Developing Creativity in Musical Performance: An Analysis of Famous Musicians’ Autobiographies

Abstract

This study explored famous musicians’ notions of creativity in musical performance. At the outset of this article, it was suggested that tradition and originality contribute to the construction of creativity in musical performance. The autobiographies of seven established musicians were analyzed: Claudio Arrau Leon, Daniel Barenboim, and Pablo Casals (Western classical music); Ray Charles, Miles Davis, and B.B. King (soul, jazz, and blues); and Ravi Shankar (Indian traditional music). By analyzing musicians’ autobiographies, definitive elements of originality and tradition were revealed. Four main aspects of originality were identified: sonority, timing and rhythm, emotion, and inevitability. The musicians seemed to consciously review and evaluate the originality of performances through these four qualities. Regarding tradition, the musicians highlighted the underlying principles of music, which are reflected in the rules of performance style. Furthermore, these rules—intonation, accent, and phrasing—are similar to the properties of language. In addition to these creative qualities, the process of developing originality and tradition was elucidated, specifically how the musicians balanced these two conflicting traits. The musicians’ comments demonstrate that they began to learn conventional rules by imitating others or studying theory. However, they were consciously seeking time to develop their own styles.