Dynamic Levels in Classical and Romantic Keyboard Music: Effect of Musical Mode

Ladinig, Olivia; Huron, David

doi:10.18061/1811/46762

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…In addition to smaller pitch movement, other factors known to contribute to sad affect include quieter dynamic level (e.g., Turner & Huron, 2008), slower tempo (e.g., Post & Huron, 2009), darker timbre and more legato articulation (e.g., Schutz, Huron, Keeton, & Loewer, 2008), and lower than normal pitch (e.g., Huron, 2008;Huron, Yim, & Chordia, 2010). Transposing a passage from major to minor mode is not, in itself, sufficient to evoke, express, or represent a sad affect (e.g., Ladinig & Huron, 2010). Nevertheless, for Western-enculturated listeners, transposition to the minor mode has a strong likelihood of making a passage sound sadder (Heinlein, 1928;Hevner, 1935).…”

Section: Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Harmonic Minor Scale Provides an Optimum Way of Reducing Average Melodic Interval Size, Consistent with Sad Affect Cues

Huron

Davis

2013

EMR

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Small pitch movement is known to characterize sadness in speech prosody. Small melodic interval sizes have also been observed in nominally sad music -at least in the case of Western music. Starting with melodies in the major mode, a study is reported which examines the effect of different scale modifications on the average interval size. Compared with all other possible scale modifications, lowering the third and sixth scale tones from the major scale is shown to provide an optimum or near optimum way of reducing the average melodic interval size for a large diverse sample of major-mode melodies. The results are consistent with the view that Western melodic organization and the major-minor polarity are co-adapted, and that the structure of the minor mode contributes to the evoking, expressing or representation of sadness for listeners enculturated to the major scale.Submitted 2012 September 4; accepted 24 September 2012. KEYWORDS: minor mode, sadness, melodic interval, scalesKRAEPELIN (1899/1921) identified five characteristics of sad speech: (1) low overall pitch, (2) small pitch movement, (3) quieter, (4) mumbled articulation, and (5) slower speaking rate. Over the past century, Kraepelin's clinical observations have been confirmed through controlled experimental studies. With regard to small pitch movement, sad vocal prosody is more "monotone" compared with normal voice (Banse & Scherer, 1996;Bergmann, Goldbeck & Scherer, 1988;Breitenstein, van Lancker, & Daum, 2001;Davitz, 1964;Eldred & Price, 1958;Fairbanks & Pronovost, 1939;Huttar, 1968;Skinner, 1935;Sobin & Alpert, 1999;Williams & Stevens, 1972). Wide pitch excursions are associated with high physiological arousal, such as occurs in joy or anger. By contrast, low variability of the fundamental pitch (F0) is characteristic of low arousal, including both sad voice and sleepy voice.In historical and cross-cultural studies, music-related sadness is one of the most commonly described affects. In his volume De Medicina, the first century Roman physician Aulus Celsus described how "playing soft music" might be used to treat the mental stupor thought to be caused by an excess of black bile-a condition Celsus described by its literal Latin term, melancholia. Similar descriptions of music's ability to evoke or temper sadness can be found in many historical texts spanning many cultures, including ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit sources. Apart from historical sources, there also exist both ethnographic and empirical descriptions of grief-or sadness-related musical experiences in many cultures. Laments, sorrow songs, dirges, elegies, and mourning-song traditions are evident around the world, especially in eastern Europe (e.g., Mazo, 1994;Seremetakis, 1991;Wilce, 2009), Africa (e.g., Anyumba, 1964Nketia, 1975), the Middle East and Asia (e.g., Naroditskaya, 2000;Racy, 1986;Wilce, 2002), and Oceania and Australia (e.g., Feld, 1982/1990Magowan, 2007;Moyle, 1987).Sadness has been one of the most commonly studied affects in resea...

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Section: Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Harmonic Minor Scale Provides an Optimum Way of Reducing Average Melodic Interval Size, Consistent with Sad Affect Cues

Huron

Davis

2013

EMR

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“…This affective language continued beyond the Classical period, and became symptomatic of the Romantic period. Ladinig and Huron (2010) formally tested this interpretation by comparing the dynamic levels in keyboard works from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In general, notated dynamic levels tend to become quieter over the period in question.…”

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confidence: 99%

Beyond Happiness and Sadness: Affective Associations of Lyrics with Modality and Dynamics

Tiemann¹,

Huron²

2011

Empirical Musicology Review

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A study is reported investigating the relationship between modality (major/minor) and dynamics (piano/forte) on four affects -as evident in the content of musical lyrics. Forty solo vocal works were sampled: 10 in the major mode with a loud (forte) dynamic level, 10 in the major mode with a quiet (piano) dynamic level, 10 in the minor mode with a loud dynamic level, and 10 in the minor mode with a quiet dynamic level. Sampled compositions were all tonal works from the Western vocal repertoire. Without hearing the music, 60 native-speakers of English, German, and French judged the language-appropriate lyrics according to four affects: sadness, happiness, passion, and tenderness. Results were consistent with predicted associations between minor-piano music and sadness, major-forte music and happiness, and minorforte music and passion. A fourth predicted association between major-piano music and tenderness was skewed in the predicted direction, but was not statistically significant.

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“…In the first instance (Post & Huron, 2009) the relationship between tempo and mode was investigated; in the paper under consideration here, dynamics and mode (Ladinig & Huron, 2010). In both cases the practices of different historical periods were compared yielding somewhat unexpected results.…”

Section: In a Series Of Intriguing Papers By Huron And His Collaboratmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the Use of Dynamics in Western Keyboard Music: Lessons and Problems

Fabian¹

2010

Empirical Musicology Review

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Ladinig and Huron's (2010) investigation of the relationship between mode (major-minor) and dynamics in Classical and Romantic piano music indicated higher levels of dynamics for compositions from the Classical period but only in major-mode pieces. This was contrary to the expectation that minor mode pieces from the Romantic era would be louder because romantic composers may have intended to convey seriousness, passion or even aggression, rather than sadness. Although the methodology was carefully crafted to enable necessary control for a quantitative study, it also contributed to the questionable relevance of the results. It is arguable whether the chosen repertoire is typical, whether initial markings in the score have a true bearing on the dynamic characteristics of a piece and whether notated dynamics are reliable data due to historical notation conventions and later editorial practices.

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Dynamic Levels in Classical and Romantic Keyboard Music: Effect of Musical Mode

Cited by 14 publications

References 18 publications

The Harmonic Minor Scale Provides an Optimum Way of Reducing Average Melodic Interval Size, Consistent with Sad Affect Cues

The Harmonic Minor Scale Provides an Optimum Way of Reducing Average Melodic Interval Size, Consistent with Sad Affect Cues

Beyond Happiness and Sadness: Affective Associations of Lyrics with Modality and Dynamics

Quantifying the Use of Dynamics in Western Keyboard Music: Lessons and Problems

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