PERCEPTUAL AND SEMANTIC DIMENSIONS OF SOUND MASS Jason Noble Composition Area Department of Music Research Schulich School of Music McGill University, Montreal April 2018 A dissertation submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jason Noble 2018 In memory of Eleanor Stubley, Clifford Crawley, and James Bradley, for whose guidance and inspiration I am eternally grateful Table of Contents Abstract ...............................................................................................................................v Résumé ................................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgments................................................................................................................xi Contributions of Authors ......................................................................................................xiii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................xiv List of Tables .......................................................................................................................xvii Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Perceptual Dimensions of Sound Mass .............................................5 1.1 Introduction: Defining ‘Sound Mass’ .........................................................................5 1.2 Sound Mass and Perceptual Principles .......................................................................8 1.2.1 Toneness Principle. ............................................................................................10 1.2.2 Principle of Temporal Continuity. ......................................................................13 1.2.3 Minimum Masking Principle. .............................................................................17 1.2.4 Tonal Fusion Principle. ......................................................................................19 1.2.5 Pitch Proximity Principle. ...................................................................................21 1.2.6 Pitch Co-Modulation Principle. ..........................................................................23 1.2.7 Onset Synchrony Principle .................................................................................26 1.2.8 Principle of Limited Density...............................................................................29 1.2.9 Timbral Differentiation Principle ........................................................................30 1.2.10 Source Location Principle. ................................................................................32 1.3 Source Bonding .........................................................................................................33 1.4 Sound Mass Parameters .............................................................................................33 1.5 Summary ...................................................................................................................34 Chapter 2: Empirical Research on Sound Mass Perception ........................ 35 2.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................35 2.2 Ligeti’s Continuum ...................................................................................................36 2.3 Experiment 1 .............................................................................................................44 2.3.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................44 2.3.2 Method ...............................................................................................................44 2.3.2.1 Participants .................................................................................................44 2.3.2.2 Stimuli ........................................................................................................45 2.3.2.3 Procedure ....................................................................................................45 2.3.3 Results ...............................................................................................................46 2.3.4 Discussion ..........................................................................................................49 2.4 Experiment 2 .............................................................................................................51 2.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................51 2.4.2 Method ...............................................................................................................51 2.4.2.1 Participants .................................................................................................51 2.4.2.2 Stimuli ........................................................................................................51 2.4.2.3 Procedure ....................................................................................................52 i 2.4.3 Results ...............................................................................................................53 2.4.4 Discussion ..........................................................................................................57 2.5 Experiment 3 .............................................................................................................58 2.5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................58 2.5.2 Method ...............................................................................................................58 2.5.2.1 Participants.............................................................................................58 2.5.2.2 Stimuli ...................................................................................................58 2.5.2.3 Procedure ...............................................................................................61 2.5.3 Results ...............................................................................................................62 2.5.4 Discussion ..........................................................................................................65 2.6 Supplementary Pilot Study .........................................................................................66 2.6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................66 2.6.2 Method ...............................................................................................................66 2.6.3 Results ...............................................................................................................67 2.7 General Discussion and Conclusions ..........................................................................68 Chapter 3: Semantic Dimensions of Sound Mass ......................................... 72 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................72 3.2 The Anxiety of Reference ..........................................................................................72 3.2.1 Ethics of Listening .............................................................................................74 3.2.2 Sound Mass and the Aftermath of Serialism .......................................................75 3.2.3 Sound Mass and the Programmatic-Absolute Distinction ....................................78 3.3 Music Semiotics and Extramusical Meaning ..............................................................83 3.3.1 Metaphor Theory, Cognitive Semiotics, and Extramusical Meaning ...................84 3.3.2 Metaphor and Absolute Music: A MUSICAL WORK IS A WORLD .................87 3.3.3 MEANING IS CONTENT .................................................................................88 3.3.4 Extramusical Meaning, Attribute Selection, Homology, and Sound Mass ...........90 3.3.5 Topic Theory and Sound Mass ...........................................................................94 3.4 Xenakis, Metastaseis (1954); Penderecki, Polymorphia (1961) ..................................96 3.4.1 Metastaseis ........................................................................................................96 3.4.2 Polymorphia.......................................................................................................100 3.5 Metaphors, Associations, and Poetics of Sound Mass ................................................102 3.5.1 Spatial Metaphors...............................................................................................102 3.5.2 Material Metaphors ............................................................................................109 3.5.3 Behavioural Metaphors ......................................................................................113 3.5.4 Cross-Modal Metaphors .....................................................................................114 3.5.5 Naturalistic Metaphors .......................................................................................116 3.5.6 Technological Metaphors ...................................................................................117