Cross-Cultural Perception of Timbre in Classical vs. Electronic Music

Thesis Abstract

This study addresses the problem that timbre perception varies across cultures yet is often examined through KL-based Western-centric frameworks, potentially obscuring cross-cultural nuances between classical and electronic music modalities. The aim is to elucidate how listeners from distinct cultural backgrounds perceive timbre in classical and electronic contexts, and to identify the cognitive, aesthetic, and cultural factors that mediate these perceptions. Specific objectives are (1) to compare perceptual ratings of timbre Attributes (brightness, roughness, warmth, attack, sustain) across listeners from three cultural groups (East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Western Europe) for excerpted cues from a canonical classical orchestral suite and a representative electronic music piece; (2) to examine the influence of exposure to formal music training, genre familiarity, and cross-modal associations on timbre judgments; (3) to test whether cultural belonging moderates the relationship between acoustic features (spectral centroid, mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, attack time) and perceived timbre; (4) to investigate whether narrative and affective responses to timbre diverge between cultures and genres; and (5) to integrate qualitative insights with quantitative findings to propose a culturally informed model of timbre perception. A mixed-methods design is employed, combining (i) a cross-sectional survey with 600 participants (200 per cultural group), balanced for gender and age (18–45 years), stratified by music training (music majors, amateur musicians, non-musicians), and (ii) controlled listening sessions with 180 participants (60 per group) performing rating tasks. Stimuli comprise six classical excerpts (string and brass passages from a well-known symphonic movement) and six electronic excerpts (synthesized timbres with comparable spectral content), normalized for loudness. Data collection instruments include a structured timbre attribute Likert scale (covering brightness, roughness, warmth, attack, sustain, and overall timbre desirability), a set of acoustic feature measurements (spectral centroid, roughness, zerocrossing rate, temporal envelope metrics) extracted via MIRtoolbox and Praat, and a semi-structured interview protocol for a subsample (n=60) to capture qualitative phenomenology. The study draws on the theoretical lens of Cultural Cognition Theory and Helmholtzian timbre analysis, integrating schemas of Musical Meaning and Aesthetic Experience. The analysis plan consists of (i) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to assess main effects and interactions of genre and culture on timbre ratings, (ii) hierarchical linear modeling to test cross-level moderation by musical training and exposure, (iii) multiple regression linking acoustic features to perceptual ratings with culture-genre interaction terms, (iv) ANOVA for between-group comparisons of qualitative themes, and (v) thematic analysis of interview data using an iterative coding framework aligned with the research questions. A structural equation model will be estimated to evaluate a proposed cross-cultural timbre perception model, with measurement invariance tested across groups. Anticipated findings indicate that perceived timbre attributes diverge systematically by culture and genre, with Western European listeners assigning greater warmth and attack salience to classical timbres, while East Asian and Sub-Saharan African listeners exhibit heightened sensitivity to brightness and roughness in electronic timbres, modulated by prior exposure to electronic sound design. The strength of associations between spectral centroid and perceived brightness is expected to be stronger in electronic excerpts across cultures, but weaker for classical excerpts among non-musicians. Interaction effects are anticipated between genre and cultural background, suggesting that cross-cultural differences are amplified in electronic contexts due to culturally mediated sonic expectations and affective associations. The qualitative data are expected to reveal culturally situated narratives linking timbre to identity, memory, and social meaning. The study contributes to knowledge by providing a cross-cultural, genre-comparative account of timbre perception, integrating quantitative psychophysics with qualitative phenomenology, and offering a culturally informed model of timbre processing that incorporates acoustic cues, musical training, and cultural schemas. Practical implications include informing music technology design, cross-cultural music education, and ethnomusicological theory on timbre as a culturally embedded perceptual phenomenon. The main conclusion posits that timbre perception is jointly constructed by acoustical properties and culturally mediated interpretive frameworks, with genre intensification shaping perceptual mappings. Recommendations for practice include developing culturally adaptive timbre analysis tools, incorporating cross-cultural exposure in music curricula, and further research using neurophysiological measures to trace cross-cultural timbre encoding.