Deseret News | Post-'Thriller' Jackson was in exalted company: Mozart, for instance

Reader comments
Post-'Thriller' Jackson was in exalted company: Mozart, for instance

Roland Kayser | 10:45 p.m. July 6, 2009

Comparing Michael Jackson to Mozart is absurd. Mozart was one of the towering geniuses of music. On the two hundredth annivesary of his death, a record company released a boxed set ol all of his compositions. It totalled almost two-hundred CDs. No one will have a clue who Michael Jackson was in two hundred years. Mozart's music will live on.

OH, PLEASE!!!!! | 12:04 a.m. July 7, 2009

Mozart was a real musician and made real music. Jackson made NOISE... DUH?!?!

Phil | 5:13 a.m. July 7, 2009

You ought to read the whole article, not just the first paragraph. It compares their place in society in terms of fame, not in terms of music, and as child prodigies, which they both certainly were. And snobbery aside, they were both precocious masters of their music, the forms are irrelevant. You may as well say you can't compare Michelangelo with Picasso.

Comments continue below

Prodigies are many | 8:46 a.m. July 7, 2009

There are a lot of people with great talents that are never seen and have never been pushed in the spotlight. I see many people with entertainment gifts but have chosen not to engage in the world, there becomes an issue with idolization and lack of privacy.

Geezer | 9:06 a.m. July 7, 2009

Why are people immortalizing M. Jackson? He would have never made it through the first minute of a American Idol. On the other hand though Mozart would have won it immediately.

Wow Geezer | 10:21 a.m. July 7, 2009

Wow! Mozart could sing too? Could he also moonwalk? American Idol would have loved him! Except he was German... Is there a German Idol?

LeeAnne | 11:35 a.m. July 7, 2009

I love MOZART. I plan to meet this guy in the next life. He makes me feel so very happy listening to his uplifting music. Yummy!

Listening to Michael Jackson music???... makes me feel like a rotting corpse.

German?! | 5:25 p.m. July 7, 2009

No. Mozart was born in Salzburg and died in Vienna. At the time of his birth, Salzburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Now it is in Austria.

Germanic race | 5:48 p.m. July 7, 2009

Hello, 5:25 pm

Austrians and Germans all look the same if you want to get very technical about this. I am related to Charmaine too, and who was part of the Holy Roman Empire but I am English...AND WHO CARES? I'm also related to Jesus Christ who was Jewish, so what does yours and my conversation have to Michael Jackson? AND, who really cares if Mozart was Austrian or German? They are all basically the same race of people (PART OF THE GERMANIC RACE).

Don't knock it | 6:58 p.m. July 7, 2009

As a musician trained in both classical and jazz theory, as well as having an understanding of the intricacies of music history including that of the 20th century I can assure you that Michael Jackson was indeed extremely gifted.

In his day Mozart was writing popular music, had a talent for tonal structure and melody, and though he stayed essentially within the bounds of the socially accepted norm of music he broke molds and pushed boundaries. Michael Jackson did all of this just as well in the 1980's and 90's as Mozart did in his day.

Carrie | 7:41 p.m. July 7, 2009

Aah? I never heard Michael Jackson play Twinkle Little Stars on his piano up side down like Mozart could, and when he was 5 years old. What on earth are you guys comparing these 2 men for? They are as different as night and day.

Honker | 9:23 p.m. July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson could not play the piano and he didn't compose any music, so therefor he wasn't a true artist.. He was a screaming noise maker.

Marla | 11:12 a.m. July 8, 2009

Mozart was a beautiful Composer and wrote beautiful music. What was Michael Jackson? MJ was perhaps a very scary clown in his show THriLLeRrrr. And MJ certainly had the appearance of a clown and that is the very truth of it.

JW | 2:50 p.m. July 8, 2009

MJ was an amazing talent. To watch him dance was like watching magic, and his voice was a true instrument. It's horrible that you are all diminishing his talents with your thoughtless comments. He was a genius in the music world and there will never be another MJ. There's only one and now we've lost him. You shouldn't penalize him because of the oddities that surrounded him. He had a very difficult childhood and clearly was never able to overcome those things. Have respect. He was a real person. He was someone's father, brother, son, and friend.

kyle | 11:35 p.m. July 16, 2009

sorry, but the NOISE that MJ produced sold more than anyone, he won the artist millenium award, and david cook who won the american idol sang billie jean, music wrote by MJ!!!

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