Commorbidity and Analysis

Comorbidity refers to the coexistence of one or more diseases/disorders in one person. Comormidity, then, might in some cases explain a psychologist’s mis-diagnosis of a patient’s symptoms. Certain symptoms might be so pronounced that they mask other conditions or processes, which themselves might be less noticeable even though they’re arguably more responsible for the observed behavior in question.

I think one could argue that a successful musical analysis demonstrates an alertness to comorbidity. It’s possible that certain composers were similarly attuned. Alfred Schnittke’s “polystylistic” music might be a good starting point for this conversation: bringing out the triads, for example, hides the underlying twelve-tone row. Let me listen more and get back to you on this one. Better yet, share your thoughts in the comments.