The influence of physical movement on the perception of musical performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of physical movement on listeners' perception of musical performance. Participants ( N = 112) rated a professional pianist performing with a recorded musical excerpt under three physical movement conditions: `no movement', `head and facial movement' and `full body movement'. Relationships between these physical movement conditions and the musical elements of phrasing, dynamics, rubato and overall performance were also investigated. Results indicated the pianist's physical movements significantly increased participants' ratings of the performances. Additionally, as the pianist's physical movements increased, so did the participants' ratings of phrasing, dynamics, rubato and overall musical performance. No significant differences were found between levels of training or for gender.