An Extension of the Minimally Divergent Contour Network: Considering Nonconsecutive Repeated Contour Pitches

Abstract

Abstract In a 2013 article, I partitioned all musical contours into fifteen types and arranged them in a network called the minimally divergent contour network (MDCN). Within the MDCN, we can examine the similarity between any two contour types by measuring the shortest path between them. However, despite the methodological efficiency, none of the fifteen types considers nonconsecutive repeated contour pitches. Prompted by this issue, this article extends the MDCN to include nonconsecutive repeated contour pitches. To demonstrate the analytic utility of the extended MDCN, I examine works by Bright Sheng and György Kurtág.