Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eliana (class of 2026) and features a book about music psychology as it relates to musicians. Thanks, Eliana!
The Musical Temperament: Psychology and Personality of Musicians by Anthony E. Kemp
If you are interested in psychology and music, I recommend reading Anthony E. Kemp’s The Musical Temperament: Psychology and Personality of Musicians if you need some help understanding how research concerning the personalities of musicians has progressed over the years. Though it is heavy in research jargon, this book alerts the reader that this is a growing field that gives insight into how the different paths that musicians choose to take can influence their personality traits.
Published in 1996, The Musical Temperament: Psychology and Personality of Musicians is the first book to address connections of personality traits and psychological states with various types of musicians, including composers, teachers, and many more. The author introduces personality theories that have emerged over the decades and addresses the traits of anxiety, independence, sensitivity, introversion, and gender issues through the lenses of research and scholarly articles. Kemp also considers different forms of musicianship, such as singers or conductors, to demonstrate the impact that different skill sets have on personality and the predisposed path a musician may take in relation to these skills.