David Huron
Society for Music Theory Conference.
Columbus, Ohio
November 1, 2002
Listening to music engages a wealth of cognitive and perceptual processes, both active and passive. Over the past decade a number of empirical and experimental studies have provided insights pertaining to listening styles, listening strategies, and the effects of enculturation. This presentation provides a tutorial review of this research, emphasizing several studies that have not yet appeared in print. The presentation addresses questions of form, texture, style, and rhetorical treatment. It also addresses comparative experimental research on cross-cultural listening behaviors, as well as approaches to investigating historically defunct patterns of listening. Finally, some thoughts are offered as to new ways listeners might be able to experience music, and how music cognition research might help composers identify as yet unexplored cognitive terrain.