Big Data, Big Questions: A Closer Look at the Yale–Classical Archives Corpus (c. 2015)

This paper responds to the article by Christopher White and Ian Quinn, in which these authors introduce the Yale-Classical Archives Corpus (YCAC). I begin by making some general observations about the corpus, especially with regard to ramifications of the keyboard-performance origins of many pieces in the original MIDI collection. I then assess the accuracy of the scale-degree and local-key fields in the database, which were generated by the Bellman-Budge key-finding algorithm. I point out that some of the inaccuracies from the key-finding algorithm's output may influence the results we obtain from statistical studies of this corpus. I also offer an alternative analysis to the authors' finding that the ratio of V7 to V chords increases over time in common-practice music. Specifically, I conjecture that this finding may be the result of (or related to) increasing instrumental resources over time. I close with some recommendations for future versions of the corpus, such as enabling end users to help repair transcription errors as well as offer ground truths for harmonic analyses and key area information

A Model for Scale-Degree Reinterpretation: Melodic Structure, Modulation, and Cadence Choice in the Chorale Harmonizations of J. S. Bach

This paper reports a corpus study of the 371 chorale harmonizations by J. S. Bach. Specifically, this study investigates what kinds of events are typical at phrase endings given various melodic conditions, i.e., how well melodic structure is a predictor of modulation and cadence choices. Each fermata event was analyzed by ear and encoded with regard to the local key area and the cadence type. The frequency of each cadence type was then tabulated with respect to categorizations of the melodic structure (in terms of the intervallic pattern and scale degree content) prior to the fermata. It is shown that most fermata events can be categorized by a small collection of event types. As a result, a simplified conceptual model of cadence choice is posited. This model proposes that a basic harmonization default is to (re-)interpret the soprano note at the fermata as scale-degree 1, 2, or 3 in some closely-related key area via an authentic or half cadence. The efficacy of this model is found to be very good, especially given certain conditions. Moreover, an overall success rate above 90% can be achieved through only four additional concepts

A Music Theory Curriculum for the 99%

Due to the lack of diversity as represented by the repertoire typically studied in the undergraduate music theory core, a number of scholars have called for an "integrated" or stylistically neutral theory curriculum, in which more pedagogical attention is devoted to jazz, world, and popular music. I contend that this approach is fundamentally insufficient and inadequate to genuinely address the diversity problems facing the field. Instead, I propose for all music students that the entire first year of theory coursework be devoted exclusively to popular music, with the study of other styles reserved for upper-division courses according to academic interests or tracks. In this essay, I present some of the motivating factors behind my recommendation, provide a brief sketch of what such a curriculum would look like, and discuss some of the challenges in its implementation

Blurred Lines in Allegations of Musical Intertextuality: A Response to Orosz

This commentary responds to Orosz’s recent EMR article, which presents research on the accuracy of user-generated information on the whosampled.com website. In general, we find Orosz’s main conclusions—that the accuracy of an entry tends to relate to the type of sample (direct or interpolated), how distinct the sample is, and the style of music—are convincing and well-supported by examples. That said, we believe Orosz’s ultimate appraisal of the web site as an invaluable resource to be contingent on the user. From the viewpoint of a music theorist such as Orosz, the web site may indeed be a beneficial resource. But for other users, especially students aspiring to create popular music, a lack of education about the legal issues surrounding the web site may foster a problematic perspective on music sampling

Statistical Analysis of Harmony and Melody in Rock Music

We present a corpus of harmonic analyses and melodic transcriptions of rock songs. After explaining the creation and notation of the corpus, we present results of some explorations of the corpus data. We begin by considering the overall distribution of scale-degrees in rock. We then address the issue of key-finding: how the key of a rock song can be identified from harmonic and melodic information. Considering both the distribution of melodic scale-degrees and the distribution of chords (roots), as well as the metrical placement of chords, leads to good key-finding performance. Finally, we discuss how songs within the corpus might be categorized with regard to their pitch organization. Statistical categorization methods point to a clustering of songs that resembles the major/minor distinction in common-practice music, though with some important differences. © 2013 Taylor & Francis