I have seen the topic pop up in enough threads here that I thought I'd start a single one to get an answer.
Of what value is perfect pitch recognition? That is, of what value is it for one to hear a note and then announce, "that was an A below middle C"?
People carry on about perfect pitch as if it were some sort of Holy Grail of musicianship (tell that to Beethoven... loudly...). What does one gain with it? The ability to tune or otherwise pitch an instrument?
Perfect relative pitch is far more useful, if you ask me. That is, knowing the interval between two notes. I have never discovered a real benefit to singular pitch recognition. Tell me what I am missing.