The Performer as Analyst

This study seeks to compare the performer’s output as analyst and as performer. Sixteen professional organists were invited to perform J. S. Bach’s organ fugue in D Minor (BWV 538), also known as the “Dorian” fugue. Each performer recorded the fugue twice on an organ equipped with a MIDI console, which allowed precise measurement of performance parameters. Immediately after their performances, organists were invited to submit their own analyses of the piece by indicating its main formal subdivisions. A comparison of the written analyses indicated that, despite a fair amount of individual variation, performers generally agreed on the main structural boundaries of the piece. An analysis of the temporal profiles of the performances revealed that the largest tempo variations coincided with these structural boundaries. Although a significant correlation was found between the performers’ degree of agreement on a formal subdivision and the average magnitude of the concomitant tempo deviation, no such correlation could be found within individual performers, suggesting that written analysis may not be the optimal strategy to determine the performer’s analytical reading of a piece.