Frank Zappa was a music genius whose IQ is said to be172...I heard this story a while back so some of the details are lost but here's the basic gist. During one of the rehearsals of Zappa's orchestral music..the conductor comes up to Zappa and says.."look, you have to change this because my players can't keep up".....it was of course a very difficult part in the piece...and Zappa looks and him and smirks and says.."HA, my rock band can do it!"Classical musicians who regularly play Beethoven(IQ 165), Mozart(IQ 165), and Bach(IQ 165).....had difficulty with Zappa's music...Not only did he write rock music, but he also composed jazz, classical, blues, disco (of course when he was making fun of it), r&b, soul, funk, punk, country, reggae, avant garde, swing, big band, bluegrass, doo wop, fusion, .....the man dabbled in every musical genre there was, and what is so amazing, is that his compositional skill was so advanced beyond anyone around that time in his genre, that he was able to be completely proficient in all those different styles. That comes from having a great musical ear...and Zappa's ear was impeccable. The man composed large scale, complex, sophisticated works for full orchestra.....you have to have a great ear and high IQ to do that.
Frank Zappa's IQ Score
Reviewed by
frank zappa newspaper
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11:59
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Reviewed by
frank zappa newspaper
on
11:59
Rating:
I'm not impressed by IQ numbers, although I'm impressed by some of Zappa's music.
ReplyDelete"HA, my rock band can do it" is a great comeback."
Wonder what his EQ was? Not too high from what I've read about him.
DeleteHis what? Having grandchildren that left Einstein in the dust, I am not someone who cares too much about numbers. They can be helpful maybe a a jumping off point though. (And you don't need a standardized test to get a hold on someone's IQ.)
DeleteZappa would have said "fuck my IQ, who gives a fuck anyway". I am a composer who dabbles in most of those styles from bach chorales and fugues to doowop, funk, grunge, punk, the "avant garde", minimalism, pop songs, beethoven sonatas, reggae... I don't think you need a big IQ for that, bro. JUST DO THE MUSIC AND SHUT UP AND PLAY OR COMPOSE.
ReplyDeleteI write music largely due to FZ.i wrote "Threnody for Frank Zappa " for him.
DeleteMr productions " Zappa Beefheart " You are right. Zappa was doer not a poser. He would want us to do as goid or better than him.
yea.... sounds like a story to me.....A PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA could handle Zappa just as they could easily handle Stravinsky, Varese, etc or any other "Modern Composer". Sorry but Zappa's music does not reach the depth or complexity of Stravinsky.
ReplyDeleteOh, but it does. Stravinsky did not divide beats into fives and sevens. Stravinsky did not use "xenorhythms", the most complex time signature Igor used was 7/8. You need to study some of Zappa's scores, buddy.
DeleteEven though I am taken aback by the Frank jabs, I feel that you know what you are talking about. I will check out Stravinsky. thnx
DeleteTime signatures aren't complex harmony. Polyrhythms are a neat trick, that's all.
DeleteHey Professional Orchestra. Check out the complexity of my balls. :-) ZAPPA LIVES ON.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
Delete:) comment of the day +1 anonymous
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Zappa is being debated here, says it all. THE GUY RULED.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteWhat unknown said, THE GUY RULED! Read the book, THE REAL FRANK ZAPPA BOOK By FRANK ZAPPA With PETER OCCHIOGROSSO.
ReplyDeletePICADOR published by Pan Books
"History will be kind to Frank Zappa"
ReplyDelete-Kent Nagano - Conductor of London Symphony Orchestra
Amen!
DeleteLoved Franks Music...he was energetic...in my opinion A Genious...deffinetly off the wall...loved when he addressed congress on sensorship...RIP Frank you will not be forgotten..All the best to the Zappa Family....😉
ReplyDeleteBless him where ever he is
DeleteI heard Zappa give a speech at my university during the 1980s -- already familiar with his eclectic brand of music, I was expecting craziness. In the event, I was blown away -- it was the most erudite, precise, and intellectual talk I believe I have ever heard. I am not surprised in the least that his IQ exceeded 170 (and I might be considered a good judge, since mine is 145, and I'm now a professor at a top university). He passed too early.
ReplyDeleteZappa's IQ higher than JS Bach? Yeah sure.
ReplyDeleteYou've got to be kidding. Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach had the exact same IQ? And you can tell this even though there are no records of their scores on any academic tests? (Much less an IQ test, which wasn't invented till the 1900s.) Undocumented anecdote proves nothing. "Every musical genre" - sure.
ReplyDeleteI admit I only have a dozen Zappa CDs, which is a small part of his massive corpus. And I only have an undergraduate music degree. But nothing about Frank indicates an IQ of 172.
An academic IQ test has only been available in the past 60+years (sorry, i am not sure when the standardized tests first started). I see that you are afraid to use your real name in this forum. You are referred to a Aninymous.
DeleteListen to more of his CDs .Then go listen to him answer questions from the US Govt about censoring Rock and Roll lyrics..Especially his exchange with Tipper Gore. He is brilliant and very much missed..
ReplyDeletego listen to the 1000's of interviews with him on Youtube....down through the decades
ReplyDeletehe was the shiniest penny in the jar.
His dad was a biochemist for the usa military , he had a high iq ,and probably genetically passed down.
ReplyDeleteRam it ram it ram it ram it up your poopshute..........
ReplyDeleteProbably never took an iq test. All urban legend but I would guess him in the 140 range
ReplyDeleteHated mathematics is a rosor.
ReplyDelete