Project parses 30,000 chords to find Beethoven’s ‘statistical signature’
Just a load of data: an original Ludwig Van Beethoven manuscript.
Keystone / Ho
EPFL researchers have analysed every note and chord of Beethoven’s string quartets in order to provide a statistical answer as to what makes Ludwig Van so unique.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/dos
Not content to just enjoy the ebbs and flows of classical music’s most eminent figure, the researchers from the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) delved into the scores of all 16 of Beethoven’s string quartets to find the maestro’s “statistical signature”.
The project, run by EPFL’s Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab (DCML), was one of a growing field in digital humanities being used to advance understanding of things like paintings, literary texts, and music.
“New state-of-the-art methods in statistics and data science make it possible for us to analyse music in ways that were out of reach for traditional musicology,” said DCML’s Martin Rohrmeier in a press releaseExternal link.
“The aim of our lab is to understand how music works.”
How does it work? In the case of Beethoven, at least, the findings are that very few chords make up the bulk of the quartets, and that most of these chords are of the dominant and tonic type; chords which have central roles in building up tension and release in musical progression (see video).
External Content
Unsurprisingly, the report found that “the most frequent transition from one chord to the next happens from the dominant to the tonic”, while researchers also found that “chords strongly select for their order and, thus, define the direction of musical time”.
As for Beethoven’s statistical uniqueness in this respect, it’s difficult to say, as identities are generally based upon comparison with others. The researchers plan to extend their datasets to include “a broad range of composers and historical periods”.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
Eurovision and bleak world situation are top themes at Basel carnival
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest and the gloomy global situation are among the main themes of Basel Fasnacht (carnival) this year.
Prices of Swiss investment properties continue to rise despite stagnating rents
This content was published on
Although rents in Switzerland stagnated or fell in the final quarter of last year, prices for investment properties continued to rise. Both apartment buildings and office properties have become more expensive.
Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
This content was published on
Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
This content was published on
Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
EPFL marks 50 years of scientific progress
This content was published on
Over the past five decades, the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has been the home of many scientific discoveries.
This content was published on
Although yodelling and Switzerland do go together well, the vocal technique is not exclusively Swiss. In the Alps, it is believed to have developed as a means of long-distance communication between isolated shepherds. As elsewhere in the Alps, a distinctive folkloric sound is provided by instruments such as the Schwyzerörgeli (or “Swiss organ”, an accordion),…
This content was published on
Researchers from the Blue Brain Project have unveiled their ‘Cell Atlas’, a 3D, interactive, constantly-evolving simulation of a mouse brain.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.