Browsing by Author "Sunell, Matti"

The study deals with the sound of pop music, as heard on a published recording. The sound of music is defined as such fundamental nature of musical materials which can be heard in a very short period of time, but which is also characteristic of music on a larger scale. Sound is investigated by analyzing features of music and sound which can be observed on a time scale of a few seconds. On the other hand, an attempt to describe a performer's characteristic sound is made through analysis of a larger sample of the repertoire. To describe the sound, traditional music analysis, commentary on instruments and recording techniques, analytical listening and spectrum analysis is used. The analytical listening methods applied here are Helmholtz's sound-colour classes and Lomax's cantometric scales which were originally used to classify singing styles. The history of spectrum (frequency content of sound) analysis as well as its application on music analysis is presented. The sonogram, which shows the distribution of acoustic energy at different frequencies and the change with respect to time, is introduced as an essential visualization tool. In the music analysis, three recordings of the group Abba are covered. Of them, 'Dancing Queen', which was recorded in 1975, gets the most thorough handling. The song is listened as a kind of longitudinal section, in separate frequency ranges, thereby revealing how each instrument or voice contributes to the overall sound. Based on listening and sonogram graphs, the song has been divided into 'sound situations' (or sonic situations). A sound situation is a period of music which is different from its surroundings in timbre, instrumentation or intensity (or their interaction). Each situation is presented in a combination of sonogram and score. A musical description of the sound situation is given, the singing is analyzed in cantometric terms and the timbre is described using Helmholtz's classes. Based on this analysis, the sound of Abba is characterized by strong treble content and brightness. The most important element of the sound is the singing of two female voices in combinations of unison and multiple layered harmonies. Spectrum analysis reveals that the music has especially much energy in the 4 5 kHz range. This is also the range in which human hearing is most sensitive. This emphasis, 'Abba-formant' , is most pronounced in choruses and brings a bright, penetrating tone to song.