Articles tagged with Musicology
Researchers evaluate 20 years of beat perception research, concluding that the foundations of this capacity are present at birth and refined by experience and culture. Newborns and primates show sensitivity to periodic structure and beat-based prediction, but human capacity is distinct.
A new study from the University of Jyväskylä explores how people's relationship with music affects their emotional experiences. The research found that songs used to evoke emotions, experience emotions, and express identity tend to elicit more mixed emotions.
New research by Henkjan Honing reveals that humans are born with biological predispositions for music structure, detectable from birth. The study, published in Current Biology, challenges the long-held assumption that music is a cultural product and instead suggests that musicality is an ancient biological capacity.
Researchers analyzed 4,000 medieval trope elements to find that political borders severely restricted musical exchange between 9th-14th century empires. The study reflects the musical tradition's connection to Europe's political fragmentation following the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD.
An analysis of popular song lyrics from 1973 to 2023 found that they have become simpler, more negative, and contain more stress-related words. The study suggests that music is used as a form of escapism during stressful periods, leading to a shift towards more positive and complex lyrics.
Interactive music technologies adapt to users' movements, boosting motivation and emotional experience during exercise. The study found faster music tempos linked with greater benefits, suggesting these systems can support sustained effort and improve performance.
A study of 40,000 users over 15 years found that musical taste becomes more refined and personal with age, with younger listeners exploring a wide range of contemporary music and older listeners returning to their youth favorites. Nostalgia is a strong driving force in middle age and beyond.
TuneTwins is a music memory game that invites players to match pairs of musical fragments and discover their musical memory strength. The game includes a wide range of musical styles and has been tested with children and adults across different cultures.
The UC3M conference explored various topics in music research, including the impact of streaming on Latin American music, fandom in Eurovision, and the role of women in jazz. The event also featured participatory projects and critical questioning of musical diversity.
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that song lyrics play a central role in helping individuals regulate their emotions. Analyzing over 2,800 'coping songs' chosen by people from 11 countries, researchers identified patterns between lyrical themes and emotional goals.
A new book explores the consequences of an oral tradition of music on concepts of improvisation, originality, and musical freedom. Traditional Iranian music's physical aspect challenges Western notions of music education and the author's role in music creation.
A new study reveals that Britain's earliest brass bands were founded by military musicians in the 1810s, contradicting the long-held assumption that they emerged with industrial communities. The research, published in The Historical Journal, shows that regimental bands first experimented with all-brass formats after the Napoleonic Wars.
Since 1950, melody complexity in popular songs has decreased, with the average number of notes played per second increasing. The study identified two significant decreases in melodic complexity in 1975 and 2000, which may be attributed to the rise of genres like new wave and hip-hop.
Research highlights the significant impact of radio on Finland's famous composer Jean Sibelius, transforming him into a celebrated national hero and international media figure. The study shows how coordinated joint concerts and radio broadcasts helped increase Sibelius' global reach.
A recent study analyzing English-language songs from 1980-2020 found that lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over time. The use of emotionally positive and negative words increased in certain genres, while anger-related words became more common across all styles.
A study investigated how algorithms compare to human judgment in music plagiarism disputes, with mixed results. While algorithms matched human decisions in 83% of cases, they struggled with non-musical factors and controversy surrounding high-profile cases.
Researchers found 7 aerophones made from bird bones at the Eynan-Mallaha site, dating back to circa 12,000 years ago. The flutes imitate raptor calls, similar to those of kestrel and sparrowhawk birds hunted by Natufian people.
Researchers surveyed over 2,000 people on their musical taste, revealing distinct sub-genre preferences within popular genres like rock, pop, and metal. The study identified three taste classes that preferred different levels of complexity in music, with age and personality traits influencing individual preferences.
The study found that oral transmission has profound effects on music evolution, shaping vocal music towards structures that are easier to learn and transmit. Human transmission biases also play a significant role in evolving musical systems.
The Global Jukebox, an online tool for exploring music and performing arts from around the world, has made its dataset and data available to the public. The database includes 5,776 recordings representing 1,026 societies, with detailed musical style categorization data and additional features such as breath management and instrumentation.
A study of remote Papua New Guinea communities suggests that major chords and melodies do not universally elicit a happier response, contradicting long-held assumptions. The findings highlight the cultural variability in emotional responses to music.
Researchers at Aarhus University found a hierarchical relationship between motor function and coordination of the voice, hands, and feet. This hierarchy determines which rhythm and beat combinations are easy to perform, regardless of musical expertise.
The study investigates popular music's influence on everyday life and its embedding in cinema, tracing the lives of musicians like Franz Grothe under Nazi rule. It also explores the evolution of marching rhythms and swing elements in German popular music during this period.
An international team reconstructed language families spanning over 10,000 years by combining genetics, linguistics, and musicology data. Grammar was found to reflect population history more closely than other cultural features, highlighting the importance of the grammatical factor in understanding human cultural evolution.
A University of Illinois research team, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is developing an online archive of historical live musical performances. The project, InterMusE, aims to preserve access to concert ephemera and oral history interviews with concertgoers.
A team of researchers found that microtiming deviations, previously thought to be crucial for the swing feel in jazz music, are actually unnecessary. Instead, musicians perceive the swing when the timing fluctuations are minimal. The study, conducted by the Max Planck Institute and University of Göttingen, used digital jazz piano recor...
A cache of 12 previously unreleased songs by Hall of Fame artist Lou Reed has been unearthed on a cassette tape from 1975, according to a study published in the Journal of Musicology. Cornell musicologist Judith Peraino discovered the rare recordings while conducting archival research at the Andy Warhol Museum.
A study by Aarhus University researchers analyzed musical themes from French, Italian, and Austro-German composers. The findings support historical musicology assumptions about national influences on European music culture, showing that North-Italian music dominated Europe during the Baroque Era.
African Music, Power, and Being in Colonial Zimbabwe explores how British colonists suppressed and co-opted African music and dance, while Chikowero argues that indigenous people used music as a form of resistance. The book reveals the role of music in the subjugation and liberation of African culture during colonial times.
The three publishers will collaborate on a five-year project to publish ethnomusicology scholarship and make emerging research more accessible. They will develop digital formats for monographs and fieldwork materials, and offer enhanced online access to scholars.