 7, and achieved the initial degree by age 25 (MD).)
tom| 3.4.11 @ 3:00AM
Go on youtube and type in "esenuk". It brings you to the his family's channel. He's a violinist from Arizona.
I guess the author of this article is unfamiliar with how youtube works. It's not a mystery who the boy is at all. All that had to be done was to simply go to youtube and find out who posted the video.
Michael Johnson| 3.4.11 @ 4:13AM
Tom, many thanks for the esenuk lead. If I can get Jonathan's parents to talk, I may do a follow-up story.
ToreyDawn| 3.6.11 @ 1:19AM
Just awesome! Here he is, now age four, conducting a real orchestra ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ILOqRkg4U
From YouTube:
When Misha Rachlevsky, Music Director of Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, saw a video with (then) 3-year old Jonathan conducting to the finale of Beethoven's Fifth, he, like everyone else, was astounded... So, during the next U.S. tour of the orchestra, he invited Jonathan, by now four, to conduct the orchestra as an encore to the Kremlin's performance in Torrance, CA. Featured compositions: 1st movement of Beethoven's c-minor string quartet, Op. 18, No. 4 and Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms.
Needless to say, Misha and all members of the orchestra, as well as everyone in the audience, were absolutely enchanted. Jonathan, by the way, is nicely progressing in his violin studies, too. See http://www.youtube.com/user/esenuk
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 6:07PM
thank you
is good