From Mozart to Beethoven: 6-year-old Indian-origin boy sets Guinness Record for recognising classical composers by ear
At around two and a half years old, his mother said, the boy would often hum along to orchestral scores in cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Over time, he could easily differentiate between similar-sounding pieces within seconds.
A 6-year-old Indian-origin boy has caught the world's attention as he bagged the Guinness World Record for recognising as many as 16 classical composers like Mozart and Beethoven by ear in merely 60 seconds.
Shivankh Varun Varadharajan, the Dubai-based young music prodigy, recognised the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss, Rossini, and Brahms with remarkable accuracy.
His mother, Yalini, said that Shivankh began showing an acute ear for music from a very early age. At around two and a half years old, his mother said, the boy would often hum along to orchestral scores in cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Over time, Yalini said, Shivankh could easily differentiate between similar-sounding pieces within seconds.
Witness Shivankh Varadharajan's musical gift in this video:
‘Shivankh approached the world through music’
Beaming with pride, Shivankh's mother said that the young boy has always approached the world through music, perceiving personalities and moods through tone and rhythm.
Yalini said that Shivankh often describes people in likeness to a composer's style of music — “She was talking so fast, like Rimsky”, or “he’s calm, like Chopin.”
This neurodivergent perspective, she believes, has allowed him to experience music in a uniquely intuitive way.
The day of the record attempt
Yalini said that from a very young age, Shivankh has dedicated hours to listening, humming, and practising music. She also said that the family nurtured his interest carefully, helping 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 randomised selection of the full list. He successfully identified 16 composers.
‘Let their uniqueness unfold naturally’: Yalini
Shivankh’s mother recognised the family’s role in supporting and nurturing his talent, but emphasised that the talent must come naturally, not be forced.
“Every child has a world inside them. Sometimes you just have to pause long enough to see it. Listen more, compare less, and let their uniqueness unfold naturally,” Yalini said.
She shared that the family provided Shivankh with structure and practice for the official record attempt to help ensure that he could demonstrate his abilities under formal conditions.