How can we define a 'musical genius', and is it something we could achieve, or is it a ‘gift’ that some are born with and other not?
As a composer myself, and far from being a genius - yet - this question is a bit overwhelming at first, but let’s dive a bit deeper and try to understand what’s behind ‘genius’.
In a 2008 article, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific Director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania made some great points about attaining musical genius. He says that mastery of music has always been the result of hard work - and we’re talking here about extended periods of time - with good teachers, a great familial and or community support, and maybe, above-average intelligence. Kaufman also cites a 2007 article by J. Ruthsatz, D. Detterman, W.S. Griscom, and B.A. Cirullo ‘Becoming an expert in the musical domain: It takes more than just practice’ and draws a conclusion summarized as follows: Musical achievement = general intelligence + domain-specific skills + practice
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In a report titled A musical genius? No, Mozart was just a hard-working boy published a couple of weeks before Mozart’s 250th birthday in The Guardian, Alice O'Keeffe, deputy editor of the same paper, interviews Phil Grabsky, director of the feature-length documentary, In Search of Mozart, and truer words were never spoken. He says:
'What[...] geniuses have in common is drive and determination, often good parenting, and the fact that they are products of the social conditions of their time. All of this was true for Mozart. His talent wasn't simply a gift from God, it was the result of tremendously hard work.'
Drawing on these 2 articles, I have listed three items that I would recommend to any music composer, at any stage:
- Work hard - in other words, practice, practice, practice. The saying says it all: Practice makes perfect.
- Be smart - read a lot, analyze scores and listen to composers’ work that inspire you. The more exposed, the better the influences.
- Find a supportive environment - Whether in real life or in your social environment. Find people who think alike and nurture a sense of giving. The more you give, the more you get.
So do you have to be a genius to compose great music? Well, aside from the fact that the term 'musical genius' does not have a generally-agreed-upon meaning as mentioned in all these articles, it might help to be aware of this: The learning curve for mastery of composition is steep, and every ‘musical genius’ took years -if not decades- to develop his or her 'greatness,' writing a lot of not-so-great music on their way. Remember, after all, it’s all about the journey.
About the Author:
edmond redd is a composer for trailer, film and TV commercial, based in Dubai, UAE. Currently enrolled in the Northwestern University’s Social Media Marketing Course, via Coursera.
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