Gestalt

Concept of a unified whole that is greater than, or different from, the sum of its parts; that is, a complete structure whose nature is not explained simply by analysing its constituent elements. A chair, for example, will generally be recognized as a chair despite great variations between individual chairs in such attributes as size, shape, and colour.

Gestalt psychology regards all mental phenomena as being arranged in organized, structured wholes, as opposed to being composed of simple sensations. For example, learning is seen as a reorganizing of a whole situation (often involving insight), as opposed to the behaviourists' view that it consists of associations between stimuli and responses. Gestalt psychologists' experiments show that the brain is not a passive receiver of information, but that it structures all its input in order to make sense of it, a belief that is now generally accepted; however, other principles of Gestalt psychology have received considerable criticism.

The term ‘Gestalt’ was first used in psychology by the Austrian philosopher and psychologist Christian von Ehrenfels in 1890. Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka (1886-1941) were cofounders of Gestalt psychology.

Gestalt

Word that has gained currency as a musical term in German-speaking countries, used in music analysis and in philosophical or aesthetic discussions on music to designate a musical idea as it comes from the composer's mind in what is supposed to be a kind of primeval or pre-existing form.