Name:Aditi, Shukla

School/Affiliation:McMaster University

Co-Authors:Cameron J. Anderson, Michael Schutz

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

A growing body of music psychology literature emphasizes shifts in mode’s use over time (Anderson & Schutz, 2022; Horn & Huron, 2015). Prior empirical research suggests that although there was clearer differentiation between the major/minor modes in the Classical (~1750–1830) era, the separation weakened in the Romantic (~1830–1900) era. These changes have sparked questions from music theorists regarding mode’s assessment in research, where it is often treated dichotomously (i.e., as either major or minor). To explore this issue, Delle Grazie et al. (under review) developed a rigorous three-phase study wherein expert music theorists rated the perceived mode of 381 musical excerpts across four eras and 12 composers. Here, we analyze a subset of their data, focusing on differences between the Classical and Romantic eras. The shift from the Classical era to the Romantic era seems crucial in understanding mode’s changing use but has seldom been explored on such a large scale. Thus, our analyses explore how experts’ perceptions of mode differ between music from the Classical era and Romantic era. We will compare experts’ mode ratings and their written notes (detailing the rationale behind their ratings) for music from the two eras. Our analyses will contribute to clarifying how composers began changing their use of modality in the Romantic era, offering insight into large-scale trends over music history.