On the limits of musical collaboration

Abstract

In this short essay, I discuss some definitions that can help to understand the possibilities and limits of collaborative musical creative process. To this end, a first explanation of Nicholas Wolterstorff’s ontological postulates for the musical work is carried out. Then, examples of musical collaboration are presented from the Baroque to recent cases, tracing some constant lines between the processes. Finally, a proposal towards collaborating aims is discussed to amplify its power in producing musical diversity based on the diversity of subjects.