[stygianguest]

The ability to remember music is more like chessmasters being able to remember configurations of the chess board who can remember any chess board configuration but suddenly become like any of us when trying to memorize an impossible configuration. It is, for example, unlikely that Mozard would have had instant recall for Indian music that has many rhythms, 22 tones in an octave and some very different harmonic constructions. Essentially a well trained ear can remember the music, but not the sound.

[mechanical_fish]

I suspect Mozart would have been helped by the fact that he grew up in the heart of the classical era and the concert music of the day was quite formalized. There were certain things that always happened in a piece of concert music, and certain things that never happened.

It may go without saying, but part of the reason why such relatively strict musical forms were popular in the 18th century is that they made the music easier for amateurs to memorize and perform. There was a big boom in middle-class amateur musicianship at the time.

Modern musicians operate at a handicap relative to Mozart because modern music, even if we restrict ourselves to Western concert music, is stylistically and formally all over the place.

[ekianjo]

Well I was referring to Allegri' Miserere in particular which is not a classical piece of Music, yet Mozart was able to transcribe it from memory after hearing it only once. Its all a capella as well.

[marcofucci]

I agree. I have a really bad memory but I can easily "listen" to a song I have heard a few times and I can hear several instruments, not only one. I think that this is just because I'm a musician.