Career Development in Two Seminal American Songwriters: A Test of the Equal Odds Rule
2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 21; Issue: 2-3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/10400410902855275
ISSN1532-6934
AutoresRichard W. Hass, Robert W. Weisberg,
Tópico(s)Neuroscience and Music Perception
ResumoAbstract This study investigated the pattern of lifetime creative productivity for two seminal American songwriters: Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. Earlier research has provided conflicting findings concerning the quality of creative output over the careers of classical musicians. In order to attempt to resolve the discrepancy between those findings, a quantitative case-study methodology was employed, using recording counts as a measure of quality of output across periods in each composer's career. In addition, the ratio of major works to minor works was calculated, to determine whether the quality of output changed across each composer's career. Results demonstrated that each composer's career was marked by an initial lull in quality of output, followed by a sharp and sustained increase in quality. Furthermore, in both cases, no significant correlation was found between the number of major and minor works. The results provided support an expertise-based account of creative productivity. Implications are discussed. We give special thanks to Roger Beaty, Pawel Machura, and Meredith Stone for their help in data collection.
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