AbstractsCommunication

This dissertation investigated expressive strategies and performer-listener communication in organ performance. Four core issues were explored: (a) the communication of voice emphasis; (b) the communication of artistic individuality; (c) the influence of musical structure on error patterns; and (d) the relationship between performers' interpretive choices and their analyses of the formal structure of a piece. Performances were recorded on an organ equipped with a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) console, allowing precise measurements of performance parameters. Performances were then matched to scores using an algorithm relying both on structural and temporal information, which I developed in the context of this project. Two experiments investigated the communication of voice-specific emphasis in organ performance. The modification of articulation patterns was the most consistent strategy used by performers to emphasize a voice. Listeners who were themselves organists were more sensitive to differences between performers and interpretations than non-organists; however, musical structure was a major factor in the perception of voice prominence. The perception of artistic individuality in organ performance was examined by inviting participants to sort different interpretations of a chorale setting by several performers. Most participants performed above chance level. The performance of musicians and non-musicians was comparable. Sorting accuracy was lower for mechanical interpretations than for expressive ones, demonstrating an effect of expressive intent. In addition, sorting accuracy was significantly higher for prize-winning performers than for non-winners. Analyses of error patterns in organ performance showed that the likelihood of a note being wrongly played was inversely correlated with its degree of perceptual salience and musical significance or familiarity. Furthermore, individual performers exhibited consistent and idiosyncratic error patterns. Cette thèse étudie les stratégies expressives et la communication entre interprète et auditeur dans la musique d'orgue. Quatre thèmes principaux sont abordés: (a) la communication de l'accentuation des voix; (b) la communication de l'individualité artistique; (c) l'influence de la structure musicale sur les schémas d'erreurs; (d) les rapports entre les choix interprétatifs des organistes et leur analyse formelle d'une pièce. Les enregistrements ont été réalisés sur un orgue muni d'une console MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), qui permet de mesurer précisément les paramètres expressifs. Les données MIDI ont ensuite été appariées à la partition au moyen d'un algorithme que j'ai développé dans le cadre de cette étude, et qui utilise à la fois l'information structurelle et temporelle. Deux expériences explorent la communication de l'accentuation d'une voix à l'orgue. La modification des patrons d'articulation s'avère la stratégie utilisée le plus couramment pour faire ressortir une voix. Les auditeurs qui sont eux-mêmes organistes sont plus…