To my knowledge this detailed work is the first of its kind. In 1805 Michaelis published a treatise entitled Uber die Priifung der musikalischen Fahigkeiten (About the Assessment of Musical Abilities). As a philosopher and teacher at the University of Leipzig in Germany he extensively studied the aesthetics of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Three Phases of Research on Musicality Phenomenological Approaches as a First Phase One of the first authors to describe the characteristics of musical talent is Christian Friedrich Michaelis (1770-1834). Historical Phases in the Definition of "Musicality." Musical meaning approach Stefani (1987)įigure 1. Phenomenological approach Michaelis Billroth (1805) (1895) Those phenomenological descriptions with their categories and criteria could be used to evaluate musical abilities. Finally, I will recommend the development of descriptions of musical abilities that are based on the analysis of different cultures and styles. This link has been lost mostly in psychometric testing and should be reestablished. ![]() Second, I will argue that research on musical abilities needs a concrete link to music and the aesthetic value system in order to make valid and relevant statements about musical abilities. There are three distinguishable phases that include an earlier phenomenological approach, a psychometric approach dating from the first part of this century, and most recently a "musical meaning" approach. First, I will present some examples spanning the last 200 years that show how the definition of musical ability has always been related to the prevailing concepts of music and musical aesthetics, and when those changed, so did the concept of musical ability. The purpose of the present paper is threefold. A third phase seems to have emerged between 19 (Figure 1). The second period starts in the second decade of this century and continues to the present time. The main period of the first phase extends from around 1800 to 1910/1920. The different and sometimes controversial definitions of musicality can be broadly assigned to three phases of research that are not always well-delineated and may even overlap. A review of the literature regarding musical ability or talent indicates that definitions of musicality have changed from the early writings to today. In the conclusion, the author suggests that to arrive at valid definitions and conceptualizations of musicality, a descriptive phenomenology of musical abilities needs to be developed and it should be derived from an analysis of the different manifestations of musicality in various musical styles and genres. ![]() The varying definitions of musicality are explicated, and their relationship to the musical culture and aesthetics of the time are addressed. The first phase (1800 to 1910/1920) is characterized by a phenomenological approach, the second one (1920s to today) by a psychometric approach, and the last one to emerge (1980s to today) is concerned with musical meaning. Those phases can be distinguished by the approaches taken to understand and measure musicality. Research on musicality has been conducted over two centuries, and it is possible to divide this time period into three phases. HISTORICAL PHASES IN THE DEFINITION OF MUSICALITY Heiner Gembris Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany After discussing the relationship between concepts of musicality and historical time, this paper proposes a new avenue for investigating musicality in all its manifestations. Psychomusicology, 16,17-25 © 1997 Psychomusicology
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |