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List of people with absolute pitch

This is a list of notable people with absolute pitch, or "perfect pitch".

Note for pre-19th century composers

Owing to uncertainty in the historical record, it is often impossible to determine whether composers and musicians of the past had absolute pitch. Since absolute pitch is rare in European musical culture,1 claims that any particular musician possessed it are difficult to evaluate. Among composers of the Baroque and Classical eras, evidence is available only for Mozart, who is documented to have demonstrated the ability at age 7.2 Experts have only surmised that Beethoven had it, as indicated from some excerpts from his letters. By the 19th century, it became more common for the presence of absolute pitch to be recorded, such as in the case of Camille Saint-Saëns and John Philip Sousa.

List

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Persons with absolute pitch
NameYear of birthYear of deathDescription
Bill Bailey31965(living)British comedian, musician and actor
Ludwig van Beethoven417701827German composer and pianist
Joshua Bell51967(living)American violinist and conductor
Nikolai Bernstein618961966Russian scientist
Mariah Carey7891969(living)American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer
Ray Charles1019302004American musician
Frédéric Chopin1118101849Polish composer and pianist
Jacob Collier12131994(living)English singer, composer and producer
Celine Dion141968(living)Canadian singer
Ella Fitzgerald1519171996American jazz singer
Kirsten Flagstad1618951962Norwegian opera singer
David Foster171949(living)Canadian musician, producer
Charly García18191951(living)Argentine singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
Glenn Gould2019321982Canadian classical pianist
Jascha Heifetz2119011987Russian-American violinist
Whitney Houston2219632012American singer and actress
Michael Jackson2319582009American singer, songwriter and dancer
James P. Johnson2418941955American pianist and composer
Scott Joplin2518681917American composer and pianist
Carole King261942(living)American singer, songwriter, and musician
Dimash Kudaibergen271994(living)Kazakh singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Gary Moore2819522011Northern Irish musician
W. A. Mozart293017561791Austrian composer
Frederick Ouseley3118251889English musician, professor
Derek Paravicini321979(living)British pianist, musical savant
Itzhak Perlman331945(living)Israeli-American violinist
Lucky Peterson3419642020American musician
Oscar Peterson3519252007Canadian jazz pianist
Charlie Puth36371991(living)American singer, songwriter, and record producer
Sviatoslav Richter3819151997Russian classical pianist
Arthur Rubinstein3918871982Polish-American pianist
Jordan Rudess401956(living)American keyboardist for Dream Theater
Lea Salonga41421971(living)Filipina singer, actress, producer, and columnist
Sheryn Regis43441979(living)Filipina singer, actress, host
Artur Schnabel4518821951Austrian-American classical pianist
James Scott4618851938American ragtime composer
Art Tatum4719091956American jazz pianist
Arturo Toscanini4818671957Italian conductor
Brian Wilson4919422025American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and co-founder of the Beach Boys
Stevie Wonder501950(living)American musician
Yo-Yo Ma511955(living)American cellist

References

  1. Deutsch, D (2006). "The enigma of absolute pitch" (PDF). Acoustics Today. 2 (4): 11–19. doi:10.1121/1.2961141. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2022. http://philomel.com/pdf/Acoustics_Today_2006.pdf ↩

  2. Deutsch, D (2006). "The enigma of absolute pitch" (PDF). Acoustics Today. 2 (4): 11–19. doi:10.1121/1.2961141. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2022. http://philomel.com/pdf/Acoustics_Today_2006.pdf ↩

  3. "Perfect Pitch: 'I knew the hoover was playing B flat' | BBC". BBC Radio Wales. April 5, 2006. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03q44rl ↩

  4. "What actually is perfect pitch – and how do I get it?". Classic FM. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-perfect-pitch-which-singers/ ↩

  5. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  6. Latash, Mark L. (2020). Bernstein's Construction of Movements: The Original Text and Commentaries. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-21386-7. 978-1-000-21386-7 ↩

  7. "What actually is perfect pitch – and how do I get it?". Classic FM. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-perfect-pitch-which-singers/ ↩

  8. "Perfect Pitch and How It Works". Signia Hearing Aids. September 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.signia-hearing.com/blog/perfect-pitch-and-how-it-works/ ↩

  9. "The Mysteries of Perfect Pitch | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/200607/the-mysteries-perfect-pitch ↩

  10. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  11. "What actually is perfect pitch – and how do I get it?". Classic FM. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-perfect-pitch-which-singers/ ↩

  12. "Millennial Mozart: The boundless creative genius of Jacob Collier". New Atlas. July 16, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022. https://newatlas.com/music/jacob-collier/ ↩

  13. Killian, Anais. "The Genius of Jacob Collier". The Register Forum. Retrieved March 22, 2022. https://registerforum.org/11651/arts-entertainment/the-genius-of-jacob-collier/ ↩

  14. "The Mysteries of Perfect Pitch | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/200607/the-mysteries-perfect-pitch ↩

  15. "Ella Fitzgerald: America's First Lady Of Song". NPR.org. Retrieved March 14, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2010/03/29/125170386/ella-fitzgerald-americas-first-lady-of-song ↩

  16. Wilson, Glenn Daniel (1994). Psychology for Performing Artists: Butterflies and Bouquets. London and Bristol, Pennsylvania: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 161. ISBN 1-85302-166-0. When soprano Kirsten Flagstad suffered a serious ear ailment that rendered her virtually deaf, for over a year she was able to carry on singing major Wagnerian roles at the Metropolitan Opera using only her own absolute pitch and visual contact with the conductor. 1-85302-166-0 ↩

  17. Foster, David (2009). Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-6665-9. 978-1-4391-6665-9 ↩

  18. Moreira, Vanessa (November 3, 2020). "Charly García y su gran don: el oído absoluto" [Charly García and his great gift: absolute pitch]. 970 Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021. https://970universal.com/2020/11/03/charly-garcia-y-su-gran-don-el-oido-absoluto/ ↩

  19. Jofre, Alejandro (October 23, 2017). "Carlitos antes de Charly: el oído absoluto de García" [Carlitos before Charly: García's perfect pitch]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved June 12, 2021. https://www.latercera.com/culto/2017/10/23/carlitos-charly-oido-absoluto-garcia/ ↩

  20. Ostwald, Peter F. (1997). Glenn Gould: The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius. New York: W. W. Norton. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-393-04077-7. 978-0-393-04077-7 ↩

  21. Kopytova, Galina (2013). Jascha Heifetz: Early Years in Russia. Indiana University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-253-01089-6. 978-0-253-01089-6 ↩

  22. "Whitney Houston Has The Perfect Pitch, But That's Not All She's Remembered For". May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022. https://www.thethings.com/whitney-houston-perfect-pitch-life-facts-controversies-career/ ↩

  23. "What actually is perfect pitch – and how do I get it?". Classic FM. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-perfect-pitch-which-singers/ ↩

  24. Gates (Jr.), Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (2009). Harlem Renaissance Lives from the African American National Biography. Oxford University Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-19-538795-7. 978-0-19-538795-7 ↩

  25. Frew, Tim (1996). Scott Joplin & the Age of Ragtime. The Life, Times & Music Series. New York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. p. 35. ISBN 1-56799-304-4. Born with perfect pitch, Scott quickly picked up songs on his family's old, battered reed organ. 1-56799-304-4 ↩

  26. "Carole King Biography and Interview". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020. https://www.achievement.org/achiever/carole-king/#interview ↩

  27. "Бабушка и дедушка Димаша дали эксклюзивное интервью" (in Russian). NUR Kazakhstan. Retrieved February 16, 2020. https://www.nur.kz/1503157-babushka-dedushka-dimasha-dali-eksklyuz.html ↩

  28. Shapiro, Harry (February 6, 2022). "How Gary Moore reignited the British blues scene with the help of a famous guitar". Classic Rock. Future plc. Retrieved February 26, 2025. /wiki/Harry_Shapiro_(author) ↩

  29. "Social Sciences". ucsdnews.ucsd.edu. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20131113101150/http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/archive/newsrel/soc/dpitchdeutsch.htm ↩

  30. "What actually is perfect pitch – and how do I get it?". Classic FM. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-perfect-pitch-which-singers/ ↩

  31. Sacks, Oliver (2008). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Knopf Doubleday. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-4000-3353-9. 978-1-4000-3353-9 ↩

  32. "Meet the blind, autistic piano genius, who can play any piece after hearing it once". Classic FM. March 3, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2023. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/blind-autistic-genius-derek-paravicini-improvisations/ ↩

  33. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  34. Gunther, Marty (June 28, 2019). "Featured Interview – Lucky Peterson". Blues Blast Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2023. I had perfect pitch, so I didn't have a problem knowin' where they were. https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/featured-interview-lucky-peterson/ ↩

  35. Batten, Jack (2012). Oscar Peterson: The Man and His Jazz. Tundra. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-77049-362-9. 978-1-77049-362-9 ↩

  36. Jupp, Emily (January 29, 2016). "Charlie Puth interview: Being bullied for pitch perfect talent and Selena Gomez's advice on dealing with negativity". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/charlie-puth-interview-being-bullied-pitch-perfect-talent-and-selena-gomez-s-advice-dealing-negativity-a6841501.html ↩

  37. Roberts, Maddy Shaw (December 3, 2020). "Yes, Charlie Puth has perfect pitch. He's also a piano major, Rachmaninov stan and jazz improvisor". Classic FM. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/charlie-puth-perfect-pitch-loves-rachmaninov-jazz-improvisation/ ↩

  38. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  39. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  40. Rogerson, Ben (October 17, 2023). ""Not what I expected at all": here's what happened when Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess was asked to play along to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind, a song he'd never heard before". MusicRadar. Retrieved July 20, 2024. https://www.musicradar.com/news/jordan-rudess-alicia-keys-jay-z ↩

  41. "What Regine Velasquez refuses to do in singing talent search show". PEP.ph. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.pep.ph/guide/tv/28249/what-regine-velasquez-refuses-to-do-in-singing-talent-search-show ↩

  42. Staff, Messenger. "Broadway Legend Lea Salonga Performs at Pepperdine in April". M'Online. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://messengermountainnews.com/broadway-legend-lea-salonga-performs-at-pepperdine-in-april/ ↩

  43. "What Regine Velasquez refuses to do in singing talent search show". PEP.ph. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://www.pep.ph/guide/tv/28249/what-regine-velasquez-refuses-to-do-in-singing-talent-search-show ↩

  44. Staff, Messenger. "Broadway Legend Lea Salonga Performs at Pepperdine in April". M'Online. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://messengermountainnews.com/broadway-legend-lea-salonga-performs-at-pepperdine-in-april/ ↩

  45. Saerchinger, Cesar (2013). Artur Schnabel: A Biography. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-4474-9551-2. 978-1-4474-9551-2 ↩

  46. Christensen, Lawrence O.; Foley, William E.; Kremer, Gary (1999). Dictionary of Missouri Biography. University of Missouri Press. p. 681. ISBN 978-0-8262-6016-1. 978-0-8262-6016-1 ↩

  47. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  48. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  49. Lambert, Philip (2007). Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: the Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius. Continuum. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-8264-1876-0. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2022. 978-0-8264-1876-0 ↩

  50. Deutsch, Diana (2019). Musical illusions and phantom words: how music and speech unlock mysteries of the brain. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 101. ISBN 978-0-19-020683-3. 978-0-19-020683-3 ↩

  51. "Singing the praises of perfect pitch". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 14, 2022. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-04-27-0604270008-story.html ↩