David Huron
Cognition Research in Music Theory: A Ten-Year Retrospective
Society for Music Theory,
Phoenix, Arizona (1997 Oct. 31)
Original SMT Web SiteA major achievement of research in music perception and cognition has been a relatively thorough account of traditional voice-leading practice. Research by Bozzi Vicario, Schouten, Norman, Dowling, van Noorden, Bregman, McAdams, Wright, Huron, and others has established the connections between the phenomenon of auditory streaming and Western voice-leading practice.
A few discrepancies remain between the musical and perceptual theories. However, the fit is surprisingly good. Several unintuitive predictions have arisen from the perceptual research that have been subsequently observed and confirmed in musical practices spanning several centuries and styles. For example, the perceptual theory predicts that in polyphonic music, perfect consonances (but not imperfect consonances) will tend to be "prepared" in an manner analogous to the asynchronous preparation of dissonances (e.g. suspensions). Studies of large musical databases have confirmed this and other predictions. Perceptual and cognitive research on voice-leading has also clarified the relationship between innate perceptual dispositions (on the one hand) and learned perceptual responses and culturally-mediated interpretations of auditory phenomena (on the other). Current research efforts ought to contribute to future music theorizing related to culture, cultural development, and cross-cultural listening experiences.