Review

Reviewed Work(s): Cognitive Foundations of Musical Pitch by Carol L. Krumhansl

Review by: John H. Chalmers, Jr.
Source: Leonardo, Vol. 25, No. 2 (1992), pp. 221-223
Published by: The MIT Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1575725
Accessed: 26-04-2019 08:35 UTC

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Leonardo

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 ~91uJt44D3YMUUMMDPfY LU t4

I. Book Reviews
Book Review Panel: Rudolf Arnheim, Eva Belik, John Bowlt, John W. Cooper,
Igor V. Dolenko, Elmer Duncan, Robert S. Lansdon, Alan Lee, Joy Turner Luke, David Pariser,
Clifford Pickover, David Topper, Stephen Wilson.

CHARLES SHEETERR tion by

by Krumhansl
Krumhansl and
and her
hercol-
col- Krumhansl
Krumhansl to toderive
deriveanananalogous
analogous
leagues.
leagues. The
The major
major part
part ofofthe
thebook
bookisis
natural
natural minor-scale
minor-scalehierarchy.
hierarchy. InIn
the
the
AND THE CULT devoted
devoted to
to work
work from
from her
herlaboratory, minor
minor mode,
laboratory, mode,the
thehierarchical
hierarchicalorder-
order-
OF THE MACHINE though
though some
some earlier
earlier and
and collateral
collateraling
ing is
is tonic,
tonic, minor
minorthird,
third,and
andfifth.
fifth.
work by
by other
other investigators
investigatorsisisdis-
dis- Notes
Notes altered
alteredby
bya a1/4-tone
1/4-tonewere
were
by Karen Lucic. Reaktion Books, Lon-
cussed as well. Given the wealth of in- also
also used
used as
as probes
probesbut
butwere
werefound
foundtoto
don, U.K., 1991. 168 pp., illus. Paper,
formation in this book, a short reviewbe assimilated
assimilatedto tothe
theneighboring
neighboring
?10.95. ISBN: 0-948462-17-5.
can only touch on the most impor- chromatic
chromatic pitches,
pitches,especially
especiallyifif
they
they
were in a different octave from the
Reviewed byJohn Cooper, Pergamon Press, tant points.
Headington Hill Hall, Oxford OX3 Krumhansl's primary research pro- scale tones. In a similar experiment,
OBW, U.K. cedure is the 'probe tone' technique. Jordan found that 1/4-tone pitches
A musical context is presented and were rated much lower than the chro-
Big, industrial machines have become subjects are then asked how well cer- matic set, but 1/8-tones were not.
symbolic of modern America, and tain subsequent events, usually tones
Correlations between the major-
large cities with their skyscrapers are
and minor-scale profiles and each of
or chords, fit or agree with the preced-
the visible evidence of their potency. ing material. Variations of the con-
their transpositions were computed as
Karen Lucic presents one of the early texts and the events constitute the ex- measures of 'interkey' distances. The
iconographers of this machine age in perimental approach. The data are resulting distances were analyzed by
a closely argued, well-documented then analyzed mathematically to form Shepard's multi-dimensional scaling
monograph. Even in reproduction conclusions. (MDS) algorithm. A four-dimensional
Sheeler's machines shine with vibrant
The first question addressed was solution was found; two of the dimen-
beauty, purposeful; yet what struck whether listeners assign hierarchical
sions corresponded to the cycle of
me was that many resemble nothingfunctions to the tones of the major
fifths for major and minor scales
so much as the monolithic brooding, and minor modes. The experimental while the other two dimensions de-
threatening, merciless and unforgiv-
context was an incomplete ascending pended upon the relative and parallel
ing art of Toltec mid-America,
or descending major scale and the major-minor key relationships.
created long before the machine age. task was to choose which of 13 chro- The scale profiles obtained in the
This is, I think, an intimation of
matic probe tones best completed theearlier studies were compared to
Sheeler's universality (and of his gamut. The subjects were university various measures of tonal consonance
powerful presentation) in his role as a
students of differing musical back- and to the statistical distributions of
harbinger of the technological trans-
grounds. Not surprisingly, strong tones in selected compositions. In
formation of society, prefiguring the differences were found among the general, a stronger correlation was
decay of heavy industry. This timelygroups. Musically trained students seen between the tonal hierarchies
volume will surely contribute to a re- and the statistical measures than be-
rated the tonic of the major scale
assessment of Sheeler's place in earlyhighest (on a 1-7 scale), followed by tween the hierarchies and tonal con-
twentieth-century art.
the fifth and major third. Less well- sonances.

trained students favored the tonic, These findings were incorpor

but did not differentially rank the into a key-finding algorithm th
COGNITIVE other tones. Untrained students pared the durations of the first
FOUNDATIONS OF seemed sensitive only to proximity notes of the 48 preludes of Ba
and chose the nearest note to the last Well Tempered Clavier to the pro
MUSICAL PITCH
tone presented. The results of the The algorithm was also applied
by Carol L. Krumhansl. Oxford Psy-
musically trained students were simi- Bach's fugue subjects and to ex
chology Series No. 17. Oxford Univ.
lar for all keys, and these data were from works by Chopin and
Press, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1990.
therefore pooled to derive the 'major Shostakovich. On the whole, th
307 pp. Trade. ISBN: 0-19-505475-X.
key profile', a hierarchical ranking of rithm was reasonably successfu
the tones of the scale. identifying the correct keys, de
Reviewed by John H. Chalmers,Jr.,
These experiments were repeated the brevity of the excerpts.
9411 Beckford Drive, Houston, TX 77099- Geometrical models of tonal rela-
with complete major and minor
2218, U.S.A.
scales, tonic triads, and simple ca-
dences to the tonic. The results con-
Cognitive Foundations of Musical Pitch
is an account of more than a decade's firm the major-scale profile and allow Section Editor: Elizabeth Crumley
worth of research on musical percep-

? 1992 ISAST
Pergamon Press pic. Printed in Great Britain.
0024-094X/92 $5.00+0.00 LEONARDO, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 221-233, 1992 221
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 tions were investigated with a some- passage does not function as a strongplaces the D with D-flat. Asavri
what different experimental design. musical gestalt. By itself, it acts as stresses A-flat and D-flat and Bhairvi C
The contexts consisted either of weak subdominant, as its profile re- and F while adding D and F-sharp.
major or minor scales or I-IV-V-I sembles that of the major key a fourth
Thus neither profile is identical to
chord progressions. The task was to below the tonic. Further analyses of the minor mode.
determine which of a pair of tones the data indicated that this scaleThese results imply that tonal hier-
better fit the context. A conical con-
tends to be partitioned into triads on archies are very context-specific and
figuration was constructed from the C and F-sharp. are to a great extent under the con-
MDS distances. These data could be The final chapters are of particular trol of composers and performers. It
explained by reference to both theinterest to those concerned with dis- is unfortunate therefore that more
circle of fifths and the chroma or sem- covering new materia musica or with detailed studies were not done with
itone circle. Comparison with the non-European musics. Serial music isthe Gregorian modes, which are men-
scalar profiles suggested that tones investigated, with the not unsurpris- tioned only briefly.
higher in the hierarchies and there- ing finding that naive listeners at- Moreover, Shepard's study of Ba-
fore perceptually more stable were tempt to understand it according to linese and Western scales is relevant
perceived as closer than those lower rules appropriate for tonal styles. Ex-to this question. With Western scales,
down. These relations were converted
perienced listeners avoided choosingboth Western and Balinese subjects,
to a nearest-neighbor map of the sca- some of whom had not been exposed
recently heard tones of partial rows in
lar tones. probe-tone experiments. These and to Western music, rated probe tones
Harmony was next investigated. An other findings suggest that the abilityaccording to their frequency of occur-
experimental paradigm similar to the to understand serial music is a rence and membership in the con-
probe-tone technique was used to learned skill. text. Similar results were found with

rate single chords. The modality of The ragas (modes) and thats the pelog scale. For slendro contexts,
the chord (major, minor, dimin- (scales) of North Indian music were Westerners used frequency of occur-
ished) turned out to be most impor- studied. Both Indian and Western sub- rence more than the other strategies.
tant. When that variable was removed, jects gave similar responses. Each of Thus both groups of subjects found
the ratings correlated highest with the ragas yielded a unique profile, clues that allowed them to correctly
the position of the tones of the chord though those corresponding to theperceive unfamiliar music.
in the hierarchy and with the occur- major or minor modes had profiles The final chapter deals with the
rence of the chord in the context. somewhat different than those found general melodic and harmonic prop-
From these data, a chordal hierarchy previously. These differences may beerties of musical systems. Krumhansl
was derived that is in agreement witha result of the differing contexts, analyzes most of the previously dis-
traditional tonal theory. The chordal which reflected the Indian perform-cussed scales in terms of their interval
hierarchies in turn were used to ance style. vectors, locations on the cycle of
generate interkey distances similar to Analysis of these data indicated fifths, intervals in just intonation, and
those employed earlier with single that structurally important tones (Sa, chordal content. There is one minor
tones. Vadi, Pa, etc.) were perceived accord- error; the octatonic scales in 12-tone
The relations of chords within ing to Indian traditional theoretical
keys equal temperament number three,
were also studied. Pairs of chords models. Indian subjects ordered the not two. The perception theories of
were used as probes in contexts simi- ragas according to the Indian theoreti- Rothenberg might have been men-
lar to those employed earlier with cal model while Westerners gave tioned, as they could explain why the
single tones. Chordal memory was more discrepant responses. octatonic scale is not so strong a musi-
tested, and it was found that chords These studies are of interest also cal gestalt as the major and minor
higher in the hierarchy were remem-with respect to the yet unstudied modes [1].
bered better than those lower down. tonal hierarchies of the other dia- Experimental systems such as
Further investigations were tonic modes. Six of the thats of the
Pierce's 13th root of 3 and Balzano's

directed toward the perception of North Indian tonal system are identi- nine notes out of 20-tone equal
modulations and of bitonality. Chordcal to six of the cyclic permutations ortemperament are also discussed
progressions of varying lengths were modes of major scale transposed to briefly. Krumhansl reported else-
presented in different keys. The sensethe common tonic C according to the where that they have many of the
of key grew stronger as the series of theories ofJairazbhoy and Danielou. properties of traditional scales.
chords grew longer in the context. However, the principal tones of This book is vital for anyone inter-
Similarly, modulating sequences ragas are in general different from ested in music perception. Tradition-
showed an increase in key strength those of the Western scales with the alists will be gratified to learn that
with the length of the passage in same intervals. In Raga Bilaval, which standard tonal-harmonic theory is
the new key. corresponds intervallically to the largely confirmed and that serial
The perception of two separate major mode, the most important music poses special perceptual prob-
keys in bitonal music was investigatedtones after the tonic C are A and E lems. Ethnomusicologists will find
by using a passage from Petroushka as rather than the G and E of the major- that non-Western musics are perceived
the context. The probe tones yieldedscale profile. The situation is more to be more like European musics
a profile that is more or less the sum complex for the minor mode; the than experimental styles. Experimen-
of the two keys, C and F-sharp major.raga closest to the minor mode, talists will be relieved to read that
However, the C octatonic scale of the Asavri, uses the that Bhairvi that re- unfamiliar musical structures can be

222 Current Literature

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perceived
perceivedafter afterexposure
exposure to appro- which deals with everything from
to appro- Chastel.
Chastel. But
But what
whatisisstill
stillmore
morestriking
striking
priate
priatemusical
musical contexts.
contexts. scenic beauty to city planning and and
and pleasantly
pleasantly original
originalin inthis
thispublica-
publica-
even includes a study of court cases tion tion isis the
the large
large number
numberof ofphoto-
photo-
Reference dealing with aesthetic regulation. graphic
graphic portraits
portraitsof ofart
arthistorians.
historians.
1. David Rothenberg, "A Model for Pattern Per-
Again, this book is not ajoy to What
What aa pleasure
pleasure and
andsurprise
surprisetotodis-
dis-
ception with Musical Applications. Part 1: Pitch read, but many people will find it use- cover the faces of more than 200 ad-
Structures as Order-Preserving Maps", Mathemati ful. It has a list of references at the mired thinkers who are present in
cal Systems Theory 11 (1978) pp. 199-234; "A
Model for Pattern Perception with Musical Appli- end (pp. 493-517) that constitutes an our memory and our imagination
cations. Part II: The Information Content of excellent bibliography of the subject, only with their names and theories,
Pitch Structures". Mathematical Systems Theory 11 and it also has indexes of authors and
who suddenly become physically tan-
(1978) pp. 353-372.
subjects. gible and human. A restriction, how-
ever: Among these portraits one dis-
covers only two female faces, those of
ENVIRONMENTAL
GESCHICHTE DER Linda Nochlin and Renate Wanger-
AESTIHETICS: THEORY, Rieger. Although mention in the text
KUNSTGESCHICHTE: is also made of Rosalind Krauss,
RESEARCH, AND
DER WEG EINER Svetlana Alpers, Joan Hart, Lucy Lip-
APPLICATIONS pard and Caroline Tisdall, does this
WISSENSCHAFT
byJack L. Nasar, ed. Cambridge Univ. adequately represent the feminine
by Udo Kultermann. Prestel-Verlag,
Press, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1988. contribution to Art History? On the
ISBN: 0-521-34124-8. Munich, Germany, 1990. purely visual level, we have to pay for
this abundance of portraits of in-
Reviewed by Elmer H. Duncan, Depart- Reviewed by Frank Popper, 49 quai desdividual predominantly male histori-
ment of Philosophy, Baylor University, Grands Augustins, Paris 75006, France.
ans with a shortage in other areas:
Waco, TX 76798, U.S.A.
Udo Kultermann's Geschichte der Kunst- there is but a single group illustration
of Cornelius Hofstede de Groote and
Some books are exciting and ajoy togeschichte (The History of the History
read; this one is not. But it should beof Art), published for the first time in his pupils in the Hague, and there are
a useful book, for philosophers, psy- 1966 and whose second revised and only three pictures of artworks, all re-
chologists, etc. It can also be useful enlarged edition appeared in 1990 at lating to the quarrels between art his-
for people of more mundane pur- the Prestel-Verlag in Munich, is likely torians and concerning the Laokoon
suits: politicians, city planners and to be shortly available in languages group and the Madonna of the Mayor
various other sorts of urban and rural other than German. In fact an Eng- Meyer (also known as the quarrel of
environmentalists. Dresden, concerning Hans Holbein
lish edition is in preparation at Abaris
The book is based on two Environ- Books, Pleasantville, New York. As isthe Younger's original in the
Schlossmuseum at Darmstadt and
mental Design Research Association claimed by this scholarly book publish-
conferences, one held in College er, this is the first work devoted to anBartholomaus Sarburgh's copy at the
Park, Maryland, in 1982, the other in
overall history of the study of art his-Gemaldegalerie in Dresden). To be
Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1983. The tory and fills a long-standing gap in entirelyjust, one should also mention
papers of those conferences are pub-art-historical literature. Although that the cover of the book reproduces
lished, supplemented with other there have been books on the differ- part of the painting Archduke Leopold
papers by noted scholars on the top-ent periods and aspects of art history, Wilhelm Visits His Gallery at Brussels by
David Teniers II.
ics of the conferences. there has not been available an analy-
As the subtitle of the book sug- sis of how art historians in general The clarity, objectivity and composi-
tional orderliness of this book is the
gests, the material is divided into have viewed art from antiquity to the
three major sections. First there is a present. This book, the American pub- result of an original method that has
short section on 'Theory', with papers lishers claim, will acquaint the readermanaged to coordinate this mass of
by psychologists and at least one with questions of style, media, aesthet-information and present it with spirit
philosopher, Arnold Berleant, who ics, methods and philosophy that and intelligence-in a manner that
represented the American Society forhave been the focus of inquiry for art allows easy assimilation without
Aesthetics. historians through the ages. eschewing an abundant use of cita-
tions and anecdotes.
By far the largest part of the book I will concentrate on two aspects of
is the middle section, devoted to Udo Kultermann's book that concern How can we assess the pertinence
'Empirical Studies'. This is subdividedhim and perhaps also most Leonardo this book to the present-day situa-
of
into papers on method, and then stu-readers particularly-that is, the origi-tion of art and art history and, in par-
ticular, to the manifestations and the
dies of architectural interiors, archi- nality of this work and its pertinence
tectural exteriors, urban scenes and to the reflection on the art-science- studies in the art/science/technology
natural and rural scenes. These stu- technology relationship. area? Kultermann's basic assumption,
dies feature an incredible number of There is no doubt that what fasci- a postulation that the history of art is
preference studies with pictures, nates any reader of this book, a science that changes its coordinates
graphs, charts and statistical data. whether layman or expert, at first through the frequent reassessments
This method should provide a rich re- sight is the audacious (some will per-necessary to the artistic production of
source for anyone concerned with any haps say naive or simplistic) attempt each period, is a useful one. In fact,
aspect of environmental studies. Kultermann has many strings in his
to cover the whole body of art-histori-
Finally, the volume concludes with cal work from Plato to Meyer bow that allow him to take up this
a short section of 'Applications', Schapiro, Ernst Gombrich and Andre

Current Literature 223

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