The effect of interpretive musical decisions and listening medium on audience interest

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of soloist interpretive musical decisions and listening medium (live and recorded mediums) on audience interest. All participants were currently enrolled at a large Midwest research university at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including 26 collegiate music majors (ages 18-33, median = 24; female, n = 10; male, n = 16). Placed in either a live listening setting or a recorded (audio and visual) setting, participant manipulated PADs (Perception Analyzer Dials) to report interest while listening to a piece of music and reported their degree of positive and negative affects using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988).

The performer, who is also the author of this study, strategically chose a Theme and Variation piece to perform musical device manipulations. In preparation, as well as the subsequent performance of a solo piece, statements and repetitions of the same melodic material were assigned to serve as control sections and manipulated sections, respectively. Musical devices of tempo, dynamics, and gestural movement were manipulated, one for each selection of music. The participants completed two questionnaires in the main study, one prior to listening to the musical performance and one after listening. Results showed a significant decrease in mean negative-affect PANAS scores following both live and recorded listening settings. Additionally, the live listening setting produced significantly higher mean interest ratings than the recorded listening setting.