Symphonies and Cultural Cognition in Perfect Pitch

Abstract

The idea of nature versus nurture has intrigued scholars of different epochs since the mid-19^th century and as such, the precursors of innate intelligence remain at the center of the debate. Psychologists have narrowed the arguments and in different ways the argument could be framed as culture versus cognition.  That dichotomous dialect, however, reduces the arguments too far, and researchers realize that there is an interaction between the two, with the two camps wanting to reward or discount their own scholarly predilections.  One of the sticking points in arguments of intelligence and the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) are when the interaction between mind and body, or what René Descartes referred to as mind-body dualism, offer clear skills that are heritable beyond eye color.  Perfect pitch is one such skill.  The extent to which training can compensate for perfect pitch depends on the cultural traits from which the individual originates.  Using the filter of an ethnomusicological methodology, the multicultural facets of IQ can be seen in the Western musical tradition of the full orchestra used for symphony.  The outcome of this research will be to use this deconstruction of this cultural object (that correlates to IQ by argument) as the foundation for a new expression in symphonic forms explored in our creative research by utilizing Kenyan traditional folk music and rhythms.

Keywords: symphonies, culture, cognition, nature versus nurture, IQ, perfect pitch, anthropic principle

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-26-03

Publication date:September 30^th 2023