4.1 B.M. Teplov's Theory of Musical Abilities.

B.M. Teplov's first publications on the questions of abilities and
giftedness — "The Problem of Giftedness," "Abilities and Giftedness" —
were extracts from his doctoral dissertation
"The Psychology of Musical Abilities," defended in 1940
(published in 1947, and again in 1961 in a book of the author's
selected works; recently published in France). It was in connection with the study
of musicality that he carried out an analysis of the fundamental concepts relating
to the field of abilities, and offered a critique of certain erroneous points
of view.

In the last 15 years of his scientific career, when B.M. Teplov
concentrated his laboratory's efforts on studying the typological
features of the nervous system, work on questions of ability did not
stop. He saw the outlook and the main design of the work of the team he led as an approach to studying the natural predispositions
underlying the development of abilities.
Thus, the problem of abilities is represented in the works of
B.M. Teplov in a highly diverse way: the scope of research included both
certain specific features of auditory perception and other
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components of musicality, as well as certain properties of the mind in connection with
personality features, and the natural prerequisites for all-round
development.
B.M. Teplov held the view that insufficient knowledge
of facts and particular regularities does not yet allow for the creation of a general
theory of abilities and giftedness. Moreover, he believed that "...any
attempts to compose theories or hypotheses about the nature of giftedness, given the
current stock of positive knowledge we possess, are harmful."
At the same time, he systematically turned to the consideration of
theoretical questions as well. Certain foundational principles of research into
this problem are clearly evident in his works.

B.M. Teplov developed a foundational theory of musical abilities, in which he singled them out as a system of interrelated psychic qualities (ear for pitch, sense of rhythm, musical memory, emotional responsiveness) rather than as a single «innate musicality.» He proved that abilities form through activity and depend on individual differences.

Main tenets of Teplov's theory

• Musical abilities are not an innate gift but a system of qualities. Teplov rejected the idea of «musicality» as a single property. He viewed abilities as a complex of psychic functions that develop in the process of musical activity.

• Key components of musical abilities:

  • Auditory qualities: absolute and relative pitch, the ability to distinguish pitch, timbre, and harmony.

  • Sense of rhythm and mode: perception of metric structure and harmonic relationships.

  • Musical imagery: the ability to mentally operate with sound images.

  • Emotional responsiveness: the ability to experience music as emotional content.

• Individual differences. Teplov emphasized that musical abilities manifest differently in different people: some are stronger in rhythm, some in pitch perception, some in emotional expressiveness.

• Development through activity. Abilities do not exist outside of practice: they are formed and refined in the process of learning, performing, and perceiving music.

Comparative table

According to Teplov, musical abilities can be divided into two
groups:
• technical (playing a given musical instrument or
singing)
• auditory (musical ear).
In the existing general psychological
classification, musical abilities belong to the special category—that is, those
necessary for successful engagement, determined by the very nature
of music itself.
The concept of «musical abilities.»
The structure of musical abilities. Levels of ability.
Musical abilities have been studied by psychologists for more than 150 years.
However, there is still no single point of view on their nature, structure, or on
the content of the basic concepts psychologists use to describe musical abilities and giftedness.
Concepts of musical abilities. Everyday, general-psychological, and professional understandings of ability. The professiogram and acmeogram of a musician. Professional aptitude and readiness of a person for musical creativity.
Methodological guidelines. In the lecture it is necessary to carry out a comparative analysis of B.M. Teplov's domestic concept of musical abilities and those of K. Stumpf, E. Kurth, R. Müller-Freienfels (1936), D. Marcel (1937), C. Seashore (1938), M. Schoen
(1940), and Révész (German ed., 1946, American — 1953). Note the features of
contemporary foreign concepts of musical abilities (H.
de la Motte-Haber, 1972; J.B. Davies, 1978; B. Dušek, 1981; J.
Dowling, 1980; D. Deutsch, 1982, and others). Update students' knowledge of the features of
the professiograms and acmeograms of musicians of different specializations. Draw the audience's attention to the components
of a musician's professional aptitude and readiness and their diagnosis

The significance of the theory

• Scientific: it laid the foundation for the psychology of musical abilities and music pedagogy.

• Practical: it showed that learning music is possible for most people if their individual characteristics are taken into account.

• Methodological: it introduced the idea of analyzing abilities as a system, which became a universal approach in psychology.