Faculty Publications

The Effect Of Articulation Style On Perception Of Modulated Tempo

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Research in Music Education

Volume

54

Issue

4

First Page

324

Last Page

336

Abstract

We investigated the effect of legato and staccato articulation styles on the perception of modulated tempos. Ninety music majors served as participants. Listeners heard music examples that had been selected from two pieces, each of which included staccato and legato passages. Excerpts were presented to listeners in three conditions of tempo modulation: gradual increases, gradual decreases, or no change. Modulations were produced in small increments so that listeners would not notice any abrupt change in tempo. Results indicated that articulation style and direction of modulation affected listener perception of tempo, and these two factors interacted significantly. All staccato stimuli were judged as increasing in tempo more than legato stimuli; however, differences between the two articulation styles were perceived as larger in tempo-increase examples compared to the no-change and tempo-decrease examples. Implications for performance practice and teaching are discussed. Copyright © 2006 by MENC: The National Association for Music Education.

Department

School of Music

Original Publication Date

12-1-2006

DOI of published version

10.1177/002242940605400405

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