A 6-year-old boy of Indian origin captured the world’s attention when he set a Guinness World Record for recognizing up to 16 classical composers such as Mozart and Beethoven by ear in just 60 seconds.
Shivankh Varun Varadharajan, a prodigious young musician from Dubai, recognized the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Dvořák, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss, Rossini and Brahms with remarkable accuracy.
His mother Yalini said Shivankh started showing an acute ear for music from a very early age. By the time he was around two and a half years old, his mother said, the boy would often hum along to the orchestral scores of cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Over time, Yalini said, Shivankh could easily distinguish between similar-sounding pieces within seconds.
“Shivankh approached the world through music”
Beaming with pride, mother Shivankha said the young boy always approached the world through music, sensing personality and mood through tone and rhythm.
Yalini said that Shivankh often describes people with similarities to the composer’s musical style – “She spoke as fast as Rimsky” or “he is calm, like Chopin”.
This neurodivergent perspective, she says, allowed him to experience music in a uniquely intuitive way.
Record attempt day
Yalini said that from a very young age, Shivankh spent hours listening, humming and practicing music. She also said the family carefully nurtured his interest and helped him rehearse the names of composers for the record attempt.
On the day of the record attempt, Shivankh was given 60 seconds to identify classical composers by ear from a strictly random selection from the full list. He successfully identified 16 composers.
Shivankha’s mother recognized the family’s role in supporting and nurturing his talent, but emphasized that talent must come naturally, not be forced.
“Every child has a world inside them. Sometimes you just have to stop long enough to see them. Listen more, compare less and let their uniqueness unfold naturally,” said Yalini.
She said the family provided Shivankha with structure and practice for the official record attempt to help ensure he could demonstrate his abilities under formal conditions.
