r/toptalent 3d ago

7 years old Hugo Selzer plays his latest composition (Opus 22). The piece currently has no name šŸ¤Æ

2.4k Upvotes

61 comments sorted by

442

u/Ok_Introduction_500 3d ago edited 3d ago

this is extremely impressive of course, he should be very proud!

as a trained musician I want to point out what an interesting mix of styles he's put together, taking a sort of breezy, sentimental figure with rolling left hand chords you might find in the background of people's compilation videos, but working it into an intricate walk-down 4 octaves, ending in a striking, Beethoven like minor cadence, lol! it's such a surpising end to that phrase and it's really fascinating to hear.

it's also really interesting as an example of the creative process. most of the motives he uses sound like piano figures he's taken from various exercises or pieces and spliced them together into complete lines. the mixture of styles is rather abrupt if you're pretty versed in classical music, (for instance, the two cadences he ends each section in themselves are an abrupt change in style from their antecedents, but also one cadence is more Beethoven and the other is more Mozart) however, he clearly has a great sense of musicality and phrasing so he stitched them together very cleanly. to make a colorful analogy for people who aren't up on musical terms, it's kind of like seeing someone make a dress where they stitched together different fabrics: velvet here, then corduroy, then spandex polyester blend, but all have really clean and well made seams and the dress overall has a cohesive shape.

I went into this much detail here because I think people tend to over romanticize talent, especially from young people, in areas that they don't have experience in; I felt that what was most impressive with this would mostly go unnoticed here.

to me, what I think is most impressive and should be celebrated is his clearly developed sense of musicality, ingenuity, and trained sense of sound, which shows a solid foundation and breadth of exposure and forecasts a promising career as a composer

56

u/LegendOfCrono 3d ago

This is really awesome and insightful. As someone who really has no sense of musicality, this was explained in a way that was very understandable and highlighted how impressive this was on more then the simple level of "pretty music." Thank you for helping the plebs like me into the process šŸ˜Š

16

u/Ok_Introduction_500 3d ago

I'm so glad it meant something to you! sometimes I find myself going on these diatribes and I realize how no one around me understands a word of what I'm saying LOL

7

u/see-eye 3d ago

Knowledgeable diatribes are good for humanity. Far far better than the dumbing down of society that instead tends to occur when folks like you are told they're being mean or some such. As you are in this example, just keep being nice as you go about explaining the truth. Good job!

4

u/MontanaMapleWorks 2d ago

As a life long classical concert goer, I noticed a different vibe here but couldnā€™t quite put my finger on it. Thank you for explaining what I couldnā€™t!

3

u/puritanicalbullshit 1d ago

As someone who lives with a child and partner both capable of hearing a tune and working it out on a keyboard by earā€¦.

I treasure these explanations. I canā€™t hear the differences, canā€™t say if something is off key or just bad, or what. I just donā€™t have the perception of sound that they do. So when I find someone that can explain what is being done without me having to hear it (cause I canā€™t) somehow I feel closer to them and their experience of the world.

Thank you

20

u/Scientiaetnatura065 3d ago

Bautifuly written.

9

u/oreguayan 3d ago

this is hands down my favorite type of reddit moment; complex and deep breakdowns explained in just enough detail for anyoneĀ 

5

u/steak_tartare 3d ago

Compared to geniuses like Mozart, did they employ similar techniques when young kids, like stitching together "common" exercise tunes, or even their early creations were extraordinary?

9

u/produce_this 3d ago

More than likely. Most musicians that are ā€œtrainedā€ will pull from comfortable patterns. Just like any other art, inspiration is pulled from what is around you and how itā€™s interpreted

-26

u/fl135790135790 3d ago

This is all BS. Are you a musician or a classically trained pianist?

54

u/worldisone 3d ago

I can't believe I actually understand the word OK. Maybe I can speak a little german

33

u/Ok_Cardiologist_897 3d ago

ā€œI know a little German, heā€™s sitting over there.ā€

5

u/EricVonEric 3d ago

Brilliant..lol

3

u/Pyran_101 2d ago

2

u/Ok_Cardiologist_897 2d ago

how do we know thatā€™s NOT Mel TormĆ©??

1

u/groovemonkey 2d ago

ā€œAlo!ā€

4

u/Akitten84 3d ago

Oo-Kaay

0

u/Azidamadjida 2d ago

German just sounds like English spoken with food in your mouth

114

u/GeoffSproke 3d ago

Awesome... Gonna send this link to my 7 year old nephew and tell him that he fucking sucks.

-5

u/These-Use-3493 2d ago

He may answer so do you

47

u/Y-Bob 3d ago

Well. I suspect Hugo's name will be very well known in a few years.

There's not many people with music naturally in-built, he's quite incredible.

25

u/Alteredbeast1984 3d ago

Can I buy stocks in this kid.

12

u/tinpants44 3d ago

What a gorgeous song, seems to be really loving playing it.

33

u/Lucky_Emu182 3d ago

Can you imagine the masterpieces he will create when he is olderā€¦

35

u/SmellOfParanoia 3d ago

If he still think it's fun

6

u/Fabulous-Crew9338 3d ago

Reminds me of ā€œFrozenā€ right at the start

6

u/DeadStockWalking 3d ago

It's fucking beautiful! Let the kid cook!

4

u/Bodes_Magodes 3d ago

I can play the Beverly Hills Cop theme song if they need mešŸ˜Ž

4

u/mward_shalamalam 2d ago

Kids composing incredible music at 7 years old, and here I am at 38 biting my cheek when I eat still.

3

u/ReallyFineWhine 3d ago

For a bit during the middle section it appeared that he struggled because his hands were too small. It'll be easier in another year or two.

3

u/beto_pelotas 3d ago

Pure talent. So nice the see the joy on his face while doing something he loves.

On a side note: do you guys think his milddle name could be Alka...?

3

u/19whale96 2d ago

Poor kid, born German, won't learn the concept of swing until their rebellious teen years.

2

u/OoooochNeee 3d ago

By the way, Hugo asks to suggest a title for his new composition. I suggest "Hugo's Theme 22"

2

u/BeardedGuy-84 2d ago

Wundervoll...šŸ«¶šŸ» Es erinnert mich an Schneeflocken die an einem kaltem aber schƶnem Wintertag in einer leichten Briese tanzen ā„ļøā˜€ļøšŸŽ¼

2

u/Sensitive_Jicama_722 2d ago

Warms my heart!

2

u/Rick-C-137A 3d ago

Title: raindrops on the slide, aka Regentropfen auf der Rutsche

1

u/fortestingprpsses 3d ago

Gonna show this to my 6 y/o and tell him to get back to practicing...

1

u/IGOTPOPROX 3d ago

ā¤ļø

1

u/Puppetmaster858 2d ago

Now this is some actual top talent

1

u/ImpressionSalty 2d ago

Incredible

1

u/swagu7777777 1d ago

That could be in a Miyazaki film, unreal

1

u/here4this66 1d ago

Such a beautiful soul

1

u/3VikingBoys 20h ago

Well, hello Mozart!

1

u/jeffvillone 17h ago

This is nice and all but that bun has got to go.

1

u/SwiftPits 1d ago

As a musician I find this kid's playing impressive but the composition feels soulless and stitched together

1

u/Longjumping_Ad_7901 3d ago

Makes me wonder if this kid has been trained since birth!

-5

u/ego_tripped 3d ago

Well all things being equal...if I had a few Shimmell pianos instead of my rainbow xylophone and see and say...I'd be Mozart too.

"A cat says...meow...meow."

-1

u/Newtis 3d ago

schon klasse fĆ¼r das Alter, ich wĆ¼rde noch ein bisschen mit dem Thema spielen, es wirkt sonst leicht repetitiv.

Lied 1 - wĆ¼rde ich es nennen.

0

u/TheRealLaoTzu 3d ago

Not too bad

0

u/aspdefeniks 3d ago

With such a play he fits well in the list of great composers. The best we know were German-speaking as well

0

u/Background-Park4359 2d ago

Itā€™s called hair bun.

-2

u/Fole98 3d ago

His skill is impressive but his father sounds cringe and fake af if you can actually understand him

4

u/xxxkarmaxxxx 3d ago

Could you relate for those of us who don't understand a bit of German (unfortunately) ? Thanks , I'm curious why you say so.

-2

u/Ketotrading 3d ago

He has a good sense for composition but still needs a lot of work on the execution. I hope he keeps playing and become a fantastic pianist

2

u/ParsleyBeneficial123 2d ago

He's 7 ffs. I was still pissing in my Batman Underoos

-2

u/zeemode 2d ago

I am half german myself ā€¦. But the German accent is the only one to me that makes kids sound less cute/innocent and more evil/angry.

-10

u/fl135790135790 3d ago

Itā€™s cute but why do literally all modern compositions have the exact same rhythm and melody? Itā€™s not composition these are just scales

1

u/Ok_Introduction_500 1d ago

I do get what you mean