An Examination of Music and Nonmusic Majors' Response to Selected Excerpts from Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps

Research suggests that factors such as background and musical experience might affect ability to process information and influence affective responses. This study explored the relationship between music and nonmusic majors' real-time responses to a piece of 20th-century music. Undergraduate nonmusic majors and undergraduate and graduate music majors were asked to manipulate a Continuous Response Digital Interface dial that recorded response data in time to indicate their responses while listening to excerpts from Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps (Rite of Spring). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between responses of music and nonmusic majors. Graphic representation and analyses suggest that these response patterns are related to changes in texture, with a moderate inverse relationship for nonmusic majors and a weaker moderate positive relationship for music majors.