Andreas von Doebeln wrote:

>I am pretty sure Musicallity has not much with IQ to do.  I have met
>excellent drummers who were even more stupid than I am.  Mozarts IQ
>is estimated to ca 150 by MENSA in London, who use to dabble with that.
>Several composers had most probably higher IQ although not considered such
>great composers.

I remember reading about that study a few years ago.  Beethoven's and J.S.
Bach's IQs were rated above average but substantially below Mozart's.
Next after Mozart among the well-known European composers came Handel
and Mendelssohn...or maybe Mendelssohn and Handel.  I never saw the
actual article and would be curious to read it.  Apparently the posthumous
assigning of IQ levels is a respectable science, so long as we know enough
about the life of the person we're testing.  I suspect the age at which the
person began to talk, to read, or to demonstrate other achievements would
be considered (remembering that Einstein, for example, talked late in his
childhood, however).

If Andreas knows more about that study, I'd appreciate his advising me, off
the list if it isn't of sufficient musical interest.

Walter Meyer