{"paper_id":"2ab03a1d-741a-4671-80e2-10e323077eda","body_text":"What’s in a Name? Dynasties, Selection, and Talent Allocation Among Classical Composers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article What’s in a Name? Dynasties, Selection, and Talent Allocation Among Classical Composers Karol Jan Borowiecki, Martin Hørlyk Kristensen, Marc T. Law This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7132518/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract How does family background shape entry into elite professions, and how do changes in training regimes influence the allocation of talent? We study dynasties in Western classical composition, a setting where family ties historically influenced access, and where rich biographical data allow us to trace selection dynamics over multiple centuries. Using data on over 16,000 composers from 450 CE to the present, we identify dynastic ties from Grove Music Online and measure prominence using the length of each composer’s biographical entry. Dynastic composers are between 14 and 21 percent less prominent than their non-dynastic peers, conditional on country and birth cohort. This discount is driven by descendants; founders are as prominent as non-dynasts, while descendants under-perform both. Similar results hold using archival manuscript data from Répertoire International des Sources Musicales, suggesting the pattern is not an artifact of editorial selection. In the twentieth century, the pattern reverses: dynasts become more prominent, consistent with a shift from informal, family-based entry to standardized selection via conservatory training. Supporting this interpretation, we show that dynasts are less likely to have formal training mentioned in their biographies, and that the dynasty discount is smaller in regions and periods where conservatories were present. Our findings suggest that cre-dentialing reforms may have influenced patterns of elite formation and talent allocation, offering broader insight into the relationship between human capital access and long-run economic performance. JEL Codes: O15, J24, J62, I25, N30, Z11 talent allocation dynasties human capital transmission conservatories classical composers Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 28 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 09 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 01 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 21 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 15 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-7132518\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":489534641,\"identity\":\"6d8a44b8-6f7e-4610-86dd-4627c525a08b\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Karol Jan Borowiecki\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCYYzjA8gzAQGBp4DxGlhNiBVCw+bBGlaJBvPHqv8UbONQb49x4DhzRkitEgznEu7zXPsNoPBmTcGjHNuEKFFjuGM2W0GNqAWiRwDZp4PRGop/PHvNoP8DGK1SAO1MPC23WZguAHSQozDJBvOJUvz9t3mMTjzrODgHGK8L3Hj7MGPP77dlpNvT9744M0xIrQwSBwAUzwg4gAxGhgY+BuIUzcKRsEoGAUjGAAAkxw64doB2IsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"University of Southern Denmark\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Karol\",\"middleName\":\"Jan\",\"lastName\":\"Borowiecki\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":489534642,\"identity\":\"78ef1c9f-6628-48dc-b038-9e70a217e169\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Martin Hørlyk Kristensen\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"University of Southern Denmark\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Martin\",\"middleName\":\"Hørlyk\",\"lastName\":\"Kristensen\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":489534643,\"identity\":\"8acd1504-da86-4e1d-8478-fe57f76d4e11\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Marc T. 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We study dynasties in Western classical composition, a setting where family ties historically influenced access, and where rich biographical data allow us to trace selection dynamics over multiple centuries. Using data on over 16,000 composers from 450 CE to the present, we identify dynastic ties from Grove Music Online and measure prominence using the length of each composer’s biographical entry. Dynastic composers are between 14 and 21 percent less prominent than their non-dynastic peers, conditional on country and birth cohort. This discount is driven by descendants; founders are as prominent as non-dynasts, while descendants under-perform both. Similar results hold using archival manuscript data from Répertoire International des Sources Musicales, suggesting the pattern is not an artifact of editorial selection. 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