At one time, a composer who worked within a tradition and borrowed freely from other composers could be thought to be highly creative and even a genius. Handel is the clearest example of such a composer. Starting in the eighteenth century (in Edward Young’s Conjectures on original composition) creativity and genius became identified with radical originality. By the early twentieth century this conception of genius was rampant and was influencing musical composition – and not for the better. This essay concludes by arguing that originality, far from being the key to creativity, can be an obstacle to genuine creativity, conceived of as the production of works with high aesthetic value.

KEYWORDS: Philosophy of Music, Creativity, Originality, Plagiarism, Aesthetics.