This study's purpose was to investigate the phenomenon of hemispheric specialization for the pitch and rhythmic aspects of melody. Its research problems were to investigate the Influence of pitch, rhythm, and training on hemispheric specialization for pitch-plus-rhythm melodic fragments. A final problem was to examine the relationship between dlchotic ear scores and eye movements evidenced during melodic processing. Twenty musicians and twenty nonmuslcians, right-handed and equally divided as to gender, participated in the project. Accepted dlchotic testing and eye behavior indexing procedures were implemented to investigate each research problem. The dlchotic tape produced for the study contained five subtests In which pitch activity was variously greater than, less than, or equal to rhythmic activity.

Dentre as diversas operações que podem ser realizadas com composições musicais, representadas através de uma notação, está a avaliação de similaridade melódica, utilizada principalmente na busca e recuperação dessas obras. O presente trabalho apresenta o método de avaliação de similaridade melódica denominado Correspondência de Monofonia Contida (CMC), focado na operação de busca de composições. Também estão descritos os detalhes de implementação de uma ferramenta para busca de tablaturas textuais da web utilizando o método proposto. A análise dos experimentos realizados demonstrou que o método CMC consegue localizar composições específicas em dois terços das consultas (69,44%), conseguindo colocar o resultado esperado, em média, na 11ª posição de ranqueamento. / Among the various operations that can be performed with musical compositions, represented through a notation, is the evaluation of melodic similarity mainly for search and retrieval of these works. This paper presents the method of evaluation of melodic similarity named Monophonic Contained Matching, focused on the search of compositions. Also describes the implementation details of a tool to search textual tabs in web using the proposed method. The analysis of the experiments demonstrated that the CMC method can locate specific compositions in two-thirds of queries (69.44%), managing to place the expected result on average in the 11th ranking position.

xxiii, 507 p. / This dissertation contextualizes melodic variation within a cultural, historical, and cognitive framework. This work discusses how traditional musicians learn how to vary melodies by observing norms of social and musical behavior exhibited by senior musicians. The core of this dissertation is the transcription and analysis of fifty source recordings of fifty different Irish musicians playing one tune each dating from between 1904 and 2007. Though the transcriptions of the recordings exhibited a high instance of melodic variation (48.2% of the measures), only a small percentage of variation fell on set accented tones (an average of 7.3%). The considerable invariance of set accented tones suggests that part of what constitutes the concept of a tune in an Irish musician's mind relates to the pitch of these key tones. I introduce the term aesthetic conservatism to designate a philosophical approach to performance practice that seeks to maintain both the dance genre and tune identity. I argue that aesthetic conservatism may be a by-product of archetypes and exemplars created through transcriptions and recording technology. This conservatism may also be a function of famine-induced fear of cultural dissolution or inferiority with respect to more prominent music-making supercultures. I call on the philosophy of aesthetic conservatism to explain why few set accented tones are varied. Of the measures that were varied, 74% of those variations involved the addition, subtraction, or redistribution of ornamentation. To catalogue the variety of variations within this sample, I propose a taxonomy that is designed to account for the number of notes in a measure and to assess intervallic differences over successive repetitions of a tune. Finally, I propose a theory to explain the cognitive processes that allow a musician to vary a melody. I suggest that in the mind of a traditional musician there is both a tune schema and a variation schema. These are flexible models that are distinct and separate but that interact within a short span of time because of the exceptionally efficient anatomy of a musician's brain. / Committee in charge: Anne Dhu McLucas, Chairperson; Lori Kruckenberg, Member; Stephen Rodgers, Member; Glen Waddell, Outside Member

The dissertation identifies three types of tonality: scalicfmodal, melodic, and harmonic. Scalic/modal tonality and melodic tonality are known to have been existent in Antiquity. Messiaen adheres to these ancient types of tonality and also harmonic tonality. Messiaen uses these types of tonality in his own combinations -- his concept of tonality is revealed to be highly complex. / Musicology / M.Mus. (Musicology)

Dentre as diversas operações que podem ser realizadas com composições musicais, representadas através de uma notação, está a avaliação de similaridade melódica, utilizada principalmente na busca e recuperação dessas obras. O presente trabalho apresenta o método de avaliação de similaridade melódica denominado Correspondência de Monofonia Contida (CMC), focado na operação de busca de composições. Também estão descritos os detalhes de implementação de uma ferramenta para busca de tablaturas textuais da web utilizando o método proposto. A análise dos experimentos realizados demonstrou que o método CMC consegue localizar composições específicas em dois terços das consultas (69,44%), conseguindo colocar o resultado esperado, em média, na 11ª posição de ranqueamento. / Among the various operations that can be performed with musical compositions, represented through a notation, is the evaluation of melodic similarity mainly for search and retrieval of these works. This paper presents the method of evaluation of melodic similarity named Monophonic Contained Matching, focused on the search of compositions. Also describes the implementation details of a tool to search textual tabs in web using the proposed method. The analysis of the experiments demonstrated that the CMC method can locate specific compositions in two-thirds of queries (69.44%), managing to place the expected result on average in the 11th ranking position.

abstract: Language and music are fundamentally entwined within human culture. The two domains share similar properties including rhythm, acoustic complexity, and hierarchical structure. Although language and music have commonalities, abilities in these two domains have been found to dissociate after brain damage, leaving unanswered questions about their interconnectedness, including can one domain support the other when damage occurs? Evidence supporting this question exists for speech production. Musical pitch and rhythm are employed in Melodic Intonation Therapy to improve expressive language recovery, but little is known about the effects of music on the recovery of speech perception and receptive language. This research is one of the first to address the effects of music on speech perception. Two groups of participants, an older adult group (n=24; M = 71.63 yrs) and a younger adult group (n=50; M = 21.88 yrs) took part in the study. A native female speaker of Standard American English created four different types of stimuli including pseudoword sentences of normal speech, simultaneous music-speech, rhythmic speech, and music-primed speech. The stimuli were presented binaurally and participants were instructed to repeat what they heard following a 15 second time delay. Results were analyzed using standard parametric techniques. It was found that musical priming of speech, but not simultaneous synchronized music and speech, facilitated speech perception in both the younger adult and older adult groups. This effect may be driven by rhythmic information. The younger adults outperformed the older adults in all conditions. The speech perception task relied heavily on working memory, and there is a known working memory decline associated with aging. Thus, participants completed a working memory task to be used as a covariate in analyses of differences across stimulus types and age groups. Working memory ability was found to correlate with speech perception performance, but that the age-related performance differences are still significant once working memory differences are taken into account. These results provide new avenues for facilitating speech perception in stroke patients and sheds light upon the underlying mechanisms of Melodic Intonation Therapy for speech production. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Communication Disorders 2015

The following essay aims to examine the use of lyrical themes linked to religion. The music styles in focus in this study are death metal and melodic death metal in Sweden. The study is based on 14 Swedish bands that are or have been active during the last 30 years. In this study I ask which themes connected to religion are used in the lyrics from the middle of the 80’s till today and how the use of themes changes during this time period.       My hypothesis was that since metal’s function and purpose is to break boundaries and test the social limits the lyrics inevitably must change over time to continue to draw attention and provoke. The lyrics have been studied with qualitative text analysis and put in a timeline divided in four eras to see the changes over time and how they are expressed. Each era is divided into different categories and themes that are found in the lyrics.       This study shows that the lyrics in the chosen genres connected to religion change over time, in accordance with my hypothesis. The main lyrical themes are Satanism, Anti-religion and religion critics, Christian themes, Esoterism and mysticism and Mythology. The lyrical themes have changed from dealing primarily with Satanism and anti-Christianity/religion in the 80’s and early 90’s to more complex lyrics about esoterism, mysticism, spiritism, and mythology today.

Dentre as diversas operações que podem ser realizadas com composições musicais, representadas através de uma notação, está a avaliação de similaridade melódica, utilizada principalmente na busca e recuperação dessas obras. O presente trabalho apresenta o método de avaliação de similaridade melódica denominado Correspondência de Monofonia Contida (CMC), focado na operação de busca de composições. Também estão descritos os detalhes de implementação de uma ferramenta para busca de tablaturas textuais da web utilizando o método proposto. A análise dos experimentos realizados demonstrou que o método CMC consegue localizar composições específicas em dois terços das consultas (69,44%), conseguindo colocar o resultado esperado, em média, na 11ª posição de ranqueamento. / Among the various operations that can be performed with musical compositions, represented through a notation, is the evaluation of melodic similarity mainly for search and retrieval of these works. This paper presents the method of evaluation of melodic similarity named Monophonic Contained Matching, focused on the search of compositions. Also describes the implementation details of a tool to search textual tabs in web using the proposed method. The analysis of the experiments demonstrated that the CMC method can locate specific compositions in two-thirds of queries (69.44%), managing to place the expected result on average in the 11th ranking position.

The purpose of this project has been to explore different methods that would bring melodic quality to melodies, in improvisations as well as compositions. Different standpoints on melody and melodicism, taken by different musical profiles, have been examined and from those standpoints different strategies have been formed. The goal of the project is to find out if skill in melodicism is something that can be gained through practice with concrete methods. The process of forming each method is described and the results of those methods are presented through outtakes from compositions and improvisations that I performed on my exam concert. The strategies that are explored are periodicity and idea development, flow of eight notes and sixteenth notes based on triads, pentatonicism and different forms of phrasing. Conclusion is made that all of the strategies serve their purpose, but it’s still a question if they do so for individual reasons or for the same reason, that all of the strategies simply are different variations of idea development. / <p>Repertoar, samtliga titlar komponerade av Rasmus Hansen:</p><p>Now or never</p><p>Spegel spegel på väggen där, jag har rätt du har fel</p><p>På Mammas fötter, på Pappas axlar</p><p>Cm</p><p>Out for a walk</p><p>Medverkande musiker:</p><p>Rasmus Hansen - Elgitarr</p><p>Linnea Jonsson - trumpet</p><p>Kalle Johansson - piano</p><p>August Eriksson - kontrabas</p><p>Kristian Remnelius - trummor</p>

The present study sought to confirm melodic expectancy patterns discovered in a previous investigation and to determine whether data would be affected by altering the rhythmic condition of the stimuli. The three problems of this investigation were to study expectancies generated by two-note stimulus intervals of equal duration; the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a long-short rhythm; and the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a short-long rhythm. Fifty subjects were asked to sing what they believed would be the natural continuation of the melody begun by a two-note stimulus interval. The stimulus intervals were grouped in rhythmic sets, one set of neutral-rhythm stimuli, one set of long-short stimuli, and one set of short-long stimuli. The interval from the second note of the stimulus interval to the first sung note was transcribed as the generated expectancy response interval. The data were examined in two basic ways, using response data as a whole and examining data for each stimulus interval separately. A third method of data evaluation concerned harmonic triads occurring in the response data. Both when considering response frequency as a whole, and when considering response data separately for each melodic beginning, no significant difference associated with rhythmic condition could be found. Smaller response intervals were generated much more often than large intervals. Some stimulus intervals, notably the major second ascending, were observed to be much more powerful generators than others. It was concluded from these results that in response to two-note stimulus intervals melodic expectancy can clearly be shown to operate, confirming the results of an earlier study, but that no effect of rhythm on melodic expectancy can be shown to operate.