ABSTRACT
The individual with signs of unusual abilities in composition who does not become a professional musician, that is, one who must work for a living and whose principal source of income is derived from the practice of music, has long been identified throughout modern history as a 'dilettante composer', that is, a nonprofessional musician. Basically, all arguments concerning differences between the categories of musicians ultimately boil down to two fundamental factors, social class and financial viability. In itself 'dilettante' is an unusual word that comes into use in the English language in the eighteenth century to signify the individual who delights, enjoys, and/or creates something for its own sake, in terms of its own value, and not primarily with either desire or need for financial reward. In English 'dilettante' carries a connotation of seriousness on the part of the non-professional individual so identified, while the label of 'amateur' does not have a similar cachet.
