Comparing habits of medieval and modern musical listening

Abstract

This project aims to investigate whether the metaphor of sweetness is useful for comparing medieval discussions of musical counterpoint with a present-day listener’s responses to similar musical structures from medieval music. Investigators will compare innovative computational reconstructions of contrapuntal sweetness of selected early musical works with modern listeners’ aesthetic responses, and consider how auditory experience may influence such responses. The outcomes of this study will provide a foundation for understanding the habits of past musical listeners and will inform present-day early music listeners, teachers, and performers.