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”.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
Swiss press react to EU deal with mix of euphoria and scepticism
This content was published on
Swiss media reaction to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU varies widely. Some are celebrating, while others worry about what is to come.
Swiss Solidarity donations to tackle child abuse top CHF4 million
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has raised over CHF4 million ($4.3 million) to tackle child abuse.
EU Commission president says Swiss-EU deal is ‘historic’ agreement
This content was published on
At a joint media conference with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a "day of joy".
Switzerland and EU reach deal on future bilateral relations
This content was published on
Switzerland and the European Union have announced a political agreement to update their trading relationship after almost a decade of difficult talks.
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.