Testing Schenkerian theory: an experiment on the perception of key distances
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Accepted manuscript
Date
2012
DOI
Authors
Yust, Jason
Version
Accepted manuscript
OA Version
Citation
Yust, J. (2012). Testing Schenkerian theory: An experiment on the perception of key distances. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, ICMPC12 (pp. 1-172).
Abstract
The lack of attention given to Schenkerian theory by empirical
research in music is striking when compared to its status in music
theory as a standard account of tonality. In this paper I advocate a
different way of thinking of Schenkerian theory that can lead to
empirically testable claims, and report on an experiment that shows
how hypotheses derived from Schenker’s theories explain features of
listener’s perception of key relationships.
To be relevant to empirical research, Schenker’s theory must be
treated as a collection of interrelated but independent theoretical
claims rather than a comprehensive analytical method. These discrete
theoretical claims can then lead to hypotheses that we can test
through empirical methods. This makes it possible for Schenkerian
theory improve our scientific understanding of how listeners
understand tonal music. At the same time, it opens the possibility of
challenging the usefulness of certain aspects of the theory.
This paper exemplifies the empirical project with an experiment
on the perception of key distance. The results show that two features
of Schenkerian theory predict how listeners rate stimuli in terms of
key distance. The first is the Schenkerian principle of “composing
out” a harmony, and the second is the theory of “voice-leading
prolongations.” In a regression analysis, both of these principles
significantly improve upon a model of distance ratings based on
change of scalar collection alone.