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”.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Swiss federal prosecutor bemoans shortage of investigators
This content was published on
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General complains of unresolved shortage of investigators that hinder its efforts to prosecute serious criminals.
ECHR condemns Swiss failure to protect woman from violence
This content was published on
Switzerland did not provide a woman with sufficient protection against her partner who had been violent in the past, rules the ECHR.
This content was published on
In Switzerland, 2.2 million people are affected by non-communicable diseases, partly because people are not eating a balanced diet.
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.