Investigating Expressive Timing and Dynamics in Recorded Cello Performances

During the past decade, the articulation of expressive devices in musical performance has received serious scholarly attention from researchers, who have examined performance empirically and/or systematically. In particular, there have been a number of researchers (e.g. Todd; Clarke and Windsor; Windsor and Clarke) who have investigated how artificial systems can simulate human expressive performance. In this research note, the author presents a re-examination of the motor process between expressive timing and dynamics first analysed by Todd in 1992. The initial investigation is based on a performance analysis of timing and dynamics in 20 selected commercial recordings of J.S. Bach's Sarabande from the C major Cello Suite BWV1009. The author suggests an alternative empirical approach to studying the model of performance by investigating how expert cellists in recordings have practised the motor process between expressive timing and dynamics.