2025/06/16 by Giulia Lorenzi, Felipe Morales Carbonell · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Neuroscience · #Diverse Music Education Insights #Musicology and Musical Analysis #Neuroscience and Music Perception
paper · doi:10.1080/0020174x.2025.2519929
openalex publication_date 2025/06/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
The concept of virtuosity plays a distinctive role in our understanding of performance arts, and of music in particular. In this paper we provide a new account of virtuosity as it applies to musical performers, performances, and pieces. According to this view, virtuosity has to do with the ability to overcome certain musical challenges, which involve sonic, interpretative/compositional and agentive components. We argue that this view improves on previous philosophical analyses by Mark ([1980]. “On Works of Virtuosity.” Journal of Philosophy 77 (1): 28–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/2025597) and Howard ([1997] “Virtuosity as a Performance Concept: A Philosophical Analysis.” Philosophy of Music Education Review 5 (1): 42–54; [2008]. Charm and Speed: Virtuosity in the Performing Arts. New York: Peter Lang).