Exploring the perceptual effects of performers' interpretations

Background in performance analysis and perception. Empirical studies of performance attributes such as tempo variations, dynamics (Palmer, 1989; Repp, 1997, 1999) and even visual gestures (Vines et al., 2006) posit that structural emphases can be measured from these aural and visual streams. Recording continuous perceptual responses from audience judges on tasks such as shaping perceived phrasing and tension (Vines et al., 2006) provides insight into the communicative function of performance and allows the exploration of relationships between performance parameters and their "communicative" outcomes. Background in philosophy of musical performance. To perform a piece of music is to present and portray the patterns of that piece of music (Walton, 1988). The nature and extent to which performers may actually articulate patterns is unclear. Empirical studies in this field may help clarify questions such as the artistic value of the performer's contribution in performing a musical work and the comparability of different performances (what Levinson calls "performative results") of the same piece. Aims. This study examines whether a performer's unique interpretation can be conveyed to the point where it changes how the listener "hears" a piece, extending the work of Spiro (2007). Main contribution: Musically-trained audience judges were presented with three performances each of Chopin's B Flat Minor Sonata, final movement, and of Chopin's Prelude in E minor and asked to indicate phrasing continuously using a slider. The effects across participants for the one performer and also across performances are examined, exploring how these relate to measured aural features such as tempo and dynamics. Results across all participants show a range of responses indicating that there is not an 'agreed' perceived interpretation for each performance. Collating the phrase boundary responses for each performance, the strength of responses at particular points in the score vary slightly across performances of the same piece, suggesting that performers can control the extent to which a structural boundary is emphasised. Conclusions: These preliminary results show that despite the fact that the act of listening to music can be personal and dependent on a number of a priori factors, different interpretations can have an effect on how we hear phrasing according to the emphasis or de-emphasis of certain structural features. Implications. These results imply that performers can have an influence on the audience perception of phrasing even in well-known pieces of repertoire. This may help in considering how audiences respond in comparing performances and could potentially redefine the role and artistic value of performers in music making.