A1 Journal article (refereed)
Audiovisual Associations in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals : A Cross-Cultural Investigation on the Role of Timbre (2025)
Di Stefano, N., Ansani, A., Schiavio, A., Saarikallio, S., & Spence, C. (2025). Audiovisual Associations in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals : A Cross-Cultural Investigation on the Role of Timbre. Empirical Studies of the Arts, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374241308810
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Di Stefano, Nicola; Ansani, Alessandro; Schiavio, Andrea; Saarikallio, Suvi; Spence, Charles
Journal or series: Empirical Studies of the Arts
ISSN: 0276-2374
eISSN: 1541-4493
Publication year: 2025
Publication date: 17/01/2025
Volume: Early online
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Publication country: United States
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374241308810
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/100076
Abstract
Several studies have investigated crossmodal associations involving audiovisual stimuli. To date, however, far fewer studies have explored the relationship between musical timbre and visual features (e.g., soft/harsh timbres with blue/red colours). To fill this gap in the literature, 249 participants were invited to judge the match between different coloured images and musical excerpts. The images depicted seven characters from Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals”; the audio stimuli consisted of the music the composer created to represent each character. To test the effect of timbre and culture, the audio stimuli were presented either in the original orchestral version or in the piano transcription, while the participants were recruited from various countries, encompassing both Western and non-Western nationalities. The results demonstrate that timbre influences crossmodal associations between musical excerpts and drawings, while these associations remain consistent across cultures, languages, and levels of musical background.
Keywords: music research; tone color; audiovisual communication; performance of music; music psychology; cluster analysis
Free keywords: crossmodal correspondences; cluster analysis; music perception; musical timbre
Contributing organizations
Related projects
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain
- Toiviainen, Petri
- Research Council of Finland
Ministry reporting: Yes
VIRTA submission year: 2025
Preliminary JUFO rating: 2