Abstract

Music historians have observed informally that Western music became increasingly chromatic between roughly 1600 and 1900. This view is tested formally, and the results are shown to be consistent with the standard view. Music historians have similarly assumed that the music of major composers such as Mozart and Beethoven became increasingly chromatic over their respective lifetimes. Measurements of chromaticism in both theme-based and opus-based samples are shown to be inconsistent with these intuitions. At face value, the results of this study affirm that Western art music has become more chromatic over time, but that five major composers' use of chromatic tones changed little (quantitatively) over the course of their careers. Repercussions for stylistic interpretations of these composers are discussed.

Abstract

The methodology used in Daniel Perttu’s article is analyzed for conformance to several criteria needed in quantitative studies. A number of problems are identified. Some of these appear to be deep structural issues given the nature of the question studied while others are caused by the methodology itself, by both the types of analyses carried out and the nature of the data source. Various suggestions to strengthen the study are made.

Abstract

The author responds to points raised in Andrea Halpern’s commentary, which appeared in Vol. 2, No. 1 of Empirical Musicology Review. Discussion focuses on the apparent contradiction between self-reports of veridical mental imagery of musical timbre, and cognitive constraints on temporal memory for multidimensional sound.