When Jacqueline du Pré was four years old, she heard a pleasing sound on the radio. She later explained, “I liked it so much that I asked my mother to get me the thing that made that sound.” Without hesitation, Iris du Pré bought her daughter a full-size cello, one so large that Jackie had to stand and wrap her arms around the instrument’s body to play it. Most biographies of musical prodigies begin with such precocious anecdotes. These would be forgettable stories were they not, in hindsight, early evidence of artistic genius—if, for example, Jacqueline hadn’t become one of the greatest cellists in the world, . This story is from Kinfolk Issue Twenty-Four Buy Now Related Stories Music Issue 50 Caroline Polachek The slow burn superstar. Music Issue 50 Odd Jobs Molly Lewis, professional whistler. Music Issue 50 Behind the Scenes Film composer Emile Mosseri on the art of setting music to film. Music Issue 49 Tove Lo The pop star reflects on the big feelings behind her biggest hits. Arts & Culture Issue 49 Karin Mamma Andersson Inside the moody, mysterious world of Sweden’s preeminent painter. Arts & Culture Issue 49 Mass Destruction “Artists are often left baffled by the fact that they have millions of monthly streams, yet only a couple of thousand followers on social media.”
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