Throughout history, it actually wasn't a secret to the great minds. Many artists, intellectuals, writers, mathematicians, and scientists shared this one unique ability and it can be traced all the way back to antiquity. Most people view this once secret as more a recreational activity or pleasing way to pass the time. Though it certainly can be those things, it is actually much more.
What many of the great minds and geniuses throughout history shared was the ability to play a musical instrument and the ability to read music. Today, music is seen as either a hobby for amateurs or a career for professional musicians. It can also be these things, but the gray area of this topic is what I will discuss in this article and how it affects the development of intelligence. I will begin by introducing several geniuses throughout history that have lived productive lives and contributed greatly to society because of their mind. The people in this article are not known as musicians, but you will know them by the names and the legacy that their names render.
The Father of Science, Galileo, played a major role in the scientific revolution and supported the idea that the earth revolved around the sun. Considered forever to be a genius, music played a central role in Galileo's development. Music lead him to many important discoveries in new physics that still hold true today.
One of the greatest minds of all time, and the original "Renaissance Man," Leonardo Da Vinci was centuries ahead of his time with his futuristic inventions, and timeless with his epic paintings such as "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." Some of his inventions were never built until many years after his death. His imagination was just too far ahead of the technical capabilities of his time. Leonardo also had a talent for music during his early development years as an apprentice. He sang and played several musical instruments. It is considered that music was only second to painting in his artistic abilities.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, practiced the violin three hours a day. He was the founder of what later become known as Jeffersonian Democracy, a political philosophy. He was chosen as the author of The Declaration of Independence because he was known as a fine writer with an incredible command of the language. He was a proficient violinist and had an extensive catalog of sheet music. Jefferson called music "this favorite passion of my soul."
Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist whose discovery of the theory of relativity sparked a revolution in physics and changed the world of science forever. Besides being a Nobel Prize winner in physics, Einstein was also an excellent violinist and pianist. Many of his theories were developed while striking chords at the piano and playing the melodies of Mozart. Einstein said that “Life without playing music is inconceivable for me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…I get most joy in life out of music.”
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