An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation

We are exploring the relationship between accents and expression in piano performance. Accents are local events that attract a listener’s attention and are either evident from the score (immanent) or added by the performer (performed). Immanent accents are associated with grouping (phrasing), met...

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Main Authors: Erica BISESI, Richard PARNCUTT
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of Sciences 2013-10-01
Series:Archives of Acoustics
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Online Access:https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/179
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author Erica BISESI
Richard PARNCUTT
author_facet Erica BISESI
Richard PARNCUTT
author_sort Erica BISESI
collection DOAJ
description We are exploring the relationship between accents and expression in piano performance. Accents are local events that attract a listener’s attention and are either evident from the score (immanent) or added by the performer (performed). Immanent accents are associated with grouping (phrasing), metre, melody and harmony. In piano music, performed accents involve changes in timing, dynamics, articulation, and pedalling; they vary in amplitude, form, and duration. We analyzed the first eight bars of Chopin Prelude op. 28 n. 6. In a separate study, music theorists had marked grouping, melodic and harmonic accents on the score and estimated the importance (salience) of each. Here, we mathematically modeled timing and dynamics in the prelude in two ways using Director Musices (DM) – a software package for automatic rendering of expressive performance. The first rendering focused on phrasing following existing and tested procedures in DM. The second focused on accents – timing and dynamics in the vicinity of the accents identified by the theorists. In an informal listening test, 10 out of 12 participants (5 of 6 musicians and 5 of 6 non-musicians) preferred the accent-based formulation, and several stated that it had more variation of timing and dynamics from one phrase to the next.
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spelling doaj-art-53fb81cf00d741b0bd67c5a520694b382025-08-20T03:50:48ZengInstitute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of SciencesArchives of Acoustics0137-50752300-262X2013-10-01362An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory EvaluationErica BISESI0Richard PARNCUTT1University of Graz Center for Systematic MusicologyUniversity of Graz Center for Systematic MusicologyWe are exploring the relationship between accents and expression in piano performance. Accents are local events that attract a listener’s attention and are either evident from the score (immanent) or added by the performer (performed). Immanent accents are associated with grouping (phrasing), metre, melody and harmony. In piano music, performed accents involve changes in timing, dynamics, articulation, and pedalling; they vary in amplitude, form, and duration. We analyzed the first eight bars of Chopin Prelude op. 28 n. 6. In a separate study, music theorists had marked grouping, melodic and harmonic accents on the score and estimated the importance (salience) of each. Here, we mathematically modeled timing and dynamics in the prelude in two ways using Director Musices (DM) – a software package for automatic rendering of expressive performance. The first rendering focused on phrasing following existing and tested procedures in DM. The second focused on accents – timing and dynamics in the vicinity of the accents identified by the theorists. In an informal listening test, 10 out of 12 participants (5 of 6 musicians and 5 of 6 non-musicians) preferred the accent-based formulation, and several stated that it had more variation of timing and dynamics from one phrase to the next.https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/179piano performanceexpressionaccentsmusical analysisDirector Musices
spellingShingle Erica BISESI
Richard PARNCUTT
An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
Archives of Acoustics
piano performance
expression
accents
musical analysis
Director Musices
title An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
title_full An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
title_fullStr An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
title_full_unstemmed An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
title_short An Accent-Based Approach to Automatic Rendering of Piano Performance: Preliminary Auditory Evaluation
title_sort accent based approach to automatic rendering of piano performance preliminary auditory evaluation
topic piano performance
expression
accents
musical analysis
Director Musices
url https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/179
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AT ericabisesi accentbasedapproachtoautomaticrenderingofpianoperformancepreliminaryauditoryevaluation
AT richardparncutt accentbasedapproachtoautomaticrenderingofpianoperformancepreliminaryauditoryevaluation