Communication of musical closure in performance: An investigation of non-pitch cues.
Published: 2007
Language: eng
Number of pages: 52
ISBN-13: 9780494274002
Description: The role of performance expression in the communication of tonal closure was examined. In Experiment 1, musicians hummed two versions of Silent Night, one ending that was tonally closed and another that was unclosed. All pitches were then set to a constant value using ProTools, so that the phrases only varied in the use of performance expression. Participants judged whether each sequence was closed or unclosed. The proportion of "closed" judgments was not higher for closed or unclosed sequences; however, some performers more capably communicate tonal closure than others. In Experiment 2, video recordings of the same hummed sequences were presented (no sound). Participants judged whether the (imagined) melody was closed or unclosed. The proportion of closed judgments was higher for closed than unclosed sequences. The results confirm that musicians express tonal closure and listeners decode such visual cues. The implications for models of musical performance are discussed.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 3310.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2007.

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