Listeners’ judgments of the musical unity of structurally altered and intact musical compositions

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine how listeners judge musical unity and whether they can detect lack of unity in compositions that have been structurally altered. Participants listened to 15 piano solos. Five were not altered. Ten were altered by combining three sections of three different compositions, or by repeating the same section three times in succession. Although their unity ratings for the 15 compositions were similar, trained and untrained participants focused on different aspects of the music. When judging unity, musically trained participants focused on repetition, themes/motifs, transitions, endings, and contrast providing overall balance. Untrained participants focused on pitch contour and range, tempo, mood, and pauses when judging musical unity. Although participants were not aware that any compositions had been altered, both groups were sensitive to varying degrees of repetition and variety in altered and unaltered compositions as shown in their unity ratings and written descriptions.