Historical phases in the definition of musicality.

Abstract

After discussing the relationship between concepts of musicality and historical time, this paper proposes a new avenue for investigating musicality in all its manifestations. Research on musicality has been conducted over two centuries, and it is possible to divide this time period into three phases. Those phases can be distinguished by the approaches taken to understand and measure musicality. 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. The varying definitions of musicality are explicated, and their relationship to the musical culture and aesthetics of the time are addressed. 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.