Understanding of Structure

The meters of the trio at the center of Bartók’s Fifth String Quartet scherzo are (3 + 2 + 2 + 3) / 8, (2 + 3 + 2 + 3) / 8, and (2 + 3 + 3 + 2) / 8. Well-known string quartets differ greatly in their interpretations of these meters, with rhythmic performance ranging from accented and angular to lyrical and flexible. What are the main differences in rhythmic interpretation, and what might explain them? This chapter explores the structure of the trio’s melodies in relation to Bartók’s writings on folk music (Hungarian folk song and Bulgarian meter), and examines ten recordings of the trio empirically. It concludes that the most significant distinctions in interpretation of the trio’s rhythms link to a folk-song-like understanding of its melodies, and that Bartók’s coaching influence coincides with such understanding. Bartók’s instructions to the Kolisch Quartet on the performance of the trio’s rhythms, and Bartók’s own recorded performances of similar rhythms, are examined. A performers’ guide and video interview with András Fejér of the Takács Quartet provide practical interpretive resources. Audio examples complement the written text.

Rhythm and the Physical

Of all musical elements, rhythm is the most closely associated with temporal experience. When rhythms are categorized as structural objects, their active qualities can be lost, obscuring the physical life of rhythmic performance. This chapter argues for understanding rhythmic objects as inherently active, with a necessary physical aspect. One way these aspects emerge is through the processes that undergird performance. When a rhythm is learned as a gesture, it brings with it a particular physical history, developed over periods of repetition. This chapter examines rhythmic objects in three case studies, including performances of piano music by Saint-Saëns and Chopin, and a hardcore punk song by the band Minor Threat. Close analysis of the gestures that produce rhythms in these varied musics suggests the role of metrical experience in creating rhythms and, consequentially, how rhythms may be valued for the physical gestures they demand.

Heightened orofacial, manual, and gait variability in Parkinson’s disease results from a general rhythmic impairment

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience rhythm disorders in a number of motor tasks, such as (i) oral diadochokinesis, (ii) finger tapping, and (iii) gait. These common motor deficits may be signs of “general dysrhythmia”, a central disorder spanning across effectors and tasks, and potentially sharing the same neural substrate. However, to date, little is known about the relationship between rhythm impairments across domains and effectors. To test this hypothesis, we assessed whether rhythmic disturbances in three different domains (i.e., orofacial, manual, and gait) can be related in PD. Moreover, we investigated whether rhythmic motor performance across these domains can be predicted by rhythm perception, a measure of central rhythmic processing not confounded with motor output. Twenty-two PD patients (mean age: 69.5 ± 5.44) participated in the study. They underwent neurological and neuropsychological assessments, and they performed three rhythmic motor tasks. For oral diadochokinesia, participants had to repeatedly produce a trisyllable pseudoword. For gait, they walked along a computerized walkway. For the manual task, patients had to repeatedly produce finger taps. The first two rhythmic motor tasks were unpaced, and the manual tapping task was performed both without a pacing stimulus and musically paced. Rhythm perception was also tested. We observed that rhythmic variability of motor performances (inter-syllable, inter-tap, and inter-stride time error) was related between the three functions. Moreover, rhythmic performance was predicted by rhythm perception abilities, as demonstrated with a logistic regression model. Hence, rhythm impairments in different motor domains are found to be related in PD and may be underpinned by a common impaired central rhythm mechanism, revealed by a deficit in rhythm perception. These results may provide a novel perspective on how interpret the effects of rhythm-based interventions in PD, within and across motor domains.

Action-sound Latency and the Perceived Quality of Digital Musical Instruments

Asynchrony between tactile and auditory feedback (action-sound latency) when playing a musical instrument is widely recognized as disruptive to musical performance. In this paper we present a study that assesses the effects of delayed auditory feedback on the timing accuracy and judgments of instrument quality for two groups of participants: professional percussionists and non-percussionist amateur musicians. The amounts of delay tested in this study are relatively small in comparison to similar studies of auditory delays in a musical context (0 ms, 10 ms, 10 ms ± 3 ms, 20 ms). We found that both groups rated the zero latency condition as higher quality for a series of quality measures in comparison to 10 ms ± 3 ms and 20 ms latency, but did not show a significant difference in rating between 10 ms latency and zero latency. Professional percussionists were more aware of the latency conditions and showed less variation of timing under the latency conditions, although this ability decreased as the temporal demands of the task increased. We compare our findings from each group and discuss them in relation to latency in interactive digital systems more generally and experimentally similar work on sensorimotor control and rhythmic performance.

Metre, rhythm and emotion in poetry. A cognitive approach

This essay integrates what I have written on the contribution of meter and rhythm to emotional qualities in poetry, opposing them to emotional contents. I distinguish between “meaning-oriented” approaches and “perceived effects” approaches, adopting the latter; and adopt a qualitative (rather than quantitative) method of research. Providing a simplified list of structural elements of emotion, I explore structural resemblances between rhythmic patterns and emotions. I investigate such issues as convergent and divergent poetic styles, convergent and divergent delivery styles, hypnotic poetry, the contribution of meter and rhythm to a “dignified quality”; and the rhythmic performance and emotional effect of stress maxima in weak positions. Finally, I locate my work between impressionist criticism on the one hand, and meaning-oriented criticism on the other.

Rhythmic Abilities of Adolescents and Adults with Williams Syndrome

although rhythmic abilities have often been described as strengths within the cognitive profile of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS), the literature in this respect is limited and has offered inconsistent results. In this study, 20 adolescents and adults with WS and a control group of 40 typically developing individuals matched for chronological age were presented with a rhythmic patterns discrimination task and a rhythmic patterns reproduction task. Individuals with WS performed significantly lower than their control peers in both tasks. In addition, rhythmic impairments in WS were explained by the cognitive deficits that are characteristic of the syndrome. These results suggest that rhythmic performance in individuals with WS is affected by their cognitive deficits and that rhythmic skills in WS are not independent of general cognition.