Style and gesture: A study of melodic peaks
Zohar Eitan · Scholarly Commons (University of Pennsylvania) · 1991
An empirical approach to the discussion of melodic contour as an expressive and structural factor in music is proposed. Underlying this approach is the assumption that contour, if indeed it is an important factor in music, should have an identifiable relation to the organization of other musical dimensions. Correspondingly, two specific hypotheses are suggested. (1) Conspicuous points along the melodic curve--and its peak in particular--are frequently set apart from other points by their association with specific parametric configurations. (2) Melodic peaks are frequently related to elements and relations which convey emphasis or tension (characteristics which have been associated with pitch highpoints in both musical and extra-contexts, such as speech intonation).^ These hypotheses were tested statistically in selections from three very different repertories: Haydn's early (pre-1766) music, Chopin's Waltzes and Mazurkas, and Berg's post-tonal and dodecaphonic works (including the Lyric Suite and Lulu). In each repertory, relevant durational, metric, intervallic, and (in Haydn and Chopin) tonal-functional features were examined in two groups: a group of melodic peaks, and a control group, comprising randomly selected notes. Using a chi-square analysis, the frequencies of these features in the two groups were compared.^ Results indicate: (1) Despite the immense differences among the styles examined, all distinguish peaks from other melodic notes by specific parametric configurations. In particular, peaks cross-stylistically tend to be surrounded by relatively large intervals, and to be presented once only in a segment. (2) The inclination to present peaks emphatically (for instance, by agogic or metrical accents) and the tendency to associate them with climatic and tensional configurations, are the weakest in Haydn and the strongest in Berg. (3) Despite their disparate pitch-grammars, tonal and non-tonal repertories (Berg and Chopin) exhibit close similarity regarding the treatment and functions of peaks. In contrast, the two tonal repertories (Haydn and Chopin) present considerable differences in this respect.^ Results suggest that "natural," non-syntactic dimensions of melodic style, such as contour, may be relatively independent of pitch-syntax. Further, they indicate that some non-syntactic, gestural features of melody may apply cross-stylistically, at least within Western music. ^