Seminar Abstract

25 Oct 2006:
Speaker: Qijun Zhang
Venue:     Devonport Lecture Theatre, Portland Square
Time:       14:00

Evolution and Interaction model of expressive music performance

Music performances with proper expressions are defined as expressive music performances. In the context of western tonal music, there is a commonly agreed notion that expression is delivered in a music performance by delicate deviations of the notated musical score. Why, where and how these deviations take place in a piece of music is largely determined by the piece's musical structure. To build computational models of expressive performance, is to connect the properties of a musical score and performance context with the physical parameters of a performance, such as timing, loudness, tempo, articulation and so on. These models help us to gain a better understanding of expressive music performance and provide technology to implement systems to perform music. As a fact, besides the strong connection with musical structure, social factors, including the influence of historical practices and the interactions between performers and audience, play an important role in music performance. However, the frequently used strategies can help little to investigate this aspect. Therefore, the aim of our research is to build a simulation model that takes into account these social factors by simulating the interactions among artificial performers, through which expressive music performance profiles are believed to emerge as a result of musical constraints and social pressure.