This article examines the effects of composition length, familiarity, and likeability—as well as the location of performance errors—on the process of forming performance quality ratings. Five piano works by Chopin and a twentieth-century composer were chosen to vary by length and familiarity. Three of these pieces were then manipulated to contain performance errors in the opening material, and two of those the same error at the recapitulation. Forty-two musicians provided continuous quality evaluations and final quality ratings of the performances, hearing one version of each piece. The results showed that familiarity had no effect within works of a well-known composer, but times to first and final decision were significantly extended for an unfamiliar work of an unfamiliar composer. A shorter piece led to a shorter time to first decision. An error at the beginning of a performance caused a shorter time to first decision and lower initial and final ratings, where the same error at the recapitulation did not have a significant effect on the final judgment, despite causing a temporary negative drop. These findings demonstrate how evaluators’ knowledge of a work can affect their rating process and the importance of making a strong first impression in performance.
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September 2018
Research Article|
September 01 2018
Making an Impression: Error Location and Repertoire Features Affect Performance Quality Rating Processes
George Waddell;
George Waddell
1Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
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Rosie Perkins;
Rosie Perkins
1Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
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Aaron Williamon
1Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
Aaron Williamon, Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BS, United Kingdom. E-mail: aaron.williamon@rcm.ac.uk
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Aaron Williamon, Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BS, United Kingdom. E-mail: aaron.williamon@rcm.ac.uk
The authors would like to thank Elisabeth Cook, Richard Dickins, the pianists who provided the recordings, and the study participants for their help throughout the project.
Music Perception (2018) 36 (1): 60–76.
Article history
Received:
June 29 2017
Accepted:
March 12 2018
Citation
George Waddell, Rosie Perkins, Aaron Williamon; Making an Impression: Error Location and Repertoire Features Affect Performance Quality Rating Processes. Music Perception 1 September 2018; 36 (1): 60–76. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2018.36.1.60
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