Creativity and Music Flashcards
What aspects of music require creativity?
Improvisation
Variations in performance
Producing a score/composing
Listening
Recording music in a studio
What sort of music involves improvisation?
Jazz
Blues
Folk
How can performances of music be creative?
Performers can emphasise certain features of the music
People will vary in their expressive aspects of performance
People will interpret scores differently
May deviate from the score a bit or change the tempo/rhythm up slightly
What is Simonton’s (1980) originality test about?
Identifying a piece of music as being original
Outline Simonton’s (1980) study on the originality test
Looked at 10 major composers and systematically analysed their melodic originality
Also looked at biographical stress - stress due to life events, mental health etc.
What did Simonton (1980) find in his originality test?
The most famous themes had the most unusual combinations of notes
The most famous themes were the most original - they stood out for being distinctive because people hadn’t thought of those combinations before
Periods of biographical stress were associated with producing highly original work - inspired to think of unusual combinations by having problems in life
Originality tailed off towards the ends of composers lives. They pass a point where they run out of ideas. Get less inspired, or more complacent, as they get older
What themes were more famous in Simonton’s (1980) originality test?
Concert/instrumental themes and orchestral works - large scale works were most famous
Not vocal or choral works - these were not very famous
What themes were more original in Simonton’s (1980) originality test?
Chamber/choral themes were more original than larger scale works
What is the Swan Song phenomenon?
The dying composer goes out with a bang - produces great work towards the end of their career
What does the idea of the Swan Song conflict with?
The idea that originality tails off towards the end of composers lives
What did Porter & Suedfeld (1981) find about novelists and originality?
There was a decline (tailing off) in originality in their last 5 years - mapped onto Simonton’s (1980) findings
Looked at letters though, not music
What did Simonton (1989) find about composers’ final works?
There was a sharp drop in originality in composers’ final works after a linear trend
How can cover artists be creative?
Some tribute bands can be creative by being authentic in their reproduction
Some re-interpreters can produce remixes or create a cross-genre adaptation. Take existing work and re-interpret them in a creative way. Might adapt them for another genre.
What genre of music has some issues with creativity and originality?
Pop music
Many pop songs are similar and have taken inspiration from other pop artists/composer’s riffs, elements, and atmosphere etc.
An example of this is Blurred Lines and Led Zeppelin
