Wavescapes
A visual hierarchical analysis of tonality using the discrete Fourier transform
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20407477 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cédric Viaccoz (0000-0001-6825-1082, Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland), Daniel Harasim (Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, corresponding author), Fabian C Mo (0000-0001-9377-2066, Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland), Martin Rohrmeier (0000-0002-4323-7257, Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 390-427 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Musicae Scientiae (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1029-8649 • E-ISSN: 2045-4147 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10298649211034906 |
| OpenAlex | W4205747402 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 48 |
Many structural aspects of music, such as tonality, can be expressed using hierarchical representations. In music analysis, so-called keyscapes can be used to map a key estimate (e.g., C major, F minor) to each subsection of a piece of music, thus providing an intuitive visual representation of its tonality, in particular of the hierarchical organization of local and global keys. However, that approach is limited in that the mapping relies on assumptions that are specific to common-practice tonality, such as the existence of 24 major and minor keys. This limitation can be circumvented by applying the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to the tonal space. The DFT does not rely on style-specific theoretical assumptions but only presupposes an encoding of the music as pitch classes in 12-tone equal temperament. We introduce wavescapes, a novel visualization method for tonal hierarchies that combines the visual representation of keyscapes with music analysis based on the DFT. Since wavescapes produce visual analyses deterministically, a number of potential subjective biases are removed. By concentrating on one or more Fourier coefficients, the role of the analyst is thus focused on the interpretation and contextualization of the results. We illustrate the usefulness of this method for computational music theory by analyzing eight compositions from different historical epochs and composers (Josquin, Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Scriabin, Webern, Coltrane, Ligeti) in terms of the phase and magnitude of several Fourier coefficients. We also provide a Python library that allows such visualizations to be easily generated for any piece of music for which a symbolic score or audio recording is available
Art · Fourier analysis · Fourier transform · Mathematical analysis · Music theory · Musical · Speech recognition · Tonality · Visualization · Computer Science · Mathematics · Music and Audio Processing · Music Technology and Sound Studies · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Artificial Intelligence
Classical Form
Audacious EuphonyChromatic Harmony and the Triad's Second Nature
The perceptual relevance of balance, evenness, and entropy in musical rhythms
Investigating style evolution of Western classical music
The Individual Tone and Musical Context in Albert Simon’s Tonfeldtheorie
Schoenberg and Liszt
Bernstein's the Unanswered Question and the Problem of Musical Competence
Stylistic information in pitch-class distributions
Maximally Smooth Cycles, Hexatonic Systems, and the Analysis of Late-Romantic Triadic Progressions
Form and Orbital Tonality in the Finale of Bruckner's Seventh Symphony
| Citations per year | 0.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2024 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |