# How do we judge performances?



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Some startling news: In a new study, "nearly all participants - including highly trained musicians - were better able to identify the winners of competitions by watching silent video clips than by listening to audio recordings. The work was described in a paper published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Should we be surprised?

http://tinyurl.com/ny55xpd


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

See this thread:

http://www.talkclassical.com/27449-more-important-sound-visuals.html


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

The way things look influence our other senses also in the case of food, where bleached food couldn't be identified by its taste. And things given the wrong colour couldn't be tasted either. Our brains are so suggestible.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I would think in the case of opera, both.
one can ruin or effect the other.

at a concert it has to be sound, no?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Itullian said:


> I would think in the case of opera, both.
> one can ruin or effect the other.
> 
> at a concert it has to be sound, no?


The study seems to be about instrumental performances. BTW, considering where the study is being published, it's not one of the usual shoddy run of such studies.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Taggart said:


> See this thread:
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/27449-more-important-sound-visuals.html


Thanks! I missed that thread, thought it was new news...


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Some startling news?????*

This is startling new news? I don't think so.

I remember over forty years ago as a sophomore in music theory class Dr. Luce telling us about a study conducted at Northwestern University that came to essentially the same conclusion. The point he was trying to make in his lecture is that we should listen to music with our ears, not our eyes.

Edit: Sorry, I submitted this post before I saw the other thread. My mistake.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I don't think we should be that surprised, because logically, both the physical movement of the musician, as well as the music played are preceded by "movements" of the mind... "winning" movements of the mind must often produce winning performances of music as well as conspicious physical movements. Of course there are physically stoic musicians, but I suspect them to be exceptions rather than the norm.


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