'Bluejay' Spreads His Wings

(CBS)  Jay Greenberg is an American composer who some say is the greatest musical genius to come along in 200 years. He wrote five symphonies by the time he was 13 years old.

Correspondent Scott Pelley first met Jay two years ago when his works were being performed on stage; the story was seen by executives at Sony BMG, who signed Jay as a recording artist. Recently, Pelley caught up with the young composer again in Britain, where the London Symphony Orchestra was recording Jay's fifth symphony.

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Jay, who signs his works with the nickname "Bluejay," is 14 now. When he caught the ear of 60 Minutes in 2004, this remarkable boy was only 12 years old and had written a piece called "The Storm," commissioned by the New Haven Symphony in Connecticut.

He wrote every note for each and every instrument — and the really amazing part is that he wrote it in just a few hours.

Composer Sam Zyman says we haven't seen his like in probably 200 years. "We are talking about a prodigy of the level of the greatest prodigies in history when it comes to composition. I am talking about the likes of Mozart, and Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns," he tells Pelley.

Zyman taught music theory to Jay at the Julliard School in New York, where he has been teaching 19 years.

"This is an absolute fact. This is objective. This is not a subjective opinion," Zyman says. "Jay could be sitting here, and he could be composing right now. He could finish a piano sonata before our eyes in probably 25 minutes. And it would be a great piece."

How is it possible? Jay told Pelley he doesn't know where the music comes from — but that it comes fully written, playing like an orchestra in his head.

"As you hear it playing, can you change it as it goes along? Can you say to yourself, 'Oh, let's bring the oboes in here,' or 'Let's bring the string section here?'" Pelley asks.

"No, they seem — they seem to come in by themselves if they need to," Jay replies. "It's as if the unconscious mind is giving orders at the speed of light. You know, I mean, so I just hear it as if it were a smooth performance of a work that is already written when it isn't."

Jay's parents are as surprised by his talent as anyone. Neither of them is a professional musician. His father, Robert, is a linguist, a scholar in Slavic languages who lost his sight at the age of 36 to retinitis pigmentosa. His mother, Orna, is an Israeli-born painter.

Michael, Jay's 10-year-old brother, is not a musical prodigy, but Robert and Orna remember when they figured out that Jay was.

"I think around, two, when he started writing and actually drawing instruments, we knew that he was fascinated with it," his mother explains.

At the ago of 2, she says, Jay started writing and managed to draw and ask for a cello. "I was surprised, because neither of us have anything to do with string instruments. And I didn't expect him to know what it was," Orna says.

"What a cello was?" Pelley asks.

"Right," she replies.

Orna says there was no cello in the house and that her son had never seen a cello before. But he knew he wanted one.

So his mother brought him to a music store where he was shown a miniature cello. "And he just sat there. He put the cello. And he started playing on it. And I was like, 'How do you know how to do this?'" Orna remembers.

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[passagesboy]

[regarding my previous post] Okay, I found some soundbytes on ********** and already can hear one outstanding influence, Bartok. Or maybe just an outstanding coincidence, since Bartok really has influenced a great deal of modern orchestral and chamber music which is exposed to the mainstream through movie soundtracks etc.

[passagesboy]

One thing was not covered here which really surprised me, it's pretty elementary. What music does, or did, he like to listen to? Part of the whole picture of this story is definitely ehat he likes. For instance, is his music all tonal or mixed with atonality, etc? I was hoping to find an archive of the first piece 60 minutes did on him to possibly get the answer but can't locate it.

[patrickde2]

I was curious as to why in your report about the young composer, you failed to mention that Mozart had the same ability to compose in his head, write down the music, and never make any changes. I feel that you should have pointed this out to highlight this young man's talent. Thank you.

[hudson4me]

I too heard whole symphonies in my head when I was young. BlueJay's compositions sound hauntingly familiar. Each instruments' range is aurally displayed by listening to recorded music. When I announced my intention to write a symphony, I received no support from family and teachers. I was told that it was presumptuous to think that I could. All blessings on Jay! I joyfully await his take on Physics.

[hudson4me]

I too heard whole symphonies in my head when I was young. BlueJay's compositions sound hauntingly familiar. Each instruments' range is aurally displayed by listening to recorded music. When I announced my intention to write a symphony, I received no support from family and teachers. I was told that it was presumptuous to think that I could. All blessings on Jay! I joyfully await his take on Physics.

[derelictable]

I found it obnoxious that, according to this story, musical genius of this sort is only of the classical kind. Somebody, for the love of God, introduce this kid to Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and Kurt Cobain... please! I'm seriously tired of 60 minutes, which of I've been watching since I was a kid, doing segments on this "wunderkids" that play classical music. Ever heard of an electric guitar?

p.s. Get rid of Andy Rooney, he's an embarrasment to your show.

[jazzguy4]

What a pleasure this story was. Blue Jay reminds me of the character Matt Damen played in the movie "Good Will Hunting" where "Will" was the janitor but was so naturally gifted in math that he could solve problems that neither the students or professors could solve. Sam Alder reminds me of the math professor in the movie who had great stature in academia but lacked the natural gift that "Will" had. In the movie, the professor was so jealous of "Will's" talent that he tried to hold him back to the same limitations the professor was born with. Sam Alder should not deal his own lack of genius by trying to place restraints on Blue Jay who is a true timeless musical genius.

[harmaton]

As much of a smart person he is... give him time. Mozart wasn't claimed to be a genius until way after he died. I have a really hard time believing him in his interview. He may be a musical genius but he has a TON of growing up to do.

see you in ten years... and I bet he isn't doing music.

[buzzfrum]

Jay's only CD was released this August by Sony Music #81804. It features his Symphony #5 and his Quintet for Strings played by the Julliard String Quartet. I found it available at Arkivmusic.com Search his name under Composers.

[aralion]

Thank God the meds we have today were not available during Mozart's time or we might never have heard the beautiful music which he created. To try to stifle the genuis of someone like Blue Jay is a misguided attempt by some "knowlegeable" people to control that which they don't understand. How many other "geniuses" do we have in our world right now who are in a drug induced haze because they are misunderstood. We will probably never know.

I, too, would like to know where I can purchase Blue Jay's compositions. The small sample I heard on television last night brought tears to my eyes. It was simply beautiful. I imagine that is the type of music that is played in Heaven.