INVESTIGATIONS INTO RECEPTIVE MUSICALITY USING BINAURAL FREQUENCY DISCRIMINATION TEST

Musical aptitude is the most important precondition for any applicant taking up studies at a music conservatory. Thus, the applicants are te sted and assessed very thoroughly by experienced music teachers. To su pport these subjective results by objective data a procedure was devel oped allowing to test both the examinee's frequency and octave discrim ination capacity in a simple way. In a l-Hz cycle the frequencies f(1) and f(2) are directed mutually to the right and left ear, respectivel y, at a defined sound level. Then the examinee is asked to syntonize e .g. frequency equality f(1) = f(2) (or f(1) = 2 x f(2)). It can be sho wn that there is a direct correlation between the amount of deviation from nominal frequency and subjective assessment of musicality.