Perception of Musical Tension for Nontonal Orchestral Timbres and Its

Perception & Psychophysics 2000.62 (1), 66-80 Perception ofmusical tension for nontonal orchestral timbres and its relation to psychoacoustic roughness DANIEL PRESSNITZER IRCAM-CNRS, Paris, France STEPHENMcADAMS IRCAM-CNRS, Paris, France and Unicersite Rene Descartes, Paris, France and SUZANNE WINSBERG and JOSHUAFINEBERG IRCAM-CNRS, Paris, France Can tension in nontonal music be expressed without dynamic or rhythmic cues? Perceptual theories of tonal harmony predict that psychoacoustic roughness plays an important role in the perception of this tension. We chose a set of orchestrated chords from a nontonal piece and investigated listeners' judgments of musical tension and roughness. Paired comparisons yielded psychophysical scales often sion and roughness. Two experiments established distinct levels ofthese two attributes across chords. A model simulation reproduced the experimental roughness measures. The results indicate that non tonal tension could be perceived consistently on the basis of timbral differences and that it was corre lated with roughness, the correlation being strongeras the perceptualsalience of otherattributes (such as high-pitched tones or tonal intervals) was reduced. An impression of successive tension and release is a been proposed as a sensory basis for musical consonance common experience while listening to music. The study within the tonal system (Helmholtz, 1877/1954). ofthis intuitive notion is actually fundamental to West Comparing tension and roughness for a set of stimuli ern music theory and has been a matter ofdebate for both assumes that there is a parallel between a complex musical music analysts and cognitive psychologists. Whereas many concept and a basic sensory attribute. This requires a studies have helped us to understand tension perception preliminary specification ofthe two terms and ofthe rea in the tonal framework, the compositional practices of sons for taking a new perspective in considering them contemporary composers raise new questions. The use jointly. ofa musical material that does not draw on the implicitly shared tonal culture may disorient listeners and, hence, Musical Tension in a Tonal Context deprive them ofthe essential landmarks that schemas of The identification of tension-release schemas is the tension and release provide for the appreciation ofa mu starting point for most classical harmonic analyses of sical work. In this study, we propose to investigate the Western music. The method proposed by the music the perception oftension levels for nontonal orchestral tim orist Heinrich Schenker (1935/1979), for instance, de bres by musician and nonmusician listeners. We hypo fines hierarchical structural levels that are, in the end, re thesized that if tension could actually be perceived in ducible to a fundamental Ursatz, which is very similar to such a context, a basic psychoacoustic dimension known a basic pattern oftension and release. The generative the as roughness would account for an important part ofthat ory oftonal music (GTTM; Lerdahl & Jackendoff, 1983), perception. Roughness is an auditory attribute that has which attempts to account for music perception and un derstanding by principles derived from cognitive psy chology, holds the existence ofa network oftension and Part ofthis work was completed thanks to a Fyssen Foundation grant release to be a fundamental axiom. The links it creates to the first author. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for ex between events over time help us to hear a piece in a co tremely useful comments on earlier versions ofthe manuscript. Corre herent way, rather than in the form ofa juxtaposition of spondence concerning this article should be addressed to either isolated sounds. These schemas have also been proposed D.Pressnitzer or S. McAdams, IRCAM, I place Igor Stravinsky,F-75004 Paris, France (e-mail: [email protected]@ircam.fr). as a basis for arousal and emotion, underlining another aspect oftheir importance in music listening by trained -Accepted by previous editor, Myron L. Braunstein or untrained listeners (Langer, 1967; Meyer, 1956). Copyright 2000 Psychonomic Society, Inc. 66 MUSICAL TENSION AND ROUGHNESS 67 There exists no simple, universally valid, and widely case, in the tonal framework, a set of established rules accepted definition of what tension and release actually implicitly shared by the audience is available to express are. To indicate the scope of the notion, let us take the tension and release. basic example ofthe authentic cadence in Western tonal harmony. In this succession oftwo musical events, a dom Musical Tension in a Nontonal Context inant seventh chord based on the fifth degree ofa major The problem is very different for a composer who does scale is considered unstable and dissonant, calling for a not wish to refer to tonality. Let us take, as an example, resolution to a tonic chord based on the first degree, which the genesis ofthe sequence chosen to be the basis for this is stable and consonant. It is generally accepted that this study (score shown in Figure 1). instability constitutes a tension, its resolution a release. Spectral analyses were performed on recorded notes The combination ofthese two is the well-known pattern played on a musical instrument-in this case, a double at the conclusion ofthe vast majority oftonal pieces writ bass with rapidly changing vibrato depth, speed, and ten in the 18th and 19th centuries. However archetypal, bow pressure. Sets offour to five partials, selected from this example embodies several aspects of the notion of among the strongest components of the analysis within musical tension. a fixed band of frequencies, were isolated to create a Tension is thought to be, in part, linked to the intrinsic reservoir of material. Eight chords from this reservoir consonant or dissonant aspect ofthe chords. The domi form the sequence used in this study. The chords were nant seventh chord contains a tritone interval, formerly arranged to create a tension pattern that was needed for known as diabolus in musica (considered to be dissonant, musical reasons. Since the chords resulted from a raw as one may guess), and induces tension. The tonic triad acoustic analysis, no classic tonal function could be as contains only a perfect fifth and a major third, two con cribed to them. Therefore, the composer chose to define sonant intervals, and therefore induces very little tension. an intrinsic tension value for each ofthem by means ofa Attempts were made to ground the idea ofintrinsic con computational algorithm. The greatest common divisor sonance in a feature of the acoustic world: the overtone of the constituent frequencies within a tolerance corre series. That is to say, a set offrequency components with sponding to a sixteenth ofa tone was held to be a quali an integer multiple ofa fundamental frequency has been tative indication of tension: the lower the divisor, the proposed as a physical basis for the phenomenon (Mer more inharmonic and, therefore, tense the chord was senne, 1636/1975; Rameau, 1722/1971). Theoriesempha considered to be. Figure 2 displays the output ofthe al sizing perception then introduced the concept ofroughness gorithm, each chord numbered along the abscissa hav that we will discuss below (von Helmholtz, 1877/1954). ing a computed value along the ordinate. The shape of Tension can also be thought ofin terms ofbeing an ex the curve was also used compositionally to reinforce this pectation, the fulfillment ofwhich brings a release. From tension contour with other musical parameters. this point of view, in the cadence example, the temporal This approach raises several questions. First, is the no succession of the two chords might playa role. The two tion oftension still relevant for material without any tonal notes of the tritone from the dominant chord are unsta function? Second, in the score, the movements are un ble and just one semitone apart from the tonic and the derlined by rhythmic and dynamic differences, whereas third of the tonic triad, which are stable. Therefore, the the tension algorithm used only average spectral domain tritone is said to resolve on the major third. This idea of data and did not take into account these supplementary resolution, or good continuation, has been proposed as a cues. To be coherent, steady-state timbral differences be musical parallel to the laws ofGestalt psychology (Meyer, tween the individual chords should be able to convey the 1956; Narrnour, 1990). tension movements alone. The first aim of this study Lastly, the arousal of the expectation could be linked was, therefore, to establish whether differences in ten to cultural habituation: The classic cadence pattern is rec sion that were not based on tonal, rhythmic, or dynamic ognized, and the resolution is expected. Neural nets have cues could actually be perceived by listeners for these or been able to reproduce the expectancies oflisteners con chestral timbres. In such an unfamiliar context, listeners cerning tonal music after a preliminary training phase would need to rely on universal psychoacoustic cues (Bharucha & Olney, 1989). The habituation consists in until style-specific cues could be learned. internalizing the organization oftonal pitch space (Krum hansl, 1990). In a study in which tension perception for Roughness both melodies and short chord sequences was investigated, Such a psychoacoustic cue may be found in auditory Bigand (1993) confirmed the existence ofexplicit or im roughness. Roughness

Load more