Elvis Presley 1973

Musical prodigies are most often associated with classical music, but by definition, such prodigies are natural talents and not restricted to one musical genre. Musical prodigies usually have several of the following characteristics: exceptional talent and/or interest in music at an early age; the ability to identify the specific pitch of sounds, i.e., perfect pitch, also known as a natural ear for music, or a good ear; ability to play by ear and/or to improvise; long-term memory for elements of music - melody, harmony, rhythm, time, and/or lyrics; and creative performance abilities (emotional and/or dynamic delivery, improvisation). 'The one element that truly defines a musical prodigy is the ability to create a performance dynamic with the audience that is captivating and, at times, overwhelming'.

As discussed above, Elvis Presley's musical talent clearly encompassed al of these characteristics and more.

Elvis Presley was a genius. He didn't express himself the way the middle classes do, which is with word play and being able to explain his actions and reactions. He acted on gut instinct and expressed himself by the way he held the microphone, by the way he moved his hips, by the way that he sang down the microphone.

That was his genius ... I believe the essence of any performer is gut instinct ... Because it's in everyone, it's instinct. That's what Elvis Presley's about ... and Elvis Presley could say more in a single performance of somebody else's song than anyone could say in an entire book.

Elvis won three Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy for the Recording Arts and Sciences

And this is the thing about Rock 'N' Roll music, this is what music has that makes it better than all that: It is instinctive ... And isn't that the way it should be? Elvis had the wisdom that makes wise men look foolish.

Presley's talent as a musical artist was double barrelled and more; he was an exceptional vocalist and a unique stage performer with instinctive, natural ability in both areas. It appears from available recollections that Presley was born with a love of music.

Elvis Presley's voice was extraordinary for its quality, range, and power. Although he burst onto the American stage singing rock 'n' roll, Presley's powerfully gospel songs and ballads were his personal favourites (He won three Grammy Awards for recordings of sacred songs). The quality of his voice is most often described as soulful. It had an 'aching sincerity ... and an indefinable quality of yearning ... virtually impossible to pigeon hole'

Elvis Presley's three-octave vocal range was exceptional, 'very narrowly al at once a tenor, baritone, and bass'. A 1987 article in the Village Voice included an assessment of his voice in classical terms, categorizing it as a 'lyric baritone ... [but with] unexpectedly rich low [notes] ... and astounding high notes'. It also discussed the power of Presley's voice, which it termed 'microphone singing', while also noting that it was 'hard to think of an opera singer who could match it' According to Jerry Leiber, 'He had an incredible, attractive, instrument that worked in many registers. He could falsetto like Little Richard. He could sing. The equipment was outstanding ... His sense of timing and rhythm was second to none'. Elvis was 'the master of a wide and diverse range of vocal styling's and ventriloquistic effects, from the clear tenor of his country-western heroes (Roy Acuff, Eddy Arnold, Jimmie Rodgers) to the exaggerated vibrato of the gospel singers he loved (Jake Hess, J. D. Sumner)'

The following assessment comes from Myrna Smith, member of the vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, who performed with Presley for a number of years during the last phase of his career. Smith has also performed with Aretha Franklin and other exceptional vocalists.

'When Elvis was in true form, he was fabulous. He had so much energy.His voice was a lot more remarkable than it ever came of on record, and his vocal pitch was much better than it came of on record. He was just a much better singer than could ever be captured. There are a lot of singers like that: You can't capture truly what they sound like. Some great singers' voices are just too big. Elvis was like that'.

New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa about the greatest voice she'd ever heard, probably expecting her to name Luciano Pavarotti or Maria Callas, but she said: 'The young Elvis Presley, without any doubt'.