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THE MEASUREMENT OF MUSICAL

TALENT
By CARL E. SEASHORE
THE PROBLEM
T

|HE

psychology of music is now being built up in the labora-

tory from three points of view, namely: the psychology

of individual talent, the psychology of aesthetic feeling in
musical appreciation and expression, and the psychology of the
pedagogy of music. Our subject limits this discussion to the first
of these three aspects.
Musical talent, like all other talent, is a gift of natureinherited, not acquired; in so far as a musician has natural ability
in music, he has been born with it. Perhaps natural ability of a
high order is not so very rare, for modern psychology has demonstrated that a surprisingly small portion of our talents are
allowed to develop and to come to fruitage, and thus has given
great reinforcement to the dictum that many men "die with all
their music in them." From the point of view of measurement,
the latent power is as tangible as the developed, and is often of
greater interest. The measurement of musical capacity, therefore,
concerns itself chiefly with inborn psycho-physic and mental
capacities as distinguished from skill acquired in training.
In 1842 the greatest physiologist of that time declared that
it would forever remain impossible to measure the speed of the nerve
impulse; yet, within two years of that time, his colleague measured
it with accuracy. Up to that time it had been supposed that the
nerve impulse might have the speed of an electric current; but the
measurement showed that it takes a nerve impulse as long to pass
from the foot to the brain of a man as it would take the electric
current to pass half way around the globe. About the same time
it was almost universally believed that "the time of thought"
could not be measured; but the "reaction-time experiment" did
on the mental side what the measurement of the nerve impulse
had done on the physical side. Talent, like the dream, has been
thought of as peculiarly illusive and intangible for observation.
Yet the science of individual psychology to-day virtually "dissects"
129

130

The Musical Quarterly

the genius, analyzes and measures talents, sets out limitations,

diagnoses the possibilities, and directs the development of the individual.
Musical talent is not one thing. To amount to anything,
there must be a hierarchy of talents, sufficiently related to work
together. Hierarchies of talents may present entirely different
organizations in different individuals. The analysis of musical
talent aims first to locate the dominant traits and then to determine qualitatively and quantitatively the composition or characteristics of each group, or hierarchy of traits. The term musical
talent is therefore used in a collective sense.
It is quite possible to make a fairly exhaustive classification
of the essential traits of musical talent. This may be done by
considering, first, the characteristics of sound which constitute
music and, second, the mental powers which are needed for the
appreciation of musical sounds.
The elements of musical sound are really three, namely:
pitch, time and intensity. The fourth attribute of sound, extensity, which represents the spatial character, is negligible for
the present purpose. Pitch is the quality, the essence of a sound.
Timbre, usually spoken of as quality, is merely a pitch complex.
Consonance, harmony, and clang fusions are also pitch-complexes.
Rhythm represents aspects of time and intensity. This classification of the fundamental aspects of musical sounds gives us a basis
for the classification of musical talents into the ability to appreciate and the ability to express respectively, pitch, time, and intensity of tone. Each of these may, of course, be subdivided in
great detail.
Turning then to the human side of music, we find that the
capacity for the appreciation and expression of music may be
divided, for convenience, into four fundamental capacities; namely,
sensory, the ability to hear music; motor, the ability to express
music; associational, the ability to understand music; and affective,
the ability to feel music and express feeling in music. By combining these two classifications-the elements of musical sounds
and the capacity of the human individual-we shall obtain the
principal groups of musical talent.
Arranging the principal measurements now available in the
psychology of music laboratory on the above bases of classification,
we get a scheme like the accompanying list of measurements on
a singer. Certain modifications of this list would, of course, be
necessary in Section II to adapt it to other performers, such as the
violinist or the pianist.

The Measurement of Musical Talent

131

LIST OF MEASUREMENTS ON A SINGEl,

I.

II.

III.

Sensory (ability to hear music).

A. Pitch.
1. Discrimination ("musical ear;" tonal hearing).
2. Survey of register.
3. Tonal range: (a) upper limit, (b) lower limit.
4. Timbre (tone color).
5. Consonance and dissonance (harmony).
B. Intensity (loudness).
1. Sensibility (hearing-ability).
2. Discrimination (capacity for intellectual use).
C. Time.
1. Sense of time.
2. Sense of rhythm.
Motor (ability to sing).
A. Pitch.
1. Striking a tone.
2. Varying a tone.
3. Singing intervals.
4. Sustaining a tone.
5. Registers.
6. Timbre: (a) purity, (b) richness, (c) mellowness, (d) clearness, (e) flexibility.
7. Plasticity: curves of learning.
B. Intensity.
1. Natural strength and volume of voice.
2. Voluntary control.
C. Time.
1. Motor ability.
2. Transition and attack.
3. Singing in time.
4. Singing in rhythm.
Associational (ability to imagine, remember and think in music).
A. Imagery.
1. Type.
2. R6le of auditory and motor images.
B. Memory.
1. Memory span.
2. Retention.
3. Redintegration.
C. Ideation.
1. Association type and musical content.
2. Musical grasp.
3. Creative imagination.
4. Plasticity: curves of learning.

The Musical Quarterly

132
IV.

Affective (ability to feel music).

A. Likes and dislikes:characterof musicalappeal.
1. Pitch, timbre, melody and harmony.
2. Intensity and volume.
3.

Time and rhythm.

B. Emotional reaction to music.

C. Power of sestheticinterpretationin singing.
The writer has outlined elsewhere (Psychology in Daily Life, D.
Appelton Co., 1913, Ch. VII.) how each of the measurementsin this
list may be performed.
AN EXAMPLE OF A MEASUREMENT

To illustrate the method of proceedure in measurements of

this kind as briefly and accurately as possible, we may consider
one, as an example, in some detail. The first in the list (IA1)
may serve this purpose.

The first rule of experimental psychology is to reduce the

problem so that there shall be only one variable and all other
factors shall be kept under relative control. The variable must

The Measurement of Musical Talent

133

be measurable, repeatable, and describable. In this test we want

to vary and measure pitch.
Time, timbre, intensity, sequence-complexes and all other factors of tone must therefore be
kept relatively constant or uniform; and all conditions must be
kept as simple as possible. The task is merely to hear which of
two tones, sounded in rapid succession, is the higher.
This test must be made so simple and elemental that it shall
be equally feasible for young and old, for musical and for unmusical. It has proved no small undertaking to devise, test, and
standardize, apparatus and methods which shall make these conditions possible. A full account of the standardization of this
test has been published by the present writer.1

Fig.

The apparatus consists of a set of tuning forks, Fig 1, a

resonator, Fig. 2, and a rubber covered lead rod to strike the
forks upon. The standard fork, which is duplicated, has a pitch
of 435 vibrations, a', international pitch. The remaining forks
are tuned higher than this by small increments, as follows:y2, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 17, 23, and 30 vibrations, respectively. The
resonator is mounted in a convenient position. The forks are
sounded by striking gently upon the rod and holding before the
resonator. So long as a fork is merely held in the hand it cannot
be heard; but the moment it is presented before the mouth of the
resonator, it speaks the tone loud and pure. The loudness and the
duration of the tone are regulated by the position and the time
before the resonator.
The standard and one other fork are sounded in rapid succession and the observer, who is blind-folded, is required to say
whether the second tone is higher or lower than the first. A preliminary test is made in which we begin with the largest interval,
30 vibrations, and then take successively the remaining intervals
1 Psychol. Rev. Monog. (Princeton, N. J.) No. 38, pp. 30-60.

134

The Musical Quarterly

in the order of decreasing magnitude. Repeating this a few times,

we soon get an approximate indication of the measure; e. g., on the
average, the observer gets all right down to a difference of 5
vibrations. This limit is called the threshold. This approximate
threshold being found, we then take a large number of trials, one
hundred to five hundred, on a single interval-that one for which
the observer, according to the preliminary test, is most likely
to get 75 per cent. right judgments. Having found what per cent.
of judgments actually are right in the test we convert that by
applying a formula which gives the magnitude of the interval that
will yield 75 per cent. right judgments. Thus, supposing that in
five hundred trials on 3 vibrations we get 78 per cent. right judgments, computation shows that it would take a difference of 2.6
vibrations to yield the required 75 per cent. of right cases with this
ability; 2.6 vibrations would therefore be the threshold of pitch
discrimination in this case.
This measure may be converted into "part of tone" by recognizing that in this interval a'-b' one vibration equals one
fifty-fourth of a tone; 2.6 vibrations therefore equal about onetwentieth of a tone. The equivalent of vibration-differences in
terms of whole-tone differences may be represented as follows:
Vibrations

1/4

1/2

Part of tone

1/216

1/108

1/54

1/27

1/18

1/11

Vibrations
Part of tone

8
1/8

12
1/5

17
1/3

23
1/2-

30
1/2 +

To illustrate further the procedure in the interpretation and

the application of records of this kind, let us consider in turn the
specific conditions which bear upon the interpretation of this
record. In doing this we must keep foremost in mind the first
rule of interpretation in applied psychology, namely, that the
interpretation shall be limited to the bearing, direct or indirect,
of the factor under control, i, e., the factor measured. Here we
have measured pitch discrimination, one out of a hundred or more
measurable factors in musical capacity, one of the many elements
in "the sense of pitch." We must search diligently into the reliability, the qualifications, the meaning, the ramifications, and
the practical significance of this measure. But we cannot generalize in regard to musical capacity as a whole on the basis of this
measure alone, except as such general capacity is modified by the
limitations in the capacity measured.
Individual Differences. It is a matter of common observation
that individuals differ in their sense of pitch. In pitch discrimin-

135

The Measurement of Musical Talent

ation, stripped of all vagueness and confusion,we have a quantitative measureof the magnitude of this one factor, and can get a
clear-cut picture of the distribution of individual differencesin
this specific capacity.
.2%
<>8t%

//16%

T~10
3% 3%
y

2.

12

17

23

30+

Fig. 3

Fig. 3 shows the normal distributionfor university students

in a frequency curve which is based on twelve hundred cases.
The numbers at the bottom designate the conventional series
of steps in terms of vibrations, from 1/4 to 30. The figureson
the curve give the per cent. of cases whose thresholdof pitch discrimination falls at each of the levels designated by the steps.
Thus, 1 per cent. can hear a differenceof 1/4 vibration;4 percent.
can hear a difference of 1/2 vibration; 12 per cent. can hear a
difference of 1 vibration, etc. The mode, the most frequent
record,is at 2 vibrations. The best measurementis 1/4 vibration,
and all but 3 per cent. can hear a half-tone. The average is 2.5
vibrations.
A Norm. This curve of distribution, being based upon a
sufficientlylarge numberof representativecases, may be regarded
as a normin terms of whichindividual and isolated records'maybe
interpreted. For example,if a child is measuredand gives a record
of .8 vibration, it will be seen by referenceto this norm, that this
child finds a place among the best, i. e., in a small group of 8 per
cent. at the head. If his recordwere2.6 per cent. this is found to be
near the average ear; whereas, if the record were 15 vibrations,
it would be decidedly among the inferior. Such a norm is then a
standard by which we may evaluate our individual tonal hearing
just as we judge our height or weight in terms of the published
anthropometriccharts. Indeed the curve is quite similar to a

136

The Musical Quarterly

height curve in that the cases tend to bunch about the middle
and the number of cases diminishes rapidly toward both extremes.
It differs, however, from the height curve in that the units at the
bottom are not equal but form approximately a geometric series of
the second order. The distribution is therefore said to be skew.
Cognitivev.s. Physiological Limit. It is clear that the threshold
as defined above, is an arbitrary standard; and we may fairly ask
if it represents a mental or a physiological limit. It is convenient
to distinguish between the cognitive threshold and the physiological threshold. The cognitive threshold is a limit which is due to
cognitive difficulties such as ignorance, misunderstanding, inattention, lack of application, confusion, objective or subjective
disturbances, misleading thought, inhibitions in recording, etc.
The physiological threshold is that limit which is set by the character of the physical structure of the pitch-differentiating apparatus
in the organ of Corti in the inner ear. A cognitive threshold is
really no measure at all; it is merely an indication of the fact that
the conditions are not under control and serves as a means of
discovering sources of error. A flawless measurement should give
the physiological threshold; but that, like all other forms of perfection, is scarcely attainable. We therefore content ourselves
with a "proximate physiological" threshold. This is what Fig. 3.
represents, and it is the concept we must employ in most practical
work. The three chief factors which account for the difference
between the physiological and the proximate physiological
threshold are,-the convention of counting 75 per cent. of right
cases, which is based on the theory of probability; the physiological
variation in the organ of Corti with varying body tone; and the
failure to eliminate disturbances in the test. It is therefore safe
to say that the actual psycho-physical limit is always somewhat
lower than the conventional threshold.
Reliability and Success. Since the record is of diagnostic
value only when it represents approximately the bed rock of
capacity, it is important to have means of determining when and
to what extent this is reached. In the first place, we can never
get a record that is too good, i. e., below the physiological threshold.
An error is always in the direction of a cognitive threshold which
must be reduced. In the actual test the experimenter may observe
sources of error such as objective disturbances, his own lack of
skill, or the subjective difficulties reported by the observer. He
must then labor to eliminate them. But, in the last resort, the
record itself contains internal evidence in the character of the

The Measurement of Musical Talent

137

distribution of the errors by which the expert may know whether

or not he has reached the desired limit.
Ordinarily, under favorable conditions, the desired threshold
may be established in a single sitting of less than an hour in an
individual test. If a task is not satisfactory in the first sitting, it
must be repeated until it complies with the required criteria of
reliability. Occasionally we find a resistant case which may leave
us in doubt after many trials, but in individual work, 95 per cent.
of the cases should be disposed of in less than two hours of intensive
measurement.
The above norm is based upon the measurement obtained in
the second hour of a group test, which is about equivalent to
an individual test. It therefore contains cases that are further
reducible. A final-test norm would show a considerable improvement in some of the records.
Illusions of Pitch. One very interesting and baffling feature
which is encountered in this test is the illusion of pitch. Many of
these illusions have been identified, isolated, measured, and expressed
in terms of mental law. Among these is the illusion of anticipation,
or expectant attention. If one consciously or unconsciously anticipates that the second of two tones in a small interval is to be the
higher and it really is the higher, the difference will seem greater
than it really is; but if, on the other hand, it is really lower, there
are two possibilities: if it is relatively little lower, it will still be
heard as higher, whereas, if it is distinctly lower, it will be heard as
lower and the interval will be overestimated. Similar to this are
the illusions due to the differences in the intensity, the timbre, the
pitch level, the location, etc., of the tones. All such errors must be
eliminated. It would be no test at all merely to ask the observer
if he heard a difference, as the early experimenters did; he must
be required also to give the direction. By virtue of the illusions
we often tend to hear two tones of the same pitch as different and
sometimes feel a higher degree of certainty in a judgment which
is wrong.
Absolute Pitch. We hear much about the possession of
"absolute pitch." It would perhaps, be facetious to say that some
persons come into my laboratory at the State University of Iowa
with absolute pitch, but no one has yet been known to leave
with it, which is the truth. Some musicians can of course
identify any key sounded on the piano in isolation; but the claims
of absolute pitch go beyond that, as e. g., when the violinist says

138

The Musical Quarterly

that the violin string sounded by itself first thing in the morning
is one vibration below international pitch. Often, indeed, he can
tell this, not by absolute pitch, but by memory of conditions
of tuning, by difference in timbre, and by a happy guess, etc.
In this way many musicians cultivate fixed illusions of absolute
pitch. The claims about absolute pitch when referring to such
small differences, exist only so long as they are not checked by
actual measurement.
To measure absolute pitch, let the experiment run for some
months, devoting a minute or two to the test each day, in the
morning before any other musical sounds are heard, as follows:Use the above set of forks, Fig. 1, with the resonator producing
pure tones. Sound the standard on the first day until it is thoroughly
familiar. On the second day sound one fork-either the standard
or a differential fork-and require the observer to say whether this
tone is standard or a higher tone. Then sound the standard in
preparation for the next day. Repeat this procedure on successive
days until each of the differential forks has been sounded at least
ten times. The record will then show what is the smallest pitch
difference that can be heard without error when the compared
tones are a day apart.
We are here concerned with the relative pitch. It is common
that a violinist may have a pitch discrimination of 1/2 vibration
but it would be an extraordinary and improbable case that he
should have an absolute pitch to the extent of 5 vibrations, or
one-tenth as good as the relative pitch hearing.
Tone-Deafness. It is likewise generally supposed that tone
deafness is a common occurence. There is of course a great variety
of cases of tone deafness on record in clinical otology and aphasia.
There are many possible causes, both in physical and mental pathology. From the point of view of the "normal" community, it is of
interest to note that Smith (Psychol. Rev. Monog. (Princeton,
N. J.) No. 69, pp. 69-103) in measuring 1980 school children,
taking every child in a given room without exception, did not
find a single case of tone deafness. Many cases were resistive;
but, through his skill and ingenuity, he was able to show that
in this entire number there was no one who could not hear as small
difference as a whole tone. Tone-ignorance is sometimes appalling,
but we must distinguish between that and tone deafness. Taking this fact with the above observations on absolute pitch, we
find that common opinion is extravagant, both in ascribing
achievement and in denying capacities.

The Measurement of Musical Talent

139

Practice. As a result of an extensive study of the effect of

practice on 467 school childrenand 54 university students, Smith
(op. cit.) arrived at the following conclusions:
cannot be improved
of the earto pitchdifference
The sensitiveness
in
appreciablyby practice. Thereis no evidenceof any improvement
sensitivenessto pitch as a resultof practice. Whena personshowsa
cognitivethresholdpracticeordinarilyresultsin a clearingup of the
difficultieswhichlie in the way of a true measureof discrimination,
by
information,observations,a developmentof interest,isolationof the
problemsin hand,and moreconsistentapplicationto the task in hand.
in the psycho-physic
earbut merely
Thisis, of course,not improvement
a preliminary
of the psycho-physic
limit.
to a fairdetermination
Trainingin pitch discriminationis not like the acquisitionof
skill,as in learningto reador to hearovertones.It is in the last analysis
informational
and the improvementis immediatein proportionto the
of the instructionsor the ingenuityof the observerand the
effectiveness
in isolatingthe difficulty.
experimenter
In this respect the limit of pitch hearing is like the limit of
acuity of vision. As trainingin the use of the eye does not improve
the dioptric system of the eye so that one may see finer print or
greater distance; so practice does not modify the actual structure
of the organ of Corti in the ear so as to make it more responsive
to pitch, except in the sense that a violin may be improvedby use.
But, as the ability to give meaning to what is seen-the ability
to use the eye to its limit-is amenable to training and finds its
limits of development only in the limits of the grasp of memory,
imagination, thought, feeling, and will; so the meaning of pitch,
in all its intricate operations, is capable of refinement through
training, and passes gradually from a simple sensory impression,
in one direction,into fixed automatismsand, in the other direction,
into conscious analysis and synthesis.

Fig. 4

140

The Musical Quarterly

Age. The actual psycho-physic capacity for pitch discrimination does not improve with age, i. e., with general mental
growth. Some children are ignorant, obstinate, and helpless in a
test of this kind. This is likely to fall off with age in childhood.
Fig. 4., shows the distribution of records in a single group test in
each of three ages. The records of the younger children are slightly
inferior to those of the older, but this is amply accounted for by
the presence of conditions for observation among the younger
children, which are ordinarily overcome as experience grows with
age. These conditions are, however, merely disturbances in the
measurement; they would not ordinarily operate in the child's
hearing of music. We often find the finest record in children of
five to ten years of age, who have had no musical training whatever. Three out of four of the writer's children equalled the record
of their father's ability, which is good, each one before the age of
five and without any musical training. Reliable measurement
may be made upon children as early as three to four years of age,
depending upon the natural brightness of the child. If we measure
a hundred children, intellectually at an age capable of observation,
and measure also the mothers of these children, it is probable that
the records of the children, will average as high as the records of
their mothers. Aside from selection, the same principle would
apply to teachers and their pupils.
Sex. The capacity for pitch discrimination does not vary
appreciably with sex. Records of school girls are ordinarily
superior to the records of school boys, but this is due to the common aloofness of the preadolescent boy toward music. The boys
in the American schools investigated, often regard music as a frill
for girls and therefore do not enter the test with the same zeal and
fervor as do the girls. It is significant that this difference in favor
of girls disappears at the university age notwithstanding the fact
that there is still more interest in music among young women and
they have, on the whole, had more advantages of musical training
than the university men.
Elemental nature of the Test. This test is elemental in the
sense that, when applied under favorable conditions, it calls forth
a relatively simple and immediate sensory act which is so single
and isolated that the performance of it does not improve with
practice. This was a goal in the designing of the test and the extent to which it is successful has been discussed under the head of
practice. In so far as we deal with a cognitive threshold, this
test is not elemental; it becomes elemental only as we approach the

The Measurement of Musical Talent

141

physiologicalthreshold. In its elementalnaturethis test contrasts

with complex processesin musical hearing, such as the hearing of
overtones, the analysis of chords,judgment of timbre, all of which
require training.

Basal Nature of the Test. This test is basal in the sense that
many other aspects of musicalcapacity rest upon the capacity here
measured. Thus, tonal memory, tonal imagery, the perceptionof
timbre, singing and playing in true pitch; and to a certain extent,
the perceptionof harmony, and the objective responseare limited
by any limitation that may be set in pitch discrimination. If the
pitch discriminationis poor, we can predict, at least, a corresponding inferiority in the derived factors. On the other hand, excellence of pitch discrimination does not necessarily insure excellencein these factors,sinceit is only one elementin them. There
are six such basal measurements-three sensory and three motor;
one on pitch, one on intensity, and one on time, for the sensory
side and for the motor side respectively.
Theory. No physiological theory of pitch discriminationis
fully established. We know that the pitch differentiatingmechanism is located in the organ of Corti in the inner ear and that it
workson mechanicalprinciplesin the selection of vibrationswhich
determine pitch. It is safe to say that ordinarily variations in
capacity for pitch discriminationare due to variationsin the sensitiveness of the selecting mechanism. It is natural to supposethat
this should vary in individualsjust as height and color vary within
large limits.
Intelligence. The test of pitch discriminationis not an intelligence test. A person may be a philosopher,a mathematician
or an inventor, and yet have "no ear for music." Preliminary
tests as a rule, show that the brighterpersonson the whole tend to
make a better record,but this is because all the "good observers"
are able to give a reliabletest in the first trial whereasthe dull, the
careless,and the backwardblunderat first and give only a cognitive
test, which must be further reducedbefore it can be accepted.
Inheritance. There is no doubt but that musical talent may
be inherited,but there are no reliablestatistical data on the subject,
although there is much biographical material. The first condition for statistics is that the facts under consideration shall be
identified and measured. This we have only recently learned to
accomplish. The fact that Smith (op. cit.) when comparing the
records of children in the same family with children in different

The Musical Quarterly

families, in a group of 1980 children, found no tendency for records
within a family to agree more closely than records among unrelated families, should sound a warning and incite cautiousness in
the accepting of biographical material in naive form. It shows the
necessity, as well as the possibility, of including specific measures
in extensive studies of inheritance.
Tonal Range. This measure was taken at 435 vibrations
because that is approximately in the middle, the most stable, the
most used and the most sensitive part of the tonal range. Sounds
may give the character of tonality to the human ear as low down as
12 vibrations and possibly as high as 50000 vibrations, although
the upper limit varies greatly with individuals. But pitch discrimination is defective near both these ends. It does not vary
uniformly throughout as the constant part of a tone, e. g., 1/50 of
a tone, nor with the absolute vibration frequency, e. g., 1 vibration
at all levels of pitch; it is a sort of irregular combination between
these two tendencies, as is shown in Fig. 5 by Vance (Psychol.
Rev. Monog. No. 69, pp. 115-149). Since this curve is a fair
representation for all normal persons, a measure at one level,
such as we have here at 435 vibrations, gives also a serviceable
knowledge of the relative sensitiveness at other levels.
Ud

55

64I.
6^ltd

-08

Z56

51

t10Z^4

o-a
L04

Fig. 5

Evaluation. Fourteen years ago the writer proposed the

following tentative evaluation for the purpose of vocational guidance (Ed. Rev. Vol. XXII, pp. 69,82.); and, in the extensive use
of the test since then, he has seen no serious reason for changing it:
Below 3 vd.: May become a musician;
3-8 vd.: Should have a plain musical education (singing'in
school may be obligatory);

The Measurement of Musical Talent

9-17 vd.:
18 and above:

143

Should have a plain education in music only if special

inclination for some kind of music is shown (singing in school should be optional);
Should have nothing to do with music.

This account of procedure in one of the numerous tests under

consideration is perhaps sufficiently generic to serve as a general
illustration of measurements in musical capacity, in particular
those included in the above list. Each test presents an individual
problem, often requires its own peculiar apparatus and technique,
results in its own norms and its own laws of behavior for the factor
under control, and requires its own interpretation.
Each problem
in
with
is
to collate the
been
dealt
the
next
isolation,
having
step
results and interpret each one in the light of every other record of
talent.
TIHE TALENT CHART

For the purpose of illustration we may now assume that each

of the tests listed above have been made and evaluated in the
spirit and on the plan of the given example. How shall we then
bring such a mass of material into a single picture, into graspable
form and relief?
The first step is to reduce all numerical records to a sort of
common denominator.
This may be done by what we may call the
method of percental rank. In one case the record may be in terms
of vibration, in another in terms of time, in another in terms of
number of successes, etc. A direct comparison of values would
be bewildering for want of a common unit; but the method of
percental rank furnishes such a unit.
When a norm like Fig. 3., has been established on adequate
data, we may transform the data on which that norm is based into
percental rank values. For the sake of simplicity, let us assume
that the data represent only one hundred cases. In this method
we would rank the best 100 per cent, the poorest 1 per cent, and
the remaining ninety-eight between these limits in the order of
magnitude of the record. From the data back of Fig. 3., we may
then construct a table which gives the percental rank value of each
of the units employed, as follows:
% rank
100
95
90
85

vibrations

% rank

.25
.5
.7
.9

50
45
40
35

vibrations
-

2.5
2.8
3.1
3.5

The Musical Quarterly

144
'0 rank
80
75
70
65
60
55

vibrations
1.1
1.3
-

1.6
1.8
2.0
2.2

% rank
30
25
20
15
10
5

vibrations
-4.6
5.2
7.1
9.1
12.0
18.5

For each and all measurements in the above list on which we

have sufficient data, those data may be set out in a table of percental ranks like this. The advantage is clear. If, e. g., a pupil
stands 92 per cent. in pitch discrimination, 18 per cent. in the sense
of rhythm, 72 per cent. in auditory imagery, etc., the meaning is
perfectly definite and clear at a glance; all records are presented in
terms of the same unit, percental rank.
We may go one step further and picture the results of all
measurements in a single graph or curve, which shall show a
sort of profile of features, a single sketch of a persons' musical
talent at a glance, when familiar with the plan. Six such charts are
shown in the accompanying illustration.
These charts are made to cover only those measurements on
which we have adequate norms at the present time. The initials
with numbers in parenthesis refer to the tests in the lists as follows:
T. H. (IA1)
T. I. (IIIA1)
T. M. (IIIB1)
C. (IA5)
T. S. (IC1)
F. R. (IIC4)
R. R. (IIC4)
S. S. (IB1)
D. I. (IB2)
S. T. (IIA1)
V.T.
I. T.
M. A.

Tonal hearing, or pitch discrimination as described

above.
Tonal imagery; the ability to hear in imagination.
Tonal memory; the span of immediate memory for tones.
Consonance; the ability to distinguish consonances
from dissonances.
Time sense; the ability to hear with accuracy the
duration of short time-intervals.
Free rhythm; the ability to mark a free rhythm.
Regulated rhythm; the ability to follow a set rhythm.
Sensitiveness to sound; "hearing-ability."
Discrimination for the intensity of sound.
Singing a tone in true pitch.
Vocal trainingb
o a
Instrumental training based on a systemat
questionnaire.
Musical appreciation

When the plan of these charts is once familiar and the measurements are known, these graphs form striking pictures which convey
to us an immediate representation of the features of musical traits
or capacities quite as naturally as a photograph conveys the type
of physical features.

145

The Measurement of Musical Talent

DIk

lr

,-TLI

Ii I

DST

STDT

n
^IT

;?

CASE
D
8
r-

II
GASE
F

GKSE
E
I
S1

I
-VT

.
.
..
memory,!?T
and sense of consonance.
ST
SVT
I
IT
lqA

VT
VT

VT

i_T

Case
D. Lack of time sense. Has
E good sense of pitch. Beautiful
Case A.

Extraordinary musical talent. Has had no musical training.

Loves
music.
Would have been encouraged for a
in regard
to appreciation.
feelingsgood
musical career if discovered early enough. Boy age 90.

Case B.

Poor musical talent. Has had extensive vocal and instrumental

discontinue
Intellectually bright.
bright. Advised
Advised to discontinue
training. Intellectually
tal training.
intensive training in music.

Case C.

Lack of sense of pitch; hence also poor in tonal imagery, tonal

memory, and sense of consonance.

Case D.

Lack of time sense. Has good sense of pitch. Beautiful

singer aside from time. Intellectually keen. Mingled
feelings in regard to appreciation.

Case E.

Lack of tonal imagery; hence also memory and rhythm. Good

time sense. Intellectually bright. Does not care for music
at all.

Case F.

Good musical talent. Sensitive musical temperament.

Shiftless and poor in other studies.
music. Sliiftless
in music.

Lives

146

The Musical Quarterly

MEANING

AND USE

As acquaintance with a person whose photograph one sees

gives a life touch to the bare outline of the features suggested on
paper, so acquaintance with the system of measurement, biographical and professional knowledge of the individual, and common sense observation arouse through the chart a sense of relationship and a feeling of insight which tend to make the picture
realistic and true.
This system of measurements, if it may be called a system,
is unfortunately not adapted for general use by musicians themselves. It presupposes a techinque, an equipment, and a skill in
psychological analysis which the musician does not possess. It
requires a specialist trained in music and psychology and will
tend to open a new profession-that of a consulting psychologist
in music. Since the elaborate measurements will be made only on
those who have serious aspirations for a professional career in
music, many will not be needed; but laboratories might well be
maintained in a few of the principal music centers.
The function of such a laboratory specialist will be most
varied and interesting. His primary business will, of course, be
to take inventories of individual capacities for the purpose of
vocational guidance of a highly specialized sort. It is no small
matter if parents can take a twelve-year old son or daughter into
this sort of laboratory and secure a chart of musical talents.
The effort and expense of securing such an inventory is insignificant
in comparison with the cost of a professional musical education.
It is difficult to estimate the value of such an inventory, whether it
serves the purpose of encouragement and stimulus of good talent
or serves in the saving of one who has serious incapacity for some
essential part of the life work which might have been blindly entered.
The stake at such a time is not primarily dollars and cents, but
human happiness through adaptation to a life work, and a most
wholesome advancement of the art.
There will however be more frequent demand for service to
the musician who has encountered some serious obstacle. The
psychologist will be ready with tests which may be employed in
making scientific diagnosis of the obstacle, for to him the human
organism is an instrument-a receiving instrument and a producing
instrument. He believes in cause and effect, just as the oculist, the
aurist and the mechanic of the stalled motor car do. Exactly what
is the obstacle? Can it be repaired? Will a substitute do? How

The Measurement of Musical Talent

147

seriousis it? What is the natural thing to do? The discoveryand

isolation of the cause of the trouble is the first logical step toward
the discovery of a remedy. We see the coming of a new specialist.
He will have a mission.
This inventory also serves to explain experiences of the past which may
not have been understood. If the singer has had defeat, it will show
exactly why. If she has been misguided in musical training, it may show
the nature of the error and its results. If the singer is conscious of lack
in some capacity, the record shows the nature of this lack, and may even
suggest a remedy, if such there is. Even among the best musicians it is
rare to find one who does not have some kind of difficulty. Indeed, the
difficulties of the singer are unquestionably great. If psychological
measurement can lend assistance by laying bare the conditions of the
difficulty and by determining its nature and extent, it will indeed in this
respect be a handmaid of music. It may also be of great value in discovering new singers who are not aware of their genuine ability.
Another effect of such measurements is not only to objectify the
elements of musical appreciation and expression so as to deepen the insight of the expert, the teacher, and the pupil, but also to shape the
science and art of music as the scientific conceptions gradually become
known. The measurements will furnish an outline for the psychology of
music. (Psychology in Daily Life, p. 220)

There is, however,also a place for the measurementof musical

talent outside of the laboratory. A few of the tests may be made
informally in the conservatory. The principle of measurement
may be adapted to the needs of teaching, not merely for diagnosis,
but also as a means of training. In singing, correction of pitch,
timbre, time, etc., can be made most effectively if the pupil
practiceswith an instrumentwhich reveals to the eye of the singer
the exact fault or merit of each tone produced. The tonoscope,
(Psychol. Rev. Monog. No. 69, pp. 1-18) e. g., reveals to the eye
of the singer the actual pitch of the voice to a hundredthof a tone
on the principleof moving pictures, and the pupil trains his voice
by his eye. The tone-analysis does the same for timbre. It
throws on the screen a picture of the distribution of overtones.
The time sense apparatus (Psychol. Rev. Monog. No. 69, pp.
166-172) does the same for time. It shows in detailed graphic
recordon a ticker tape the rhythm as sung.

But there is a far larger field, in the elementary schools.

Certain of the few most fundamental tests can and will be used as
as group tests, for the purpose of a rough preliminary sifting in the
This will reveal the unusually bad as well as the
schoolroom.
unusually good; and both of these classes deserve individual
treatment.
Such tests may eliminate the helplessly unmusical

148

The Musical Quarterly

and save them from an intolerable imposition of musical requirements; but their real value is in finding the gold in the dross. One
gifted child found early, investigated, and encouraged, is a great
reward.
It is also fortunate that this principle may be utilized in devising drill exercises in music instruction. By isolating the elements
of music and presenting feature after feature to the class, the
elements of musical sounds and elements of human musical talents
may be made clear for the purpose of rendering training conscious
and specific.
In brief, talent has been a sort of mysterious puzzle to teacher
and pupil just as the stars were to ancient man. The mystery has
not been cleared or made simple; but scientific psychology has
given us an approach, a tool, a vision. This in no way dispels the
art attitude, but rather enhances it. The mere artist views talent
as we view the starlit heavens on a moonlight stroll; the one who
begins to control conditions, to employ instruments, and to apply
scientific principles (inductive and deductive) and measures, views
human talents as the astronomer views the heavenly bodies.
The astronomer magnifies distances, intensifies illuminations,
analyzes the atmospheres, reviews the records of ages, trusts his
instruments and gives wings to scientific imagination; he measures,
predicts, and explains; and with it all his visible universe grows
larger, more orderly, and more sublime. He brings order out of
chaos, breaks the mad spell of those believing themselves to be
under their fateful influences, and sets aglow the imagination of
those who love the stars. The expert in the measurement of
human talents has similar opportunities. The stars form a macrocosm; the powers of the human mind are a microcosm. Both are
orderly. Astronomy is old; the science of the human mind is
barely coming into existence. The psychology of music is a new
field, quite unworked, but full of promise and fascinating possibilities. Knowledge of self comes after knowledge of things, but
is none the less valuable and interesting. Applied knowledge of
self comes later still. In the survey of natural resources characteristic of the conservation movement of the day, the survey of
natural resources in the shape of human talents is most promising.