ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Schismatic temperament

Hey there! Today we're going to talk about something called "schismatic temperament". But don't worry, I'm going to explain it in a way that's easy for you to understand, like you're 5 years old.

Okay, so first let's talk about what "temperament" means. Temperament is how a person's emotions and behavior are. So, if someone is usually happy and calm, we might say they have a "calm temperament". Or, if someone is often anxious or worried, we might say they have an "anxious temperament".

Now, when we talk about "schismatic temperament", we're talking about a specific kind of temperament that was studied by people who were interested in music. They noticed that some people have a certain way of hearing and responding to sounds that's different from other people. And they called this the "schismatic temperament".

Basically, it's like some people's brains hear music in a different way than other people's brains do. And this can affect how they feel about the music and how they play it, if they're musicians.

So, for example, let's say you're listening to a song with a certain melody. If you have a schismatic temperament, you might hear that melody in a way that sounds kind of "out of tune" or "off" to other people. And you might feel like that melody doesn't sound quite right or it's missing something important.

On the other hand, if you don't have a schismatic temperament, you might hear that same melody and think it sounds fine and normal. You might not even notice anything different or strange about it.

But here's the thing: just because someone has a schismatic temperament doesn't mean they're bad at music! In fact, some very famous musicians have had this kind of temperament. They were able to use their unique way of hearing and playing music to create new and interesting sounds that other people might not have thought of.

So, in conclusion, schismatic temperament is a way that some people hear and respond to music that's different from other people. It doesn't mean they're bad at music, it just means they have a unique perspective that can be really valuable in creating new and interesting sounds.