Violinists Employ More Expressive Gesture and Timing Around Global Musical Resolutions

Abstract

Performers express musical structure using variations in dynamics, timbre, timing, and physical gesture. Previous research on instrumental performance of Western classical music has identified increased nontechnical motion (movement considered supplementary to producing sound) and ritardando at cadences. Cadences typically provide resolution to built-up tension at differing levels of importance according to the hierarchical structure of music. Thus, we hypothesized that performers would embody these differences by employing nontechnical motion and rubato, even when not explicitly asked to express them. Expert violinists performed the Allemande from Bach’s Flute Partita for motion capture and audio recordings in a standing position, then we examined nontechnical motion and rubato in four cadential excerpts (two locally important, two globally important) and four noncadential excerpts. Each excerpt was segmented into the buildup to and departure from the dominant-tonic progression. Increased ritardando as well as nontechnical motion such as side-to-side whole-body swaying and torso rotation in cadential excerpts were found compared to noncadential excerpts. Moreover, violinists used more nontechnical motion and ritardando in the departure segments of the global cadences, while the buildups also showed the global-local contrast. Our results extend previous findings on the expression of cadences by highlighting the hierarchical nature of embodied musical resolution.