The title of the Chapter “Papa Blows His Nose in G: Absolute Pitch” vividly demonstrates its topic. The chapter under consideration is dedicated to the study and analysis of the phenomenon of human ability to determine the pitch of any note that can be exercised by a person immediately and independently, that means that neither reflection nor comparison of the note is needed. Absolute pitch is unique and insufficiently discovered area of human physical abilities, and there are certain positive and negative consequences of having absolute pitch, this is why the nature and origin of this phenomenon of human perception of sounds are under study nowadays.
In order to introduce the notion of absolute pitch to the audience, the author of the chapter sets several examples of people who are endowed with this unique ability. An interesting example was, for instance, Sir Frederick Ouseley, Oxford professor of music, who could unmistakably determine the pitch of any sound he heard, like the sound of blowing nose, hence the title of the chapter “Papa Blows His Nose in G”. The range of sounds the pitch of which he could determine was almost unlimited, it included whistling, the sound of thunder, and many other sounds. Besides, this ability seems absolutely normal for those people who have it, though for a common person it seems an outstanding ability.
The above mentioned example illustrates possession of absolute pitch by a musician, but this ability may be also found in people, who are not professional musicians, such as, for instance, Olavi Sotavalta, who is an entomologist. However, his absolute pitch assists him in his work greatly, because he is able to determine the frequency of wing beats of the insect and state the name of species.
However, alone with the positive effect and the benefits provided by absolute pitch, people may experience negative emotions and feel uncomfortable because of it. People with absolute pitch sense every slightest deviation of sound, and the improper sharpness or flatness of the sound may frustrate and upset the person, though it is absolutely indiscernible for a “common ear”. Slightest ill-tuning of the musical instrument may make a musician with absolute pitch unable to play even simple musical piece, because the sounds that are produced by the musical instrument seem absolutely different for the musician, it is very distressing, and may make him angry and nervous. Besides, one more difficulty, caused by absolute pitch is the problem of perception of intervals and harmonies that is caused by the acute sense of chroma of the notes.
Absolute pitch may be of great use for musicians; nevertheless, not all endowed musicians have it. It is much worse when a musician used to have absolute pitch, but has lost it as the consequence of some decease or accident. This loss may be compared with colorblindness, and may be really disturbing for a person.
Diana Deutsch, a scientist who studies the phenomenon of absolute pitch, and who has absolute pitch as well, is greatly interested in the spread of this phenomenon and the causes of absence of it in the majority of people. The question is why it is not a universal sense. She explains the strangeness of absence of absolute pitch using the example of color naming. For people who possess the pitch, its absence is as strange as inability of a person to define the color that is shown to him. If a person sees a color, understands that it is different from other colors, but he is unable to name it, it is queer. A common person can only make a logical conclusion that if he is shown blue color, the color he cannot name must be red, on the basis of their comparison.
As for the regularity of people with absolute pitch, scientists have determined that it is most commonly observed among musicians, especially if a person has been training since early childhood. However, there is no guarantee that early musical lessons will provide a person with absolute pitch. The results of research show that absolute pitch is more frequently observed in some families, but the reasons are not defined yet; probably, the genes play the decisive role, or rich musical environment.
Diana Deutsch has conducted a very interesting research that is based on the connection of absolute pitch and language. As the result, she has stated that the acquisition of absolute pitch may be compared with the study of the second language, especially for those learners, whose language is nontonal, such as the English language. Thus, the hypothesis suggested by D. Deutsch is that all people have potential to acquire absolute pitch. Another original idea of D. Deutsch is that all infants possess absolute pitch, but this sense weakens and vanishes as a child becomes older.
Finally, the study of the origin of absolute pitch suggests the following hypothesis: absolute pitch goes back to protomusic-cum-protolanguage that was typical of the Neanderthal period. This language, called “Hmmm” for convenience, was based on such necessary skills as mimetic skills, and absolute pitch was a necessary element as well. However, in the course of development of human society and changes language, there occurred certain changes in brain, which caused the loss of absolute pitch.
In conclusion, let us say that nowadays the phenomenon of absolute pitch remains a secret for scientists, though the chapter shows that a lot of work is being done, and these researches promise nontrivial results for humanity. Absolute pitch is the unique quality that has positive as well as negative effect on people. Maybe, in the near future, the phenomenon of absolute pitch will be discovered, and it will be the sign of a new stage of evolution of humanity.