Underscoring!! 67Institute. ‘‘It offers a window onto the highest levels of human cog-
nition,’’ Zatorre said.
In a study by researchers at the University of Tuebingen, the
brains of eight violinists with German orchestras and eight ama-
teurs were analyzed as they silently tapped out the first 16 bars of
Mozart’s violin concerto in G major. Brain scans showed profession-
als had significant activity in the part of their brains that controlled
hearing, said Dr. Gabriela Scheler of the University of Tuebingen.
‘‘When the professionals move their fingers, they are also hearing
the music in their heads,’’ Scheler said. Amateurs, by contrast,
showed more activity in the motor cortex, the region that controls
finger movements, suggesting they were more preoccupied with
hitting the correct notes, she said. Scheler, a former violinist with
the Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra, said the findings suggest
that professionals have ‘‘liberated’’ their minds from worrying
about hitting the right notes. As a result, they are able to listen,
judge and control their play, Scheler said. ‘‘Presumably, this
enhances the musical performance,’’ she said.
In a second experiment, the violinists were asked to imagine
playing the concerto without moving their fingers. Brain scans
showed again that the professionals were hearing the music in their
heads. Zatorre, who has studied the brain’s response to music for
two decades, said it was the first time anyone had studied music and
its relationship to motor control and imagery.
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For example, an assignment might be to compose in a certain historical
style. Without knowing the melodic, harmonic, and structural rules of that
historic period, it is impossible to complete the assignment. The other
advantage of having the knowledge is that it gives the composer a grab
bag of ideas to choose from. In modern music, historical musical forms
have been expanded.
Well-constructed commercials have form. When a composer writes for
film, the form she chooses often results from the requirements of the pic-
tures—the pictures dictate the form. It is the job of the composer to create
something that is cohesive, even though it may not be traditional. There
are many ways in which this can be accomplished, for example, manipu-
lating a short theme, bridging sections with percussion fills or harp glisses,
the use of silence, tempo, and key changes.
Something as simple as a two-measure theme can weave itself into
something quite interesting, even though it may not be in a traditional