Current models of spoken word recognition have been predominantly based on studies of Indo-European languages. As a result, little is known about the recognition processes involved in the perception of tonal languages (e.g., Mandarin Chinese), and the role of lexical tone in speech perception. One view is that tonal languages are processed phonologically through individual segments, while another view is that they are processed lexically as a whole. Moreover, a recent study claimed to be the first to discover an early phonological processing stage in Mandarin (Huang et al., 2014). There seems to be a lack of investigations concerning tonal languages, as no clear conclusions have been made about the nature of tonal processes, or a model of spoken word recognition that best incorporates lexical tone. The current study addressed these issues by presenting 18 native Mandarin speakers with aural sentences with medial target words, which either matched or mismatched the preceding visually presented sentences with medial target words (e.g, 家 /jia1/ “home”). Violation conditions involved target words that differed in the following ways: tone violation, where only the tone was different (e.g., 价 /jia4/ “price”), onset violation, where only the onset was different (e.g., 虾 /xia1/ “shrimp”), and syllable violation, where both the tone and the onset were different (e.g., 糖 /tang2/ “candy”). We did not find evidence for an early phonological processing stage in Mandarin. Instead, our findings indicate that Mandarin syllables are processed incrementally through phonological segments and that lexical tone is strongly associated with semantic access. These results are discussed with respect to modifications for existing models in spoken word recognition to incorporate the processes involved with tonal language recognition. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Der Beitrag würdigt die Improvisation als eine die interpretatorischen und analytischen Verfahren ergänzende Perspektive des Werk- und Stilverstehens. Um die Erschrockenheit zu überbrücken, welche gemeinhin entsteht, wenn dem am Literaturspiel geschulten Instrumentalisten der sichere Boden des Notentextes entzogen wird, wird eine methodisch durchformte Improvisationsanleitung gegeben, die es ermöglicht, den neu gewonnenen Freiraum durch Begrenzung zu bewältigen, bevor es zum Überschreiten des zunächst gesetzten Rahmens kommt. Das Konzept gilt der tonalen Improvisation und orientiert sich an kompositorischen Modellen der Nach-Beethoven-Ära bis etwa 1850. Gleichwohl wird ein eher systematischer Ansatz verfolgt, der Übertragungen auch auf die Improvisation über Modelle der Wiener Klassik sowie eine Fortentwicklung zur Gruppenimprovisation, Akkordinstrument + Melodieinstrument(e)/Vokalstimme(n) gestattet. / This article addresses improvisation as a perspective complementary to interpretation and analysis in the explication of a work and its style. In order to bridge the shock that often results when an instrumentalist trained in playing literature leaves the safe haven of the printed score, a methodical guide to improvisation is offered that enables the player to conquer the newly won freedom by first introducing restrains before one eventually transgresses these initial boundaries. The method addresses tonal improvisation and is oriented around compositional models of the time following Beethoven, ca. 1850. At the same time a rather systematic approach is employed that allows crossover into improvisation over models drawn from Viennese classicism as well as extension activities involving group-improvisation and the combination of chordal instruments, melody instruments, and voice.

Die Untersuchungen dieses Beitrages gehen von dem Gedanken aus, daß sich bestimmte Eigenschaften musikalischen Erlebens erst erklären lassen, wenn man grundlegende Eigenschaften von Geistestätigkeit theoretisch erschlossen hat. Entsprechend skizziert Abschnitt 2 einen Ansatz zur Modellierung von Geistestätigkeit, welcher das Fechner’sche Gesetz zum Bindeglied zwischen der transzendenten Geistestätigkeit und ihrem immanenten Erleben erklärt. Mit der Charakterisierung einer modellhaften Geistestätigkeit als ›meta-physikalisch‹ wird dieser eine physikalische Kompetenz zugeschrieben. Konkret geht es um das Vollziehen kanonischer Transformationen, die von zentraler Bedeutung für das Verständnis von Bewegung in der Theoretischen Physik sind. Das Fechner’sche Gesetz vermittelt entsprechend zwischen den Transformationen und ihren infinitisimalen Erzeugenden. Aufgrund der Nichtkommutativität der Transformationengruppe ergeben sich Diskrepanzen zwischen der transzendenten Tätigkeit und ihrem immanenten Erleben hinsichtlich der Bilanzierung von zusammengesetzten Transformationen. Sie betreffen u.a. die Verrechnung von subjektiven Standpunktwechseln, welche sich in der tonalen Musik bei harmonischen Ausweichungen manifestieren. Musikalischer Untersuchungsgegenstand sind deshalb tonale Ambiguitäten. Abschnitt 3 rekapituliert und vergleicht Analysen von Chopins Prélude op. 28/4 von mehreren Autoren und sammelt dabei Indizien für das Bestehen einer genuinen Ambiguität, welche sich auf mehreren Beschreibungsebenen manifestiert. In Bezug auf den Kontrapunkt wird die Ambiguität vor dem Hintergrund einer Unterscheidung von (diatonischen) Schritten und (chromatischen) Alterationen gedeutet. In Bezug auf die Harmoniebewegung geschieht dies vor dem Hintergrund einer Unterscheidung von Fundamentschritten und virtuellen Verrückungen des tonalen Bezugs. / The investigations in this article are based on the idea that certain characteristics of musical experience can only be explained when fundamental characteristics of mental activity have been theoretically opened up. Correspondingly, Section 2 outlines an approach to the modeling of mental activity. It explains Fechner’s law as the link between transcendent mental activity and its immanent experience. With the characterization modelled mental activity as “meta-physical” a physical competence is assigned to it. It consists in the performance of canonical transformations, which are of central importance for the understanding of motion in theoretical physics. Fechner’s law mediates between the transformations and their infinitimal generators, accordingly. Due to the non-commutativity of the transformation group, there are discrepancies between the transcendent activity and its immanent experience with regard to the accounting of composite transformations. These involve the comprehension of changes of the subjective point of view. In tonal music they are manifest in local displacements of the tonic. The music-theoretical investigation therefore focusses on tonal ambiguities. Section 3 recapitulates and compares analyses of Chopin’s Prelude op. 28/4 by several authors and thereby collects evidence of the existence of a genuine ambiguity, which appears on several levels of description. With regard to counterpoint, the ambiguity is interpreted on the background of a distinction between (diatonic) steps and (chromatic) alterations. With regard to the harmony movement, this is being done on the background of a distinction between fundamental steps and virtual shifts in the tonal reference.

Lee Hyla (1952–2014) gehörte zu einer Generation von Komponist_innen, die nachhaltig prägende Einflüsse durch das Spielen in Rock Bands und das Hören von Rock, Punk, Jazz und anderen nicht-klassischen Genres empfingen. Hyla zählt zu den versiertesten Komponisten seiner Generation, doch ist sein Werk kaum erforscht. Die Einflüsse auf seine Musik, u. a. von James Brown, Captain Beefheart, Neil Young und Cecil Taylor, manifestieren sich in seiner Musik in einer Weise, die postmoderne Zitat- oder Verweistechniken überwindet und seinen Zugang zu Rhythmus, Metrum und Phrasierung beeinflusst. Diese Qualitäten sind von einzigartigem Interesse für Hörer_innen und stellen besondere Herausforderungen an die Ausführenden. In der Analyse von Dream of Innocent III (1987) für verstärktes Cello, Klavier und Percussion stelle ich mein analytisches Rahmenkonzept vor, das von Lerdahls and Jackendoffs generativer Theorie tonaler Musik und von Bruce Hayes’ Theorie metrischer Betonungen inspiriert ist. Meine Analyse basiert auf Rhythmus und Metrum und zeigt die Implikationen der Hyla beeinflussenden Musikformen auf die Performance von Phrasierung und Struktur. / Lee Hyla (1952–2014) belonged to a generation of composers whose formative musical experiences included playing in rock bands and listening to rock, punk, jazz, and other nonclassical genres. Hyla is among the most accomplished American composers of his generation, yet his work remains underexamined. His influences, particularly James Brown, Captain Beefheart, Neil Young, and Cecil Taylor, manifest in Hyla’s music in a manner that transcends postmodern quotation or mere reference and affect his approach to rhythm, meter, and phrasing. These qualities provide unique interest for the listener and specific challenges for the performer. Through an analysis of Dream of Innocent III (1987) for amplified cello, piano, and percussion, I present my analytical framework inspired by Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s generative theory of tonal music and Bruce Hayes’s metrical stress theory. My analysis, rooted in rhythm and meter, shows performative implications of Hyla’s influences as related to phrasing and structure.

The project examines, in an experimental way, how differences in massing, aperture, and sectioning are affecting the natural resonant frequency of an architectural space. An investigation of boxes with these different qualities resulted in more than 200 minutes of sound material. By creating visual representations of the sounds, a catalogue and scheme for amassment of the boxes, could be organized. With the knowledge of how resonant frequency in prehistoric megalithic structures could have been used to support ritual chanting and the parallel to historic and contemporary religious buildings, a chapel was designed. Each room of the chapel has its own reign of resonant frequencies, with the third node being generated from my own voice and a monologue. Since the sound is a big part of the project, the main representation of the project is a series of soundscapes of each room of the chapel. This illustrates that architecture should not always only be looked at, but also listened to.

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This study explores the topic of music theory pedagogy in conjunction with the Kodály concept of music education and its North-American adaptation by Lois Choksy. It investigates the compatibility of the Kodály Method with post-secondary instruction in tonal harmony, using a theoretical framework derived from Kodály’s methodology and implemented as a teaching strategy for the dominant-seventh chord. The customary presentation of this concept is authenticated with an empirical case study involving four university professors. Subsequently, Kodály’s four-step instructional process informs a comparative analysis of five university-level textbooks that evaluates the sequential placement of V7, examines the procedure by which it is presented, and considers the inclusion of correlated musical excerpts. Although divergent from traditional approaches to tonal harmony, Kodály’s principles and practices are pedagogically effective. By progressing from concrete to abstract, preceding symbolization with extensive musical experience, conceptual understandings are not only intellectualized, but are developed and internalized.

This study explores the topic of music theory pedagogy in conjunction with the Kodály concept of music education and its North-American adaptation by Lois Choksy. It investigates the compatibility of the Kodály Method with post-secondary instruction in tonal harmony, using a theoretical framework derived from Kodály’s methodology and implemented as a teaching strategy for the dominant-seventh chord. The customary presentation of this concept is authenticated with an empirical case study involving four university professors. Subsequently, Kodály’s four-step instructional process informs a comparative analysis of five university-level textbooks that evaluates the sequential placement of V7, examines the procedure by which it is presented, and considers the inclusion of correlated musical excerpts. Although divergent from traditional approaches to tonal harmony, Kodály’s principles and practices are pedagogically effective. By progressing from concrete to abstract, preceding symbolization with extensive musical experience, conceptual understandings are not only intellectualized, but are developed and internalized.

This study explores the topic of music theory pedagogy in conjunction with the Kodály concept of music education and its North-American adaptation by Lois Choksy. It investigates the compatibility of the Kodály Method with post-secondary instruction in tonal harmony, using a theoretical framework derived from Kodály’s methodology and implemented as a teaching strategy for the dominant-seventh chord. The customary presentation of this concept is authenticated with an empirical case study involving four university professors. Subsequently, Kodály’s four-step instructional process informs a comparative analysis of five university-level textbooks that evaluates the sequential placement of V7, examines the procedure by which it is presented, and considers the inclusion of correlated musical excerpts. Although divergent from traditional approaches to tonal harmony, Kodály’s principles and practices are pedagogically effective. By progressing from concrete to abstract, preceding symbolization with extensive musical experience, conceptual understandings are not only intellectualized, but are developed and internalized.