Please follow the format of this sample document when preparing theoretical submissions for CIMxx. An example of an empirical submission is provided in a separate document. Perceptual versus historical origins of musical materials Richard Parncutt, Institut für Musikwissenschaft, Universität Graz, Austria Roland Eberlein, Institut für Musikwissenschaft, Universität zu Köln, Germany Date of submission to CIMxx: day month year Desired mode of presentation: talk Background in music history The historical development of tonal-harmonic syntax was influenced by concurrent developments in the history of ideas (Eberlein, 1994). For example, medieval counterpoint treatises were influenced by concurrent social, religious and political developments. And when in1424 the Council of Basel recommended stricter compliance with religious laws, composers responded by more carefully avoiding parallels and dissonances. Background in music psychology The melodic coherence of a progression of tones or sonorities depends on pitch/time intervals between successive tones (Bregman, 1990). The perceived consonance of a tonal sonority depends on its roughness and fusion (Terhardt, 1974). Theories of pitch and melody perception (gestalt, auditory scene analysis) may therefore contribute to an explanation of the historical development of tonal-harmonic syntax (Parncutt, 1996). Aims We aim to clarify the origins of European tonal-harmonic syntax, including the gradual consolidation of the major-minor system in the 15th-17th centuries, by comparing and evaluating perceptual and historical theories of the origins of specific syntactic elements. Main contribution Music perception and cognition involves the generation of expectancies in the form of pitch-time patterns. These depend on the prevalence (frequency of occurrence) of specific patterns and continuations in the music to which a person has been exposed. It should therefore be possible to reconstruct the musical expectancies of listeners from a specific historical period by statistical analysis of a large databank of representative music of that period. This approach assumes musical learning by neural networks and is consistent with the stylistic diversity of music across cultures and periods. Why did particular musical styles develop in particular ways at particular times? Some developments are best explained by pedagogical and compositional traditions – e.g., the emergence of the double leading-tone cadence, a result of the application of rules of two-part counterpoint to textures of three or four voices (Eberlein, 1994). Other developments are best accounted for by perceptual theories – e.g., the subsequent gradual replacement of double-leading-tone cadences by falling-fifth cadences (Parncutt, 1996). Implications Music theory pedagogy could benefit from an influx of both approaches presented in this article: information about the statistical prevalence of specific pitch-time patterns in different musical styles and about relevant perceptual theories. Music theory courses could benefit from the development of user-friendly software for analysis of databases, evaluation of perceptual models, and generation of sound examples. Computer-based compositional tools could be developed to allow composers to take advantage of this knowledge. A comprehensive account of the historical development of tonal-harmonic syntax requires expertise from both the humanities (music history, theory, analysis, history of theory) and the sciences (psychology, statistics, computer science). The technical developments of recent decades have made such research feasible, but more research is needed if musicology is to reap the benefits. References Bregman, A. S. (1990). Auditory scene analysis. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Eberlein, R. (1994). Die Entstehung der tonalen Klangsyntax. Frankfurt: Lang. Parncutt, R. (1996). Praxis, Lehre, Wahrnehmung. Kritische Bemerkungen zu Roland Eberlein: Die Entstehung der tonalen Klangsyntax. Musiktheorie, 11, 67-79. Terhardt, E. (1974). Pitch, consonance, and harmony. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 55, 1061-1069. Biographies Name : Richard Parncutt Current position : Professor of systematic musicology, University of GrazMain field of research : Music psychologyMain research areas : Perception of harmony, tonality and rhythm piano performanceRelevant qualifications : Bachelor of Science (physics), Bachelor of Music (piano), University of Melbourne, 1981 Ph.D. (physics, psychology, music), University of New England, Australia, 1987Book publications: Author of Harmony: A Psychoacoustical Approach (Springer-Verlag 1989) co-editor of Science and Psychology of Music Performance (Oxford University Press 2002)Membership of editorial advisory boards : Psychology of Music, Music Perception, Musicae Scientiae Journal of New Music Research, Jahrbuch Musikpsychologie Research Studies in Music EducationContact : @uni-graz.at http://www-gewi.uni-graz.at/staff/parncutt Name : Roland EberleinCurrent position : Private lecturer of musicology at the University of CologneMain field of research: Music history, systematic musicologyRelevant qualifications: Magister of Musicology, University of Giessen Ph.D. in musicology, University of CologneBook publications : Theorien und Experimente zur Wahrnehmung musikalischer Klänge (Peter Lang 1990) Kadenzwahrnehmung und Kadenzgeschichte (Peter Lang 1992, co-author Jobst P. Fricke) Die Entstehung der tonalen Klangsyntax (Peter Lang 1994)Areas addressed in published articles : Historiographical research on the meaning and interpretation of historic music notations and on the origin and history of organ stopsContact: nc-eberledr@netcologne.de http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/muwi/publ/Eberlein/Eberlein.htm