Leonard B. Meyer proposed unique metaphysical constructs of the aesthetic experience in music in his 1956 book Emotion and Meaning in Music. These constructs posited a causal nexus for affective response to music based upon the absolute-expressionist viewpoint that structural variations in a work of music give rise to human affect. The primary hierarchical constituents of Meyer’s theory include his inhibition thesis, deviation thesis, and violation of the Gestalt principles of continuity, closure, and shape. The study of Madsen, Brittin, and Capparella-Sheldon (1993) was part of a series of studies that examined the aesthetic experience in music according to continuously measured affective response. Participants recorded affective response via Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) while listening to Act I of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohéme. The purpose of this study was to analyze the Puccini according to the constructs of Meyer, and then compare those results to the “aesthetic footprint” generated by the empirical study. Results indicated a correlation between affective response and delays or violations of continuity, closure, and shape. A case is presented for the validity of Meyer’s constructs. Additionally, future research and applications to teaching expressivity are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 19, 2018. / Affective response, Entropy, Expressivity, Gestalt, Leonard Meyer, Tension / Includes bibliographical references. / Clifford Madsen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Bruce Holzman, University Representative; Katarzyna Bugaj, Committee Member; John Geringer, Committee Member; William Fredrickson, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_653390 |
| Contributors | Clark, Robert Henry (author), Madsen, Clifford K. (professor directing dissertation), Holzman, Bruce (university representative), Bugaj, Kasia (committee member), Geringer, John M (committee member), Fredrickson, William E. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Music (degree granting college), College of Music (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (309 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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