Musical inventiveness of five idiots-savants.
Accounts of musical ability in idiots-savants have up till now been confined to stressing the astounding musical memory which such persons may possess. The present study investigates compositional and improvisational skills in five idiots-savants. The findings interpreted as indicating that a representational system of musical rules and structures is accessible to persons of low general intelligence, and that such a system may underlie reproductive as well as generative musical capacity.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D003405:Creativity; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales