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Effect of Musical Performance on Perception of Tension in Gustav Holst's First Suite in E-FlatAuthor(s): William E. FredricksonReviewed work(s):Source: Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring, 1999), pp. 44-52

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44

JRME

999,

VOLUME

7,

NUMBER

,

PAGES

4-52

The

purpose

of

the

study

was to

examinewhether

musicians who

rehearse

nd

perform

a

musical selection

perceive

ension in

the

music

differently

han

do

listenerswho have

not

had the

performance

xperience.

tudents

n

-

32)

in a

university

wind

ensemble

rehearsedndperformed ustavHolst'sFirstSuite n E-flat.Within weeks ftheper-

formance,

participants

istened

o

a

recording f thefirst

movement

Chaconne )

f

that

performance

hile

registering

heir

perceptions

f

tension

in

the music

using

a

Continuous

Response igital

nterface

CRDI)

ial.Another

group f

students

n

=

32)

from

a

university

choral

ensemble

performed

he same research

protocol.

Students

in

a

high

school band

(n

=

60)

also

rehearsed nd

performed

he

selection.

Participants

lis-

tened o

the

recording

f

the

musical

election,

nd

registered

heir

perceptions

f

tension,

before

ehearsals

egan

and

following

heir

performance.

nalysis

ndicated

hat

the

experience

f

performing

he

music did not

seem

to

greatlyaffect

perception

f

tension as

measured

n

this

study.

William

E.

Fredrickson,

University

of

Missouri-Kansas

City

E f f e c t o f

usical

erformance

o n

erception

o f

Tens ion

n

G u s t a v

H o l s t s

F i r s t S u i t e

n

E f l a t

There is

some

philosophical

controversy

in

music

education

today

about the place and value of performance in the musical education

of

young

people.

On

one

hand,

it

has been written

that

on

the

most

fundamental

level,

it is

clear

that music

making

in the

sense of

singing

and

playing

instruments lies at the

heart of

what music s and that

music

making

is

a

matter

of

...

musicianship

so

music

education

ought

to

be

centrally

concerned

with

teaching

and

learning

musicianship

(Elliott,

1995,

p.

72).

Schools

in

the

United

States

seem

to reflect this

philoso-

phy.

It

is

often

acknowledged

that,

as a

whole,

the

quality

and

quantity

of

performance

opportunities

offered

to and

participated

in

by

high

school

students

in

the

United

States

is

one

of

the education

wonders

of the world (Reimer, 1989, p. 182). On the other hand, there contin-

ue

to

be

questions

concerning

the

seemingly

exclusive use of

perfor-

mance in

some

programs

as

the means

by

which

students

encounter

William

E.

Fredrickson

is

an

associate

professor

of

music

in

the

Conservatory

of

Music,

University

of

Missouri-Kansas

City,

Center for the

Performing

Arts,

Kansas

City,

MO

64110.

Copyright

?

1999

by

MENG--The

National

Association for

Music

Education.



JRME

45

music

in

formal

training

after

elementary

school.

For the

researcher,

many

questions

arise

about how

people

perceive

music and

how

the act

of performance alters that perception.

Historically,

human

perception

of

musical events

has

been

measured

by

means

of

eliciting

some sort

of

physical,

verbal,

or

written

response

from the listener. The most common

is

the

applause

of

an audience.

Other behaviors include

purchasing

of sound

recordings,

buying

tick-

ets

to musical

events,

and

monetary

support

of

music

as

an art. From

these

things,

we have often

judged

human

appreciation

of

music and

musical

events.

Researchers have

developed

even more

systematic

ways

to measure human

perceptions

of and

responses

to musical events.

For

example,

researchers have

identified

some correlation

between

mood descriptors, such as happy, sad, exuberant, or reflective

(Birkoff,

1933;

Hevner,

1936);

particular

musical

elements,

such as

tonality, tempo,

and

dynamics

(Crozier,

1981;

Henkin,

1955;

Nielzen

&

Cesarec,

1982);

and mental

or

physical

excitation

responses

to music

(Goldstein,

1980;

Sloboda,

1991).

Work

is now

being

done that elicits

responses

from

listeners

in real

time

by

using

various devices

that allow

subjects

to

respond

during

the

act

of

listening

(Clynes

&

Nettheim,

1982;

Namba,

Kuwano,

Hatoh,

&

Kato,

1991).

Frede

V.

Nielsen

(1987)

used a device that included a

pair

of

spring-loaded

tongs

to measure

subjects'

perceived

tension.

Subjects

would

squeeze

the

tongs

in

response

to their

perceptions

of musical

tension.

The

purpose

was

to

attempt

to

empirically

measure a

phe-

nomenological

element

of music

in

real time

using

a

widely

accepted

selection of musical

literature.

Madsen and Fredrickson

(1993)

suc-

cessfully replicated

Nielsen's work

using

a

device

called

the Continuous

Response

Digital

Interface

(CRDI).

The CRDI

consists

of a dial

that

is

manipulated

by

a

subject

listening

to a musical selection. The

analog

fluctuations caused

by

movement

of the dial are converted to

digital

output

and read

as numbers

by

a

computer.

These

numbers are

then

usable

for

graphical/statistical

comparison.

If one examines the current

body

of research

using

this device, one

might

conclude

that

subjects

feel comfortable

manipulating

the dial

while

listening

to various

musical

stimuli and

that those

manipulations

are

an

accurate

representation

of

their

perceptions.

The CRDI has

been

used

to

measure

responses

in a

variety

of

areas,

including

focus

of

attention

during

music

listening

(Madsen,

Geringer,

&

Fredrickson,

1997);

music

preferences

of children and

adults

(Gregory,

1994);

changes

in

tempo

(Sheldon,

1994)

and

dynamics (Geringer,

1995);

and

aesthetic

experience

in

music

(Madsen,

Brittin,

&

Capperella-

Sheldon,

1993).

It has

proven

to be

a reliable

device for

collecting

on-

going

perceptual

responses

to various stimuli

(Gregory,

1995).

Fredrickson

(1995)

has

compared

the

responses

of

university-level

students

(musicians

and

nonmusicians)

tracking

aesthetic

responsive-

ness

in

Haydn's Symphony

No.

104

to

the

tension

responses

recorded

by

Madsen and Fredrickson

(1993).

Graphically depicted responses

to

perception

of tension

in music seem to be much more diverse than

those of the

aesthetic

response,

allowing

better

isolation

of similarities



46 FREDRICKSON

and

differences. Fredrickson

(1997)

performed

the

original

research

protocol

for tension

perception

with

school-age

students

in

Grades

2,

5, 8,

and

11/12. Graphic analysis

showed

strong

similarities

in

the

responses

between

age-groups

within the

study

and between

experi-

ence levels from

the

previous

study

(Pearson

correlations

ranging

from

.71 to

.98).

These results

support

a

continuation of the

investigation

of

perception

of

musical

tension

due

to

experiences

that seem

to be

com-

mon

to

a

broad

variety

of

subjects.

The

purpose

of

the

present

study

was to examine the effect

of

rehearsal

and

performance

of

a

piece

of

music on the

perception

of musical tension.

METHOD

Part 1

Students

(n

=

32)

in

an

auditioned

university

wind ensemble

(under-

graduate

and

graduate

students)

rehearsed and

performed

Gustav

Holst's First Suite

in

E-flat.

Within

2

weeks of the

performance

date,

they

listened to

a sound

recording

of

the first movement

( Chaconne )

of

that

performance

while

registering

their

perceptions

of tension

in

the music

using

a

Continuous

Response Digital

Interface

(CRDI)

dial.

Another

group

of

students

(n

=

32)

from

an

auditioned

choral ensem-

ble at

the

same

university

school of music

performed

the same

research

protocol. Participants

in this

group

were asked

if

they

had

heard

or

per-

formed

the musical selection

before.

Only

those who

responded

no

to both

questions

were used as

subjects

for

the

study.

The

hypothesis

in

this

case

was

that

there

might

be

differences between the

perceptions

of

musicians who

are

intimately

acquainted

with a

piece

of

music

through

its

preparation

and

performance

and

musicians

as

objective

listeners.

All

participants

received the

following

instructions:

The musical selection

you

are

about to

hear is the Chaconne from Gustav

Hoist's

First Suite in E-flat. This

study

is an

attempt

to

provide ongoing

information con-

cerning

perception

of tension

in

music. You will be

using

the

dial

in

front of

you

to

record

your responses

to the

music.

As

you

listen,

move

the

dial

along

the curve

in

relationship

to

what

you

consider to be

various

degrees

of musical tension.

There

are no

right

or

wrong

answers. Please

begin

with the dial on the far left

of

the

curve.

When the

music

starts,

move

the

dial

as

you

hear the tension increase

or

decrease

in

the music.

You

may

move the dial as

far and as often as

you

want. If

you

have

any questions,

please

ask

them

now.

As

with

previous

studies

in this

area,

no

specific

definition

of tension

was

given. Subjects

then use their own

personal

definition with the idea

that this would represent societal synthesis of the concept.

Part

2

Students in a

large

suburban

high

school

symphonic

band

(n

=

60)

also rehearsed and

performed

Holst's

First Suite

in

E-flat. As

a

pretest,

participants

listened to

the

recording

of the

first movement

and

regis-



JRME

47

tered

their

perceptions

of

tension

using

the CRDI

before rehearsals for

the

music

began.

The

protocol

used

(including

instructions

and

absence of a definition of tension)was identical to that used in Part 1.

During

the

week

following

their

performance

of the

work,

they

lis-

tened

to

the

recording

and

registered

their

perceptions

again.

The

research

protocol

was

kept

constant.

In an

attempt

to control for the

stimulus

recording

as a

variable,

the

same

recording produced

by

the

wind ensemble

in

Part

1 of

the

experiment

was

used

for

both

pretest

and

posttest

in Part

2.

In

this

case,

the

hypothesis

was

that

perceptions

might change

after

exposing

high

school

students,

who

are

regularly

involved

in musical

activities,

to a

piece

of

music for an

extended

peri-

od in a

performance/rehearsal

setting.

RESULTS

Perceptions

as

measured

in

this

study

are mean

responses

of a

spe-

cific

group

of

people.

Relationships

to

other similar

groups

are

a

mat-

ter of

conjecture,

and

the

responses

of individuals within the

groups

can

vary widely.

At the same

time,

the

groups

used in this

study

do not

seem to

be

atypical

in

any way

and are

meant to

represent

the

average

high

school and

college

ensembles.

The data collected

in Part

1

were

graphed

(see

Figure

1)

and sub-

jected to a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation test. Visual examina-

tion of the

graphs

indicated a

high

degree

of

similarity.

This

was borne

out

by

the correlation

(r=

.97).

Data

for Part

2

were treated

in the same

manner

(see

Figure

2),

with a

similar result

(r

=

.97).

Visual

inspection

of

the

graphs

from Part

1

versus

Part

2

seemed

to

indicate certain

similarities

in

the

subtle differences

noted

between

the

wind

ensemble/singers

and the

high

school

pre/posttest.

A

new

graph

was

constructed

(Figure

3)

to

more

easily compare

the

wind

ensemble

results with the

high

school

posttest

results.

The final

graph (Figure

4),

which

compared

the

singers'

results with

the

high

school

pretest

results, was also constructed. Correlations for these pairings were also

similar and

slightly higher

(r

=

.99).

It

was decided that sections

of the data

representing

places

where

there

appeared

to be the most

difference

between

groups

would

be

extracted

and

analyzed separately.

Demarcation

of sections

(Table

1)

was done

from visual

inspection

of the

graphs

before

examining

the

musical score. While

it should

be

remembered

that results such as these

cannot be

effectively

separated

from the music

itself,

for the

sake of

logistical

efficiency

these demarcations

were

deemed

appropriate

for

this

study.

A

more detailed

analytical inspection

of

the

score,

with an

eye

toward the

composer's

original

sectional demarcations, is recom-

mended.

Figure

5

shows the

four sections that were

isolated for examination

as

they

relate to the data

gathered

from the various

groups.

Sections

1,

3,

and 4 showed a

high

degree

of correlation between

all

groups (rang-

ing

from

r

=

.88 to

r

=

.99).

Section 2 showed

the most variation. The

most

highly

correlated

were the

singers

versus

high

school

pretest

(r

=



48 FREDRICKSON

Perceived

Tension

in the Chaeonne

from

Holst's

First

Suite

in

Eb

250

225

200

175

0

150

125

U

100

75

50

25

0

0

25

50

75

100 125

150 175

200 225

250

Time

in Seconds

---

Wind

Ensemble

---

University

Singers

Figure

1.

Perceived

tension

for

college

musicians

with and without

knowledge

m u s i c

Perceived

Tension

in

the

Chaconne

from

Hoist's First Suite

in Bb

250

225

200

175

0

150

125

0

100

75

50

25

0

0 25

50

75

100

125 150 175

200

225

250

Time

in Seconds

-t-High

School Pretest

----High

School

Posttest

Figure

2.

Perceived tension

for

high

school

musicians

with and without

knowl-

edge

of

music.



JRME

49

Perceived Tension

in the Chaeonne from Hoist's First Suite

in

Bb

250

225

200

175

150

125

U

100

75

50

25

0

0

25

50

75

100 125 150

175

'200 225

250

Time in

Seconds

----

Wind Ensemble

---

High

School Posttest

Figure

3.

Perceived

tension for

college

and

high

school musicians with

knowl-

edge

of

music.

Perceived

Tension

in the Chaconne from Holst's First Suite in Bb

250

225

200

o

175

150

125

u

100

75

50

25

0

0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250

Time in Seconds

-+-University

Singers

-0--High

School Pretest

Figure

4.

Perceived

tension for

college

musicians without

knowledge

of

music.



50

FREDRICKSON

Table

1

Measure

Numbers

for

Delineated

ections

f

the

Chaconne

from

Holst's

First

Suite

n

E-flat

Section1

(measures -31)

Section

2

(measures

2-54)

Section3

(measures

5-111)

Section

4

(measures

12-131)

.87). The lowest correlations for Section 2 were between wind ensem-

ble versus

singers

(r

=

.47)

and wind

ensemble versus

high

school

pretest

(r

=

.46).

High

school

pretest

versus

posttest

(r

=

.77),

wind

ensemble versus

high

school

posttest

(r= .76),

and

singers

versus

high

school

posttest

(r=

.66)

fell in

the middle.

DISCUSSION

The data from

this

study

are similar

in

many ways

to data

from

pre-

vious

studies

in

this

line of

research.

Perceptions

of tension

in

individ-

ual pieces of music continue to be very similar among the groups exam-

ined.

Even

when the

groups

are

highly

disparate,

such as

randomly

selected

second-grade

students and

college

musicians

(Fredrickson,

1997),

the similarities

in

the

responses

are

evident.

In

the case of the

present

study,

the

paired groups

examined

(wind

ensemble/singers

and

high

school

pre/post)

have

many

elements

in

common,

including

age

and level of musical

expertise.

As

in

previous

studies,

the

tension

levels recorded tended

to be

slightly

higher

for

less-experienced

groups, possibly

indicating slightly

less

discrimination of

the musical

stimulus. But

tension onset

and release

points

are still

highly

similar,

if

not identical.

It seems

that

the differences

between musicians

(both

high

school

and

college)

with

performance knowledge

of the

piece

of music and

those

without

are minimal at best.

Even

so,

the differences

in

Section

2

of the Chaconne are

interesting

(Figure

5).

This

section

covers mea-

sures

32-54

of

the

music,

which

begins

with

a melodic

statement

in

the

low brass. There is a crescendo o a

dynamic peak

at

measure

41,

where

a series of

running

sixteenths

begin

in the

upper

woodwinds.

The

musi-

cians who

are

unfamiliar with

the music

(singers

and

high

school

pretest)

indicate

a

higher

tension level

here that continues

through

another statement of the melodic material in the trumpets at measure

49,

where

the

melody

moves above

a

heavy (pesante)

eighth-note

section

in

the low brass.

Graphs

for

musicians

who are

familiar with

the music

(wind

ensemble

and

high

school

posttest)

drop

off

sharply

after the

crescendo

nd

rise

only

slightly

before

falling

off

along

with

the other

groups

at

the

diminuendo,

which

ends the section.

In

the instances men-

tioned,

it could be that

knowledge

of the

piece

creates

an

expectation



JRME

51

Perceived Tension

in

the

Chaconne

from

Hoist's

Pirst

Suite

in Bb

250

-

Section

1 Section

2

Section

3

Section

4

225

200

M

asure

4•

o

175

-

_

150

rA

125

U

100

75

50

asure

41

25

0 25

50

75

100

125 150 175 o00 225

250

Time

in

Seconds

-+-Wind

Ensemble

-u-High

School

Pretest

--0- University Singers

-o-

High School Posttest

Figure

. Perceived tension

delineated

sectionally according

to

response.

that results

in these

differences.

In future studies, researchers should examine the systematic manip-

ulation of

musical

tension. This must

include

some

differentiation and

manipulation

of

musical

components

(melody, harmony, dynamics,

articulation,

tempo, voicings,

instrumentation,

and the combination

of

these).

In

addition,

the role of the musical

participant

should be exam-

ined as it

relates

to

formal/theoretical

knowledge,

technical

skill

level,

and

how these interact. For the music educator in the

field,

these

results should be a

reminder that

a

musical

education is multifaceted

and

complex.

The role of the

teacher/conductor

will

likely

have an

impact.

The

directions recommended

by

sources such

as the National

Standards for Arts Education can cause changes that may affect the way

in

which the

performance organization

functions in education.

Whether

these

changes

have an

impact

on musical

perception

will

be

important.

Performance

may

still

be the vehicle of choice for

many

in

music

education,

but there are still

many

things

we

do not

yet fully

understand. The

good

news

is

that

diverse

populations

are

responding

to music in

similar

and,

we would

hope, positive ways.



52

FREDRICKSON

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Submitted

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accepted April

21,

1998.

effect of musical performance on perception of tension in gustav holst's first suite in e-flat...

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