Physical correlates of the judged complexity of music by subjects differing in musical background

Abstract

The complexity of 16 of Beethoven's Eroica Variations, Op. 35, for piano, was judged by three groups of subjects differing in musical background: university graduate music students, sophomore music majors and non‐music majors. The relationships between subjects' judgements of complexity and nine musical variables (dealing with texture, harmony and rhythm) were investigated, and the judgements of the different groups were compared. Together all specified musical variables accounted for over 90 per cent of the variability in subjects' responses. The judgements of all subjects correlated most highly with the rate of rhythmic activity of the music, and this variable accounted for 71, 90 and 78 per cent of the variability in the responses of graduate music students, sophomore music majors and non‐music majors, respectively. Although the judgements of complexity of all three groups were highly correlated, the groups differed in the variables that were significant secondary correlates of judged complexity, and there is evidence that the criteria used in judging complexity differed across groups. Both harmonic and rhythmic variables were of importance to graduate music students in judging complexity, whereas only rhythmic activity variables were of importance to less musically sophisticated subjects.