There were many musical artists in the world, but does this mean that each of them is gifted and has abilities on a par with the rest? Why do some remember for centuries, and the second kept in my head, like a flash that fades over time?
The basis
Figures of any profession cannot become masters of their craft at the click of a button. But what distinguishes the creative sphere from everyone else?
A musical gift is something that cannot be acquired. Musicality is an innate ability to feel, hear and penetrate the secret nooks of the world of harmonies and sounds.
If in a scientific way: musicality is the giftedness with which the subject, having made an effort, can be formed as an artist.
Talent includes a whole set of makings, which are attached with birth "as a gift."
Bonuses
As mentioned earlier, musical giftedness consists of a number of possibilities given to the child even in utero. Common components:
- sensation and perception;
- ear for music;
- sense of rhythm;
- musical memory.
For future composers, there is a separate list of criteria:
- fantasy;
- musical intelligence;
- auditory presentation.
For vocalists, in addition to good hearing, the main condition is vocal data. Undoubtedly, they can and should be developed, but to what range and power the voice can be done is already a question for nature.
Instrumental musicians need to have a certain physiological structure of the hands and their phalanges. I would like to immediately note that this criterion is only desirable, but not required. There are many examples of exceptions in which performers went against natural conditions.
It is worth taking into account that lessons on children's musicality are a very important and complex process, but necessary for a successful future creative career.
How do you hear that?
The issue of ear for music, perhaps, should be the most important in this topic. “Why?” You ask. And here is the answer: rumor is the basis of musicality.
Without musical hearing, even with incredible efforts, a person will not be able to join the sea of sounds and completely dive to its bottom. Through listening, people are able to perceive information musically and reproduce it accordingly.
There are 2 types of musical ear: absolute and relative.
Absolute
The first type occurs 1 in 10 thousand people, if we take into account the statistics of Europe, Russia and the United States. Possessing such talent does not necessarily imply the need to develop in the musical field. People with absolute hearing also work in other activities, no different from the rest.
For lucky people with perfect listening, musicality is a difficult task if you consider the issue from an artistic perspective.
The peculiarity lies in the fact that with the help of one hearing he has the ability to determine the exact pitch and tonality. Even turning his back to the instrument, in a split second he will hear the note level and say its name.
Errors do occur, but very minor and in rare cases.
Pros of such giftedness:
- Useful and very practical quality for music artists. This is especially true for string instrument professionals (violin, cello), where the responsibility lies with the musician’s ear when his playing is not supported by temperament (piano) accompaniment.
- Facilitates learning in musical literacy. Students are easier to write dictations, to study harmony and modulation.
Unfortunately, like any phenomenon, there are opposite sides:
- The perception of music from an emotional angle becomes quite complicated, since the “scanner” of sounds cannot be turned off. A person, hearing absolutely everything, even the most miserable inaccuracies, is no longer able to fully explore the sound from a different (sensual) angle.
- Relative unclean sound can "ride on the ears" even during normal life, when a person does not interact with music.
- Perfect hearing can interfere with the development of phonemic perception - oral speech, and especially foreign.
But if not absolute?
The second type is common among many musicians. Its essence lies in the fact that with it you can hear and play sounds at the correct pitch, but the exact name of the note cannot be determined.
The development of such hearing involved in solfeggio lessons. With proper training, the musician is able to distinguish between intervals, chords and modulations (transitions) to other keys, as well as fall into the exact pitch of the notes (without even knowing their names).
For musical-emotional perception, relative hearing is perfect. After all, miserable inaccuracies are not an obstacle for him.
Other features
In addition to two basic types, there are other branches of musical hearing:
- melodic - provides a sense of melody or phrase in a holistic form;
- harmonic - the perception of simultaneous sounding of notes (intervals and chords);
- fret - the ability to recognize frets (Lydian, Phrygian, etc.), as well as fret-tone processes (stability, instability, resolution);
- polyphonic - the ability to hear the sound of 2 or more voices in motion;
- timbre - the ability to recognize and distinguish the sound coloring of voices and instruments.
There is another interesting view - internal hearing. Its peculiarity lies in the mental representation of the sound of notes.
The composer Beethoven at the end of his life was completely deaf, but, nevertheless, continued to write. But how? Inner hearing played a role, as a result of which the works sounded in his head.
Where does it start?
As mentioned earlier, giftedness to the world of sounds is given from birth. Musicality is often a hereditary gift. For example, I.S. Bach received a huge baggage of talent from relatives. However, regardless of the number of inclinations, music is what you need to work hard on. Nicolo Paganini, the famous violin virtuoso, began his studies at the age of 5, when his father noticed the inclinations of his son.
How can we discern the possibilities in childhood? The development of musical abilities is recommended to start as early as possible, but this in no way means that with age it becomes impossible to master the art of music.
The first thing you should pay attention to is how the child perceives the sound, whether he can feel the mood and character, as well as show any feelings in relation to what he heard.
The second equally important point is the ability to listen carefully, compare and notice bright and understandable (for his age) moments.
The third, perhaps the most important, is imagination, with the help of which images and associations can arise in a child. Thanks to them, he is able to reproduce his fantasies in games, dances and singing.
Music artists
For hundreds and hundreds of years of the existence of musical art, it counted about a thousand or even a million figures, but someone's giftedness and its subsequent development was not just successful, but the greatest human asset.
A short list of foreign composers: Handel, Bach, Wagner, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Strauss, Liszt, Verdi, Debussy, Vivaldi, Paganini, etc.
Domestic composers: Glinka, Borodin (also a chemist and doctor at the same time), Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Balakirev, Prokofiev, Rakhmaninov, Sviridov, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and others.
In addition to the brilliant musicians and composers, the performers of their works should have been just as talented.
Only some of the geniuses of music of the XX-XXI centuries:
- Dmitry Hvorostovsky (baritone);
- Muslim Magomayev (baritone);
- Luciano Pavarotti (tenor);
- Jose Carreras (tenor);
- Andrea Bocelli (tenor - blind musician)
- Maria Callas (soprano);
- Anna Netrebko (soprano);
- Cecilia Bartoli (coloratura mezzo-soprano)
- Tamara Sinyavskaya (mezzo-soprano);
- Valery Gergiev (conductor);
- Vladimir Spivakov (conductor);
- David Oistrakh (violinist, viola player, conductor);
- Yasha Kheifets (violinist);
- Leonid Kogan (violinist)
- Denis Matsuev (pianist);
- Van Cliburn (pianist);
- Arthur Rubinstein (pianist);
- Sergey Rachmaninov (pianist);
- Vladimir Horowitz (pianist);
- Louis Armstrong (trumpeter);
- Mile Davis (trumpeter) et al.
How is this possible?
Music is a world where our eyes are our ears. Everyone already knows the long-standing fact that in the event of a deterioration or in the absence of any brain ability, its other sphere receives compensation for this. Therefore, it is not surprising that such a thing as blind musicians. By nature, they are much more likely to have an absolute ear for music. And besides them, people with other characteristics, such as Williams syndrome and autism, differ.
One of the most famous blind musicians is the aforementioned singer Andrea Bocelli, as well as pianist Art Tatum and jazz singer Ray Charles.
This list should also include the greatest composer - I.S. Bach. His eyes began to lose their function from childhood.
If the previously listed musicians were blind in connection with accidents, then the situation of Salavat Nizametdinov is completely different. The composer has not seen since birth, but, nevertheless, was able to write opera compositions.
Total
Musicality is a generous gift of nature, which in no case can be "put in a box." It must be used and modernized to the maximum every lucky day allotted.