Ensemble performance : interpersonal alignment of musical expression

Music performance is typically a collective affair, with multiple individuals coming together in ensembles of varying size and composition. Although aesthetic and social goals of ensemble performance may vary as a function of piece, genre, socio-cultural context, and performers' predilections, ensemble musicians commonly aim to communicate information about musical structure and expressive intentions to co-performers and audience members. As in solo performance, this aim is pursued by deliberately introducing variations in performance parameters such as tempo, intensity, articulation, and sound quality. The special challenge for ensemble performers, however, is that these expressive devices are no longer merely a matter of individual variation, but rather of inter-individual co-variation.