Constant and Variable Influences on Stages of Musical Activities

In this study, we suggest a network of links among musical activities and external and internal factors that influence these activities. Specifically, we examine the influences of cognitive constraints, of the stylistic ideal, and of the listener’s consciousness on the rules governing the selection of the raw material, on the compositional rules, and on the way these are perceived. Our intention is to increase our understanding both of musical activities and of the nature of cognitive constraints and of constraints arising from the stylistic ideal. Our research is based on theoretical and empirical studies, in particular, on experiments using conventional methods (examining responses to musical stimuli by having subjects fill out questionnaires) and the new method (ERP) of recording changes in brainwaves in response to stimuli.