FIDRIDA STATE UNIVEXSITH

A STUDY OF TKE RELATIVE IIVLeWCE OF HRFBDXTY

ANT.) E W I R O " E ' OW A CAREEFl IET MUSIC

A Paper Submitted to the--Graduate Council of Florida State University i n partial fulfi l lment of the requirements f o r the degree of Master of Music Education.

Approveled : Professor Directing Paper

The writer wiahea to express h i s iieep appreoi-

ation to Dr. Robert L. Briggs for his capable guidance

and aimaction i n the preparation of this paper.

ii

Page dcnioP.TLEDm ............................... ii

7

L;TST OF TAB= ............................... iv

Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ......................... 1

The Problem Need for the Study Purpose of the Study Definition of Terms

XI. T m m1cAJ.I PERSONALI'PP .............. The Natura of Mtlsioalitg Inherited Traits The Effects of Nurture Previoua Studies of Musical Pedigrees

.................. 111. TEE GIITED HOSICIAN 15 Development of %he Questionnaire Administration of the Questionnaire Presentation of the Data Interpretation of the Data

IT. SDMMaRY BND coBcLosIo~ .............. 25

Summary

Suggeetions for Further Stuay C O n C l U S i Q n s

APPmDxx ..................................... 28

BIBLCOQIAPHP ................................. 33

ISST OF TABLES

Table page

1. Olaasirication or Musicians ............ 18 2. krly Training of 46 Sucoassfml

MUSicias .............................. 18

3. Opiniona or 46 Musicians as to the Relative Importance of Haredity an8 Environment in Term of Eventual Success i n Music! ....................... 19 The Importance or Heredity or Emiron- ment to the Suocees of 46 Musicians .... 20

The Degree of Musioality of the spouses or 40 sltcceasfpll Musicians as Relatotl to the Musicality of their 56 Offspring ..................... 21

4.

5.

ir

The Problem

An astonishing discovery was made near the end

of the nineteenth century by three biologis ts norking

independently on problem of heredity. The discovery

was not the resul t of t h e i r expmrimntation, bu t of the

works of an Austrtrian monk named Gregor Medeadel. Mendel's

work had been published i n an obscure sc i en t i f io journal

i n 1866 and m s brought t o l ight in 1900.

Mendel had experimented with the crossbreeding

of di f fe ren t colored garden peas and diacovered t ha t

when red and w h i t e peas were mated cer ta in Intangible

faetors , which he called nelements,n determined whether

the offspring would be red or white. The "elements"

produced consistent r a t io s between the colore, not only

for one offspring b u t in successive generations. These

rules for hereditary transmission became known a8 Mendelts

lam.

Scient i s t s the world over continued the work of

The theory of heredity waa developed according Mendel.

t o ngenesn an8 nohromosomes,n t e r m that replaced 3hndelts

"elements. " 1

2

A h-n germ c e l l contains 24 pairs of chromosomes, eaOh made up of probably thousands of genes. When a male sperm and a female ovum w i t e a t the time of conception, each releases one of each of its chromo- some pairs, which then combine in the ce l l nucleus bf the new individual formed ana thus determine h i s whole physioal heritage .1

Every person enters the worlit wlth cer ta in heredi-

t a ry charaoterist'ics transmittea through h i s parents' germ

plasm, i t s e l f the product of a long l ine of ancestors.

wPhysically, we i nhe r i t the oolor of our eyes, hair, and

skln, shape of skull, a tendency t o be short o r t o be t a l l ,

and same form of baldnessow* &st authori t ies agree that

the degree of intalligenoe one possesses is inherited.

They s t a t e that certain s k i l l a aut

shorthand, or piano playing a ~ e nc

possess aa tura l capacities for let

through the inheritance of quiek 1

dexterity, and a degree of intell:

herited, while a b i l i t y is aaquirec

ty.nj

Environment m y be definei

murkdings and cirollmstances ia wh:

. The material and social conditiom I

k. Stansfeld Sargent, Th4 Great ParcholoRists (Philadelphia: B l a kiston & C 0.s 19441 I P. 60 0

2Itrid.

3&x Schoen, The PSYChQlORY Of &#io (New York: The

4nEnviromnt,w - Webs1

Ronald Press Go., 19431, p. 1'-

Irna t i ona l D i t t ion- 2a ea.

3 1 The question is often hsked a s t o whether a

ticular oharacteriatic o r s k i l l is due t o heredity I

environment. The a n m r must always be that it is d

both.

During every l iv ing mment every person is the product of his heredity and his environment. Alwayr the twv forces interact. A t the moment of conceptic when genes from the father and mther unite, heredj i a determined. From tha t instant , a t e v e r shapes c individual is environment.1

The interdependence oilnature and nurture preaents

a d i f f iou l t pmble0 t o the eci A ntist. He cannot, by study-

ing an individual direct ly , learn whether heredity or en- vironment mainly determines hi$ hair color, his personality,

or h i s musical ab i l i t y . Howevek, he can measure the mr

o r physical character is t ics o f , s eve ra l persons and not

differences between them. By c&fully studying t h e i r an-

ces t r a l and environmental back&vunds it is possible t o indicate whether heredity o r environment is the more power-

f u l determiner of these differences.

Psychologists, aociolo$ists and edecator8 have long

debated theories regarding the re la t ive influencea of he-

redity and environment on intell igence and special ab i l i -

ties. There is much scientific1eviaence supporting the

hypothesis Qf iaherltance or b 4 t h mental level and special

a b i l i t i e s , bu t a l l authori t ies are not in agreement with

t h i s belief. The Iowa Child Welfare Research Station affirms

tha t a l l intell igence levela a re the resu l t of environment.

I

kargen t , 9. cit., p. 61.

4

Aceording t o Doctor Wellman, who holds the most extreme

view so f a r promulgated i n regard t o the e f fec t of en-

vironment on intelligence, wNormal children may be made

feeble-minded and feeble-minded children m y be made

geniuses i f the environments are such t o produce these

amazing changes. w l

Wellmanls resu l t s are based upon t e s t s of children

in the nursery school of the Unfversity of Iowa and upon

tests of children i n child-caring inst i tut ions. TO sub-

s tan t ia te t h i s theory authori t ies s t a t e that the period

of most rapid growth of the brain is from infamy t o f ive

years of age. Those who maintain tha t environment is the

sole determiner contend tha t nurture has the greatest

effect dur ing t h i s period o r rapid growth.

Contrary t o Wellmanla findings, Arlltt draws the

following conclusions from s tudies pertaining t o the in-

heritance of mental traits and speoial ab i l i t i e s :

1. Grades of a b i l i t y appear to be inher i ted, but not t o the same degree by a l l the descendants of a stock. Children from highly in te l l igent parents tend t o be in te l l igent also, but one cannot predict the in- tel l igence of the children of a family accurately even though the intell igence leve l of the parents is known.

but , here again, the degree t o which these w i l l appear cannot be predicted from the egree to which they have

2. Special a b i l i t i e s also appear t o be transmitted,

app-3a~8d i n the parent stock. $

1Aaa Hart Arlitt, PsycholonY of I I L P ~ ~ O Y and a r l y Childhood (New York: MaOraw-Hill C 0 . 9 19461 , P- 21.

5 mea for the stuax

The a b i l i t y t o recognize and develop mwical t a l -

en t is dependent upon an Mderstaading of the natura of

musical inheritance and the e f fec t Of a favorable O f un- favorable environmdllt. Capacity f o r music is a glft be-

stowed by nature upon different persons very uueqytlly.

There are the extremes of masical genius on the one hand,

and no t a l e n t a t a l l on the other, with all the 8 e ~ e s

of musicality between these fa0 extremes.

cavery of superior t a l en t ie an important snecess factor ,

f o r it enables the child t o choose his vocation a t an age

when he can devote h i s most receptive pars t o musio stndy.

It is not d i f f ion l t t o discover musical t a l en t in children.

Those w i t h musical abil i t ies almost always display them ear ly in life, usllally between the 8ecbnd and sixth years. melodies a f t e r hearing them a few times, ana are found constantly h y i n Q them over t o themselves almost un- consciously.

One of the problems facing m s i c teachers is that

An early ais-

Musical children soon piok up airs an4

of meeting the aee8s of the musically gifted ohild.

s tudy of the cMldl% musioal background, both parental an8

A

environmental, mag indioate the childts potent ia l suoceas

as a musician.

Purpose of t h e Stadz

The purpose of this study is (1) t o obtain def in i te

information In regard t o the theory that musical capacity

IR. Rlzggles Gates, Peaiwees of Rem0 Families (Philadelphia: The Blakiston Go., 19491, pp. 158 -15 9

6 is inherited; ( 2 ) t o determine whether or not a

environment is necessary i n the ear ly musical t r

an aceomplished musician; (3) t o indicate t

ear ly musical t ra ining on a sncceesful care

Definition o f Terms

The following definit ions of terms

music w i l l be used i n t h i s study:

Abili tz. Power, inherited or aoquf

any act.

Aptitude. Ease and pleasure with rn

Implies a considera i n some special f ie ld .

factor.

Cauacitg;. Similar t o abi l i ty . Cap

means unasvelopea power ana is therefore l a

Under t ra ining it become abi l i ty .

BItisicalifp. A comprehensive view 0

musical personality, ineluding faotors whio

and others which are aqtzbed OD. the basis o

Talent. Natural or aoquired abi l i t

CHAPPER I1

"E MUSICAL PEFISOHALITY

The Nature of Musicality

The term musicality implies a comprehensive view

of the complete musical personality, including faators

which are inherited and others which are aoquired on the

basis of experisnoe. It includes allied characteristics

necessary to the successful accomplishment of the musical

situation whether it be creating, performing, o r mrely

listening.

considerations in this picture.

rhythm discrimination and in retention of a tonal situ-

ation are also important.

Temperament and muscular dexterity alike are

Ability in pitch and

The methods used in gathering Information regard-

ing the nature of musiaality include (1) observationi

by psyohologists and mUSiCOlQgiStS, ( 2 ) case studiea

musioal prodigies, and (3) genetia studies of musica:

families.

Investigators differ as to the number and im-

portance O f certain faa'tors which determine musiaality.

Conducting an extensive survey of musical ability Haeaksr

and Ziohen, German psychologists, obtained some important

data as to the factors of musicality and of the relationship 7

8 between them. They list f iw factors or components i n

msioianship:

(1) SSnSOrJ l (2) re tent ive (41 =tor, and 15) ideational. ponent consists of aena i t iv i ty of pitch, intensity, and d u r a t component there function memor: intensi ty , duration, tonal SUCI combinations. Feeling fo r the music, melody, motif and theme s i t i ona l factor. The motor coi of vocal o r instrumental reprot heard, and the ideational compr richness of ideas of a nontona: tonal forms.1

I n a s h i l a r s tudy of the

, ( 3 ) C O J l l p O S i t i O M l , The sensory com-

and discrimination Eon. In the retentive

f o r pitch, timbre, DeSSiO118, and tonal formal elements of , consti tutes the compo-

nponent is the power luction of what i s merit refers t o th6 1 nature stimulated by

Paotors of musiaality

Mjoen ranked the d i f fe ren t components in th i s order:

"Composing, absolute pitoh, playing by ear, Improvising

second voice, singing second voice, repeating melody,

good memory for melody, good sense of rhrthm, and good

feel ing for intonation.w2

Summing up t h e i r study of the nature of musicality

Haecker and Z i c b n give a l ist of symptons f o r the pi

em6 of mnaical capaeity. These are:

Inellnation t o a great deal of singing in e a r l i e s t i n f ~ c g ; early partioipation fn singing; early correct reproduction and imitation of a sung malody; ea r ly correct reproduction of played melodies i n correct intonation and staying on key till the end; ear ly co- r ec t singing of a aecond voice; early a b i l i t y t o SUS t a i n a melody i n par t singing; ear ly transposition 0 a melody; ear ly a b i l i t y t o reproduce a heard melody upon an instrument; ear ly a b i l i t y t o r e t a in and play by memory pieoes heard b u t once or seldom; early recog- nit ion of intervals or melodies; ear ly improvisation

- ISohoen, OD. oit., p. 155.

9 on the piano o r any other instrument; ear ly reoog- n i t ion of f a l se intonation; ear ly discrimination of tonal quality; ear ly a b i l i t y t o keep Correct t b ; early imitation of complex rhythms; ear ly manifes- t a t ion of musical preferences.1

Inherited Traits

ExtensPve ef for t s have been made t o measure the

inheritanos of mental traits such as human intelligenoe

and speoial ab i l i t i e s . I n h i s investigations of the in-

heritance of mnaioal a b i l i t i e s Seashore has isolated the

omponents of musical aptitude as follows: (1) pitch,

(2) t h e , (3 ) intensity, (4) harmny, ( 5 ) rhythm and

( 6 ) tonal memory. For each of these nsensesn he devised

a tes t t o discover the extent t o which they nlight bo

Inherited i n persons, and t o what extent they might be

oultivated. T h o u g h the use of these and other masioal

t e s t a (Drake, Whistler-Thorpe and others) on many thou-

sands of individuals in the United States and other

oountries cer ta in conclusions have been reaohed:

1. The primary senses mquired f o r musioal apt i - tude do have a consti tutional basis.

2. Each %ensen may be present independently of the others. pi tch, and l i t t l e sense of harmony.)

3. Training can develop any of these senses odly t o the degree tha t the capacity is inherent i n the individual .

4. By the time a child is 10, his o r her musical performance can be clear ly determined, and a t 16 an individual is musioa l ly

5. The musical apti tuaes mag be unrelated t o in- telligence: a h ighly in t e l l i gen t person may be almost devoid of musicality, whereas a ni twit may be highly musical (there being many cases of morons who are

(A pereon may have a keen sense of

l I b i d -* 9 PP. 156-157.

10

qui te good musicians.) However, for the mximtlm development of musical capacity, and success i n study- ing and pursuing music as a career, mare than ordinary intell igence may be required.1

One of the senses given moat study is that of

pitoh, and espeoially of i t a highest form, "absolute*

pitch.

As an example of how a spec i f ic faotor may be traced i n the study of heredity, absolute pi tch I s a specifio fac tor sui table for sc i en t i f i c measurement. It may occur i n vast ly d i f f e ren t degrees, ranging from the a b i l i t y t o name any note sounded on the piano t o the a b i l i t y t o recognize a deviation of one vibration from international pitch without reference t o any mean8 of comparison.2

Fromthe findings of the various tests fo r musical

aptitude it may be assumed that there are basic inherent

components found i n each person which mag govern the ex-

t en t t o whioh musioal t a l en t can be developed.

The Effects of Nurture

The degree of achievement attained a f t e r hereditary

factors are measured is usually influenced by circumstances

of fortune or misfortune i n environment. A favorable en-

vironment obviously i s essent ia l for the development of

t a len t .

by the amall peroentage of mmen found among the great

virtuosi .

of women from the topmost ranks of the composers.

The importance of nurture m y b e s t be demonstrated

Even more surprising i s the almost t o t a l absence

This

l k a m Soheinfeld, The Hew You and Heredi tx (Phila- delphia: J. B. Lippincott Go., 1950) $ P. 359.

* C a r l E. Seashore, In Search of Beauty i n Music (New York: The Ronald Press Go., 19471, p. 257.

11

certainly cannot be because women inherit any l e s s t a l en t

po ten t ia l i ty than do men.

a m must be carried a t l ea s t equal ly by women.

nation undoubtedly is that women never had, and s t i l l do

not ham, the same opportunity t o develop the i r t a l en t s as

men are accorded.

a m represented equally with men, is there no such discrimi-

nation, although for talented singers of both sexes the

veto pomr of environment appears t o be greater than for

instrumentalists.

Whatever genes for t a l en t them

One expla-

Only i n the vocal field, where women

Sheinfeld s ta tes : "There is general agreement that

the amount of musical achievement in any human group--

r ac i a l , national, soc i a l o r however classified-ia nowbere

near what it aonld be if a l l those with talent were able

t o develop it properly."l ~bbll0Whg the samd l i ne Of

thought Moishs Menuhin, father of v io l in i s t Yehndi bhahin,

once said, "1 8m sure t ha t there a re many other young men

now nobodies who might have become as mat an a r t i s t as my

son i f t he i r t a l en t s had been immediately reCOgniZed by

t he i r parents and they had been given equal opportunities

f o r t ra ining ana development .n2

A fac tor of utmost importance i n the development

of an accomplished musician is proper motivation f o r serious

study. Walter Hendl, conductor of the Dallaa Symphony

1 2

Orchestra, ranks w i l l pomr and determination t0 succeed

a8 being more important than e i the r hereditary o r eWiron- mental factors.

Many a potential musician falls by the wayside because of the lack of suff ic ient w i l l power t o sub- mit t o the grueling discipline demanded for ar t i s t ic perfection. The lives of composers and a r t i s t s supply ample evidence of the numerous d i f f i cu l t i e s and obsta- c les t h a t are enoountered by those who wish t o serve the cauae of a r t , and it s only the s terneat and boldest that can survive. f

It niay be concluded that soc ia l and cul tural Sur-

roundings, training, equipment and other environn!ental

fac tors tend t o l i m i t or extend the development of the

musfcal personality. Furthermore, these forces of en- vironment appear t o govern ths degree t o which t a l en t may

be expmssed.

Previous Studies o r Musical Pedigrees

Hmeroua s tudies have been made of! the appearance

of muaicality in family groupe. Feie has assembled the

genealogies of 28 musical families whiah i l l u s t r a t e the

concentration of talent within the l i ne o r aesaent. Par- haps the most fcumaas pedigree f o r this purpose is that or

the &ah family.

In s ix generations there have been, besides J O m Sebastian Bach himself, 29 professional musicians, 16 others who were aomposers, 2 known t o have musical a b i l i t y but who were not professional, ana 7 who are not known t o have had any special musical gifta.

Liszt , Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Weber, eaeh through three or more generations and eaoh including

Similar pedigrees have been assembled for Mozart,

bchoen, OD. cit., p. 166.

13 many more musicians than the general population could boast .1

Data of a more speoi f io kind ham been obtained

by tha extensive use of the questionnaire method by Haeker

and Zichen.

members with respeot t o such a b i l i t i e s a s the ease with

which they could hear mistakes, the ease with which they

could aing baok a melody, t h e i r capaaity for singing and

improvising a seaond part, eta. On the baeria of the m-

terial gathered the various individuals ram rated as

(1) extremely musical, (2) very musioal, (3) musical,

(4) somewhat mueical, and (5) very unmusical.

695 families were investigated by th i s method.

the mast noteworthy resu l t s vmre a s follom:

Family groups mre asked t o report on the i r

In a l l ,

Some of

1. If ehildren aome from parents both of whom are

2. If both parents are unmusical there nil1 s t i l l

musical they w i l l always be musical unless there is low musicality aPmong the grandparents.

be mor0 musical than unmusical offspring unless a l l the grandparents are unmusical, i n which case the majority of the offspring w i l l be anmusical,

the children w i l l be in the highest category.

the offspring w i l l be i n the tmo l o m e t oategories.

3. If both parents are of low musicality none of

4. If both parents are extremely musical none o$

Mjoen has dram the following conclusions on the

point of the inheritanoe of ta lent :

Untalented parents never haw very talented ahil-

The higher the average of t a l en t i n the dren, while very talented parernts never have untalent- eU children.

lA. Franklin Shull , Heredit (New York: McGraw-Hi11 Book Co., Ino., 19381, pp. + 2 5- 86.

2Jamea A. MurSSll, The PSYChQlORY of music (New York: W. W. Norton iE Co,, Inc., 19371, p. 334.

14

parents, the gher is a lso the average of t a l en t in the children. Bi

Conducted by Stanton a jo in t inveatigation of in-

herited musical t a l en t was made by the Department of Ge-

netics i n the Carnegie Ins t i tu t ion , Washington, D. 0. ana

the Department of Psychology a t the University of Iowa.

Six of Amerioals foremst musicians were salectsd on the

besia of the i r standing and peak among musicians.

one was interviewed, musical case h is tor ies were written,

and nunamus measurements were made. Tentative ooncluaiona

from theso studies a re a s fdllovm:

Eaoh

1. Musical paren- from mtlsiO&l atock on one o r

2. Nonmusical parents f r o m nomusioal stock tend

3. Parents, one of whom is maaioal from musical

both sides tend t o have musical children.

ta have nonmusical children.

stock, t he o$her of whom i s nonmusical from nonmusical stock, tend t o have both musical and nonmusical children.

4. The method or inheritance of each oapacity is too complex t o be known from the da ta a t band, b u t there is indication that ths inheritance of musical capacities seems t o follow Mendelian prinaipals.2

D.veLoDlll ent of t h e euest iol&&g

In the belief that many uncertainties conoerning

the t rad i t iona l argument of "nature verses nurturem could

be clarified by analySbvig t h e muaioal baokgrounds of out-

standing masicians, a questionnaire was developed and

sent t o a large number of auooessful muaicians throughout

the aountry.

information: the age a t whioh h i s or her s t u d y of musia

began, the age when study f o r a oareer in music m a begun,

conditions uuder which the study was done, age men the

professional debut we8 made, personal opinion as t o the

relative importance o r heredity and environment on a

musical oareer, and the inoldenas of musloal t a l en t in

grandparents, parents, spouse, and children.

T h i s questionnaire asked f o r the following

The questionnaire method i n t h i s type of study

is somewhat limited in t ha t there are varying opinions

i n regard t o the rating soale used r o r measuring musical

t a l en t i n each family. In addition, the r e p l i e s coneem-

ing the r e l a t ive importance of a high musical capacity

an8 a favorable environment f o r music s t u d y are influenoed

by the musicians' pereonal baokgronnds. However, t h i s is

15

1 6 t o be deaired since the purpose Of this questionnaire

we8 t o obtain information relative t o the ear ly t ra in-

ing o r a successful musician based on h i s o m ooncep-

t i on of musical development, ra ther than attempting t o

r e l y upon the impaasive laws of heredity and enviroament.

The follotping symbols were used in ra t ing the

various degrees of musicianship i n family groups:

1. -.--Concert a r t i s t (or tb equivalent i n composition or conducting. )

2. ifO.--Professional (one rlhoae primary sourem

of income is i n the f i e l d of music. 1 3. =.--Semi-professional (one mose iicoma

derived in part from the f i e ld of music.

4. f.--Amataw.

5 . &--Some degrae of ta lent .

6. &.--No t a l en t expressed.

is

In sunmation, the questionnaire used i n acquiring

informartun from established musicians m a formaiaimd t o

ascer ta in (1) family background in music; (2) ear ly

musical enviroment; ( 3 ) peraona opinion of the re la t ive

inilusnce of heredity ana environment on a career i n

music.

A copy of the queatioanaire and aacompmying

l e t t e r may be found in the appendix.

17 Administration of the Questionnaire

The questionnaire m a sent in June, 1951 t o

ninety-seven suocessful masicians i n the Unitad States ,

two in Mexico and one in Cuba. The l ist of musicians

and t h e i r addresses was obtained f r o m the book, “Who

is Who i n Music,” 1951 edition.’ of the t o t a l of one

hundred musicians seleetea a t random, 10 are best kncm

aa singers, 25 play s t r ing instruments, 6 are pianiats,

2 play woodwind instruments, 28 are conductors, 5 play

brass instruments, 22 are aompoaers, and 2 are i n the

f i e l d of musicology.

-

-tion of t h e Data Party-six repliea were received of the t o t a l of

Eight other question- one hundred questiomairea aent.

naires weme returned unanswered by secretar ies o r agents,

with the explanation that the artist m a on tour and

unavailable a t the time. In addition, s ix letters were

returned due to a change of a d d r e ~ s , making a t o t a l of

s ix ty questionnaires accounted for.

answering the questionnaire may be found in the appendix.

Of the forty-;six questionnaires returned, 5 were

A l is t of the subjeota

from singers, 13 from string players, 2 from pianis ts ,

2 from modwind playera, 13 from conduotors, 3 from

brass players, and 8 from composera. Divided i n to mre

general c lass i f icat ions they may be grouped as follows:

1j. T. wze (ea.), who is Who i n Music (Chicago: Sterling Publishing Go., 1931)

18

TABLE I CLASSIJXCATIOH OF MUSICIANS

Group Humbar

Composers .................. 8

ConUtlctors ................. 13

Singers .................... 5 ........... 20 Instrnmsntaliats -

Totdl ................ 46

-.

Average age training

Average ags began study for

Average age debut was

began

a career

mad.

Table 2 presents information as to the early

trainin$ of the subjects anawering the questionnaire.

may be read as follows: Of eight oomposers submitting

anamrs, the average age tor b e g i d n g the study of music

was 7.0 parsr

It

TABLE 2

EARLY T R A m G OF 46 SUCCESSFUL fdUSICIAIBs

Composers 8

7.0

13.1

19.2

Group a d Number

7.1 8.7

Conductors Singers 13 1 5

10.2

15.2

18.5

10.8

15.4

19.6

Instr. 1 Total 20 46

10.4

14.5

13.5

17.9

19 Table 3 presents a sommarp of personal opinions

expressed as to the relative importance of heredity an8

environment in determining eventual success as a career

musician. Four (or 50

per cent) of the sight oompossrs replying favor heredity

Table 3 mag be read as follows:

No. P.C.

0 0

5 100

0

0

over environment as being %he most significant factor h

successful musicianship.

No

10

9

0 1

0 0

TABLE 3 OPINIONS OF 46 MCJSIC- AS TO TEE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF II3F;I(EDITp AND ENVIROlWXNT W

TERMS OF E"TUAL SUCCESS IET MX3IC I

Group and Number

Husicians favoring heredity

Mus i clam favoring environ- ment

Xusicians favoring both

Mnsi cians favoring neither

~~~

Composers 8

No. - 4

2

2

0 -

- '.C*

50

25

25

0 -

:ana uctors 13 - P.C.

Singers Instr. -7-T - '.C -

50

45

5

0 -

Total 46

Table 4 presents a snmmary of the inflaence of

heredity and environment on the sucaess of forty-six

20

muaieians as indiaated by a study of their personal

musical backgromds. The terms "fair," and

"poor" used i n th i s table are determined as fo l lom:

(1) good, having one (or more) parent o r grandparent

rated a8 a semi-professional or higher; ( 2 ) fafr, having one (or more) parent or grandparent rated as

kn amatear or as having some degree of talent;

( 3 ) ~)oor, having both parents and a l l grandparents

21

musical and non-mt%?iaal children are two and zero respec-

t ively.

Number

2

9 1

5 10

13

40

TABU 5

'WE DECREE OF MUSICALITY OF THE: SPOUSES OF 40 SUCCESSFUL MIJsICfANS AS

R?XLA'lXU TO THE hlUSICALITY OP TAEIR 56 OFFSPRING

Number Number

2 0

10 1

1 0

5 1

9 3 11 13

38 10

Mon-musical I Childnn Musical C h I1 d r e n I Muaicallty

Of S p O U B e B

Degroe of Musicality

ffff ....... iff ........ ff ......... f .......... mt ......... %ac ........

Total

Interpretation of the Data

one of the most Important facta brought out in

the questionnaire m a that i n almost every ease the study

of musio was begun at & extrem~ly early age. Conditiona

under which the statif ms made were favorable f o r the

majority of the mwicians.

andesirable equipment, right stated that they receiwd

poor instruction, and three were not encoaragesd by their

Ibweoer, elemn reported

22

parents t o pursue masic as a career.

that the three artists reporting l i t t l e o r no parental

encouragement came from families with no mus ica l t a l en t

expressed.

It may be noted

T b awraga age for beginning the study of musio

as a career was ertremely lor (13.5) with tha most marked

difference between groups bsing the singers (15.4) and

instrumentalists (10.4). The 8- is noted for the average

age when the professional debut was made: (singers 19.6

years and instrumentaliets 14.5 pars). The importance

of a mature voico and a longsr period needed for the

development of other physioal f a c i l i t i e s for singers

perhaps account f o r the diffbrenoe of musical maturity

betmen singers and instrumentalists.

Significant resu l t s , found i n Tables 3 and 4,

ooncerning the relat ive roles of heredity and environment

in the development of a career musician are noted a s

follows :

1. Of the nineteen mmsicians favoring heredity

89.5 per cent -re born of musiaal stock, with 50 per

cent of the nineteen having a t l e a s t one parent or grand-

parent with the rat ing of semi-professional or higher.

2. Of the twsnty-one musicians marking 1

ment 57.2 per oent had no musical parents o r gra:

14.3 per Cent had a t l e a s t one parent o r grandpa.

some degree of t a l en t , and 28.5 per cent cane i n

with a ra t ing of s.ld.gmfessiona1 or higher.

23

3. O f the fiw musicians who marked heredi

environment squally important i n terns of musical succesa,

each had good musical parentage and favorable s tudy con-

ditions.

4. The one masician who marked neither heredity

nor environment aa being the more important rated ndetermi-

nation t o succeedn the deaiding fac tor in musioal sucaess.

This aubjeet DBIW f r o m "falrn musical stock and had favor-

able oonditions for the s tudy or music.

The above results ahow tha t the musical parentage

t o influence the

of heredity and

ca l baokgromds

with non-mmioal

is imprastiaal t

forty-sir m s i c i

offsred equal op

who s ta ted tha t

equipment or a 1

Table 5

oapacity i s mare

musical. A stud oouplea where thl

rated as being p

musieal and one

th i r teen subject

them were eleven muaioal ana thirteela non-musical

children. The musitrality of the offspring of the other

sixteen married subjects also tends t o prove that where

there is the most concentration of muaioal talent i n

a family, there i s a atrongsr possibi l i ty of musicality

appearing in the offspring.

.ere sommarg

The baaltground of t h i a s tudy rewaled that t h

are varying O p ~ R i O R S among psychologist#

and educators ooncarning th8 r e l a t ive il

heredity and environment OR intelligence

ab i l i t i e s . Furthermore, i n spite of soj

supporting the hypothesis of inheritance

level and apecial capacities, some authc

tha t a l l intell igence lewls and apeoial

the result of environmental factors. FI of various tests for musieal aptitude it ysIcI v-pn

cladeil that there are basic inherent compon

in each person which may govern the extent

lausioal talent can be developed.

One of the problem faoing music ed

t ha t of meeting the neede of the musically

A study of the oh i ld t s musical background,

and environmental, may indicate his potenti

a s a musician.

The purpose of t h i s study was (1) t

defini te information i n regard t o the theor

25

26

capacity i a inherited; ( 2 ) to determine whether or not

a favorable environment is necessary i n the ear ly txain-

ing of an accomplished musioian; (3) to indicate the

e f f ec t of ear ly musical t ra ining on a successful career

i n masic.

A questionnaire WEIS developed and sent t o one

hundred suooessfu l musicians throughout the country.

Th i s questionnaim asked for the followtng information:

(1) family background i n musio, (2) personal opinion of the re la t ive influence of heredity and environment on a

career i n music, and (3) ear ly musical environment.

One signiiicant point brought out i n the question-

naire was that successful musicians, l i k e psychologists

and sociologista, also disagree on the relative importance

of heredity and environment on eventual sucoesa in

special fields.

The results of this study show t h a t ear ly an8

I n favorable t ra ining are important succeas factors.

aadition, there is considerable indication tha t a musical

parental background promtes the poss ib i l i ty of musicality

i n the offspring.

Conclusions

From the r e s u l t s of t h i s study it may be aoncluded

that both heredity and enviroament are necessary fac tors

in the development of a career musician. It is possible

t o succeed w i t h a shortage i n one factor , b u t w h a t is

lacking i n one must be supplied by the other with the

27

added ingreaients of stronger w i l l power and

t o succeed.

Since t h i s s tudy has revealed that an ear ly d i s -

covery of musical t a l en t is an Important success factor ,

it is apparent that music teachers should make use of

music apt i tude tests in conjunction with s tud ies of t 1

c h i l d r e n ~ s parental and environmental backgrounds i n c

t o give the musically gif ted child an opportunity t o 1

t ra ining for a earner during h i s most recept im years,

Sugmstiona for Further Study

It is suggested tha t a more detailed study of

nature be conducted, including the administration of 1

aptitude tests t o the oflapring of sucaessful musieiatta.

Th i s method would give a more accurate indication 0

inheritance of musical capacity. The questionnaire

i n t h i s s tudy was limited t o a measurement of the d

t o which t a l en t was expressed. &ny of the offspr i

this stndp havb not reached a euffioient a@ f o r m

performance, therefore a t e s t of musical ap t i tude rn

give more def in i te information pertaining t o the i n

of musical t r a i t s .

c

GrnnCfo t h c r rnndnothcr GrnnCfc t 3 e r rcnZno t h c r

28

Wllahassee, Florida June 28, 1951

&. Dear W. . . To gaather material for a Masterfa thesis I am sen enclosed questionnaire to several of the ontstand musicians of the country.

This survey is an attempt to indicate the mlativ of musical inberitanoe and environment on a care8

Your pxompt reply is urgently needed and will be appreciated.

Respectively

Wllllam J. Stark Box 4070 West Campus Florida State Univsraity Tallahassee, Florida

29

AnFmDIX 111

List of Musicians Answering t n u wucrauunnurxu

Almaida, Laurindo Horowitz, Vladimir

Antheil, George James, Harry

Bntonini, A l f r e d 0 Johnaon, Thor

Apsl, W i l l 1

Ardevol, Jose

Aronoff, &ax

Babitz, Sol

Baah, Vinoent

Banfield, Warren

Brendler, C h a r 1 0 8

Ca i l l i e t , Luoien

Cain, Noble

Camdohael, Hoagy

Carr i l lo , Julian

Caston, Saul

Chambers, James

Eddy, Welaon

Fisd ls r , Arthur

Gam, Rudolph

Goodman, B s w

Oould, Morton Banson, Howard

Hsndl, Walter

Kapell, W i l l i a m

Kat-, Milton

Ki3?8tQn, Dorothy

Kuarstefner, Karl

Langenns , Gustam

Ma~Donalcl , Jeane tt

Bnuhin, Yehudi

Pinza, &io Remlli , W i l l i a m

Rodzinaki, A r t =

Roimm, Josef

Salzsdo, Carlos

Ss ids l , !Coosoha

Smrby , Leo

Stemna, Rise

Sz igs t i , Joseph

Waring, FrsB

Whistler, Harvey

Yaaye, Jeannette

Zimbaliet , =rem

Y

Arlitt, Ada Hart. Ps aholoav of Infanos and SarlJ! Childhood, Hedork: &TaG raw-BiTTc 0 . s 1946 .

Gates, R. Ruggles. Pedimes of Nemo Familiesr Philadelphia: The Blakiston Go., 1949.

&ze, J. T. Who is Who in Musia. Chioago: Sterling

Mursell, James A. Ths Psraholow of b s i o , new York: Publish- GO., 1951.

By. W. Soorton & Go., Inc., 1937.

Sargent, S. Sta.nsreld, The Basic Teaohinas of the Great Ps.poholonists. Philadelphia: Th4 Blakiston GO., 1944.

Saheinfeld, Amran. The Hew You and Heredits. Phila- delphia: J. B. Lippinaott Go., 1950.

Sohoen, Max. The Psyaholom of Muslo, Hew York: The Ronald Press CO., 1940.

SQa8hOl%, C a r l E. I n Searoh of Beauty in MUuSiC, Hew York: The Ronald Press Go., 1947.

Shull, A. fianklin. Heredi t Ihw York: MoGraw-Hill Book CO.) InO., + 193

plnpsterrs Ben International Diotionars. 26 ad. Article , "Environment."

A