Effects of Timbre and Pitch Register on Perceived Emotion in Melodies
Abstract
Timbre can impact interpreted emotion across melodies (Hailstone, et al., 2009), though evidence is limited. The current investigation evaluated whether this influence depends upon register, since timbre interacts with pitch (e.g., in speeded classification), and sought to identify relevant spectral characteristics.
Listeners heard eight-bar melodies from lesser-known classical compositions (6 joyful and 6 sad excerpts). Each melody was separately produced by clarinet, trumpet, and violin samples via MIDI. Register varied by transposing -1 or +1 octave for joyful and sad melodies, respectively. Randomized versions of a melody constituted one block of trials, beginning with a non-transposed, sinewave melody to obtain baseline judgments without spectral timbre contributions. After each stimulus, listeners rated the intended emotion’s valence (“happy” or “sad”) on a 7-point scale. Blocks were randomized.
Transposition (negatively) impacted valence, as did timbre. Clarinet was rated the least happy instrument, and trumpet, the least sad. Sinewaves provided the lowest ratings. Register effects for happy melodies depended upon instrument, reflecting differential timbre changes. Acoustic analyses across instruments revealed different spectral centroids that anticipated major outcomes.
These findings confirm timbre effects on emotion in melodies, potentially due to perceived brightness, that likely depends upon pitch range. Implications for melody perception are discussed.
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