Violin prodigies (神童), I learned , have come in distinct waves from distinct regions . Most of the great
performers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I
asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear , " he told
me . “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the
worlD. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a
concert stage. ”As a result, every Jewish parent ' s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a
passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies , I found , is a society that values excellence in a certain field
to nurture (培育)talent . Nowadays , the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East . " In Japan , a most
competitive society , with stronger discipline than ours . " says Isaac Stem , children are ready to test their limits
every day in many fields , including music . When Western music came to Japan after World WarⅡ, that music
not only became part of their daily lives , but it became a discipline as well . The Koreans and Chinese as we
know , are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That ' s a good thing , because even prodigies must work harD. Next to hard work , biological inheritance
plays an important role in the making of a prodigy.J.s.Bach , for example , was the top of several generations of
musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.