# Classical composer that are MENSA menber very high i.q, just curieous?



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

Who could built a space rocket in is backyard whit scrap, you know what i mean, classical composer that are certified hyper brainac thus said thus meaning very very intelligent, yet no one know em they are nobody in classical universe past and present.

So who could built a time traveling machine in his spare time(back to the futur joke).


:tiphat:


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Borodin was a brilliant chemist in addition to being a great composer, so I guess I'd nominate him for MENSA membership.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> Borodin was a brilliant chemist in addition to being a great composer, so I guess I'd nominate him for MENSA membership.


Yes and he should have kept his creative ventures within the chemistry laboratory.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Yes and he should have kept his creative ventures within the chemistry laboratory.


I personally hold the opposite view: I wish that he had quit his chemistry job so that he could compose full-time. You and I share many of the same musical tastes, but I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> I personally hold the opposite view: I wish that he had quit his chemistry job so that he could compose full-time. You and I share many of the same musical tastes, but I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one!


Yes. It's perfectly fine....let's see I add hydrochloric acid to sodium hydroxide to see if my dog Polyvitzean, dances after consuming.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I would think that EVERY great composer making the rounds on TC would be Mensa-eligible.

These are all mega-geniuses. Mensa should have been a drop in the bucket for these guys.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

Elgar dabbled in chemistry as a hobby. He took out a patent on one of his inventions: the Elgar Sulphuretted Hydrogen Apparatus, which was a device for synthesising hydrogen sulphide that briefly went into production.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

"Genius" is a multi-variate quality. You can be a genius mathematician and have a tin ear, a genius engineer and have wto left feet, a genius artist and not be able to spell. Most "great" composers are musical geniuses, which is mostly all that matters.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

That's true. What's the term, "idiot savant"? Beethoven could compose using the most complex rhythms, yet reports indicate he was physically awkward and couldn't dance.....and yet Bettina still loves him. Women!! The ultimate complex puzzle of the universe!


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

hpowders said:


> That's true. What's the term, "idiot savant"? Beethoven could compose using the most complex rhythms, yet reports indicate he was physically awkward and couldn't dance.....and yet Bettina still loves him. Women!! The ultimate complex puzzle of the universe!


Yes, Beethoven was dreadfully incompetent in many ways. He could barely even do basic arithmetic, and he had no concept of personal hygiene. His social skills were abominable and his smell was probably even worse!  But his music makes up for everything. :tiphat:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> Yes, Beethoven was dreadfully incompetent in many ways. He could barely even do basic arithmetic, and he had no concept of personal hygiene. His social skills were abominable and his smell was probably even worse!  But his music makes up for everything. :tiphat:


On the other hand (the one that's not being occupied), I can dance terrifically well, am good at basic arithmetic, never give my nephew or publishers any problems, shower once a week...and I can't get to first base!!!


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

My experience with people indicates that one somewhat universal measure of someone's "intelligence" is their sense of humor. A genius chemist and a genius novelist and a genius composer may not be able to talk shop with each other, or even recognize each other's genius, but I would bet they could get each other to laughing.

Its my less than scientifically tested hypothesis, but it is based on a ton of casual research and some major successes with hopeless cases. (I got my endocrinologist to laugh, pretty quickly, where most folks had given up.)

So I am not sure if Mensa measures the right things, but I am sure that if you laugh at my jokes you are among the smartest of people.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

hpowders said:


> On the other hand (the one that's not being occupied), I can dance terrifically well, am good at basic arithmetic, never give my nephew or publishers any problems, shower once a week...and I can't get to first base!!!


Free that other hand and it might just work this time. Not everything can be done one-handedly.:guitar:


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

I have heard that Mozart was genius level, an Einstein so to speak. But also someone under socialized and maybe a little immature.

I have also heard that Leo Kottke and Frank Zappa were genius level.


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

I would think that someone with incredible focus, even at the sacrifice of some genius points, would be able to create great art, better than a certified Mensa without incredible focus.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

William Herschel discovered Uranus. Without him, scheiße jokes just wouldn't be the same! :lol:


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

JeffD said:


> I have also heard that Leo Kottke and Frank Zappa were genius level.


That is what Zappa himself always said, and who are we to question genius?


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I have a CD that came with a classical music magazine about 8 years ago and it had an interview with someone who was a Saint-Saens scholar. Saint-Saens was a polymath and polyartist who did an amazing amount of things in many disciplines. It's funny that this isn't that well known about him today.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

We had a similar thread to the polymath/polyartist thread about a year ago. I think I may have started it.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Saint-Saens and his many interests have been discussed here on occasion. For instance, he was a respected astronomer and even studied earthworms, to see if they could hear!

Unfortunately he had a tendency to hold forth on his interests at great length, causing many stifled yawns and surreptitious glances at watches.

Evidently Saint-Saens was to conversation what Wagner was to opera.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Saint-Saens and his many interests have been discussed here on occasion. For instance, he was a respected astronomer and even studied earthworms, to see if they could hear!
> 
> Unfortunately he had a tendency to hold forth on his interests at great length, causing many stifled yawns and surreptitious glances at watches.


I presume that the earthworms neither yawned nor glanced at their watches. Perhaps that was one reason he was so interested in them.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Klassik said:


> William Herschel discovered Uranus. Without him, scheiße jokes just wouldn't be the same! :lol:


I keep seeing this claim. But in fact I can barely find it myself, and I'm right here. Herschel was across the sea in England, a long ways away. And no matter how large his telescope, I'm well over the horizon from him.

So I can't really accept that Herschel discovered myanus. And anyway, why would he want to? I do have to wonder, sometimes, about those old wigs.


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

hpowders said:


> Yes and he should have kept his creative ventures within the chemistry laboratory.







...What?


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

A girl I know boasted to me that she had the IQ of Beethoven. I couldn't deal with her smug grin so I had to tell her Beethoven struggled with basic arithmetic. I think it broke her a little. So I didn't mention his awful hygiene on top of that.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Tallisman said:


> A girl I know boasted to me that she had the IQ of Beethoven. I couldn't deal with her smug grin so I had to tell her Beethoven struggled with basic arithmetic. I think it broke her a little. So I didn't mention his awful hygiene on top of that.


Perhaps she bought it at an auction. (If so, it probably isn't Beethoven's real IQ, just a fake, even if she has a certificate of authenticity.)


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

David Phillips said:


> Elgar dabbled in chemistry as a hobby. He took out a patent on one of his inventions: the Elgar Sulphuretted Hydrogen Apparatus, which was a device for synthesising hydrogen sulphide that briefly went into production.


I would think composers would want to stay away from the smell of rotten eggs. Many have probably been pelted with it at some point in their careers.



Bettina said:


> Yes, Beethoven was dreadfully incompetent in many ways. He could barely even do basic arithmetic, and he had no concept of personal hygiene. His social skills were abominable and his smell was probably even worse!  But his music makes up for everything. :tiphat:


I seem to remember reading that Beethoven was in fact quite clean, and that one of his doctors told him his deafness was caused by too many baths.

Either way, he probably wouldn't do well on an IQ test.



regenmusic said:


> I have a CD that came with a classical music magazine about 8 years ago and it had an interview with someone who was a Saint-Saens scholar. Saint-Saens was a polymath and polyartist who did an amazing amount of things in many disciplines. It's funny that this isn't that well known about him today.


I learned of his other talents some years ago. He was, among other things, a fine mathematician and expert on butterflies. Some people just get it all; it was only in the looks department that nature was not quite as kind to him.


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