Tempo, duration, and flexibility: Techniques in the analysis of performance

Abstract

Even a symphony, with its highly specific orchestral score, changes through performance, so the sound of music in performance, and not just the score, should be the “text” of musicology. This paper describes a series of new analytical techniques which make use of simple tempo and duration measurements and a computer data base. Hundreds of performances of symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Tschaikovsky were studied. Sections are presented on historical trends in tempo (claims that the repertoire are slowing down or speeding up are false), tempo and duration (they are not exactly inversely related), duration and proportion, tempo tolerance (which is culturally and not mathematically determined), tempo fluctuation, tempo maps, performance of exposition structure, and flexibility. Both historical and methodological conclusions are presented.

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