Musical Forces: Motion, Metaphor, and Meaning in MusicSteve Larson drew on his 20 years of research in music theory, cognitive linguistics, experimental psychology, and artificial intelligence—as well as his skill as a jazz pianist—to show how the experience of physical motion can shape one's musical experience. Clarifying the roles of analogy, metaphor, grouping, pattern, hierarchy, and emergence in the explanation of musical meaning, Larson explained how listeners hear tonal music through the analogues of physical gravity, magnetism, and inertia. His theory of melodic expectation goes beyond prior theories in predicting complete melodic patterns. Larson elegantly demonstrated how rhythm and meter arise from, and are given meaning by, these same musical forces. |
Contents
| 1947 | |
Pattern Meaning Analogy | 1967 |
The Metaphor of Musical Motion | 1987 |
Gravity Magnetism and Inertia | 2000 |
A Theory of Melodic Expectation | |
Rhythm Meter and Musical Forces | |
Analyses | |
An Introduction to Part 2 | |
Summary and Prospects | |
GLOSSARY | |
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Common terms and phrases
algorithm analogy association attractor aural basic bell pattern Bharucha chapter chord claim closest stable pitch cognitive completions computer models conceptual metaphor continue create descending described diatonic collection dissonance downbeat durational patterns eighth notes elaboration embodied experience of musical experienced listeners expressive meaning factors gives goal alphabet half step hear heard hidden repetition hierarchies idea implication-realization model jazz Krumhansl lamento bass Larson Lerdahl listeners of tonal mapping measure melodic beginning melodic expectation melodic gravity melodic magnetism meter metric moves multilevel model music theorists musical cultures musical experience musical forces musical inertia musical meaning musical motion naïve physics Narmour’s participants passage of music physical forces physical motion pitch space reference alphabet responses result rhythm scale degree Schenker's Schenkerian analysis shape single-level model step collection structure suggests Table tendency theory of musical thinking about music thinking in music three-note patterns tonal music tone tonic Twinkle understanding visual perception