Expressivity

Expressivity in Context

Notions of expressivity differ among individuals, historical periods, and cultural groups; what is considered expressive in one time or place may not be expressive outside that context. Musicians therefore use expressive techniques that they consider appropriate and effective for the repertoire being played, but their choices also reflect stylistic, historical, and cultural conventions. For example, at various times in history, a score instruction in Western art music such as espressivo may have prompted changes in articulation, tone color, vibrato, rubato, portamento (audible sliding between pitches), or a combination of these techniques. Whether such techniques are considered expressive also relates to the degree or frequency with which an expressive tool is used, as too little or too much use may violate stylistic or aesthetic boundaries. In addition, the intention and background of the performer also influence the selection of expressive techniques. Some performers may be less concerned with self-expression than communicating a historical style and mode of expression. For example, the expressive techniques used in period instrument performance of a piece of baroque music will differ from mainstream performance of the same music. Finally, the instrument being played and specific musical context will determine how an expressive technique is executed. For example, an unexpected harmonic movement or an important word in the text may lead a performer to emphasize certain notes. To summarize, notions of expressivity are not fixed and are always considered within and constrained by a number of boundaries present in any given performance, including individual taste, musical style, historical context, and cultural expectation.

Judging Expressivity

Musical expressivity has been explained by several philosophical theories. Arousal theory suggests that emotional labels are applied based on emotions evoked in the listener. Resemblance theory proposes that music resembles the ways that humans express their emotions. Persona theory argues that when music is heard as emotionally [Page 443]expressive, listeners imagine or have a sense of a person connected to that expression. Empirical research has found widespread agreement among listeners when they make person-like attributions to music, a finding that supports the idea that expressivity is perceived as if the music were a virtual person.

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