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Although temporally nonadjacent key relationships (e.g., Key X →Key Y→ Key X) are ubiquitous within tonal music, the full extent to which they are perceived is uncertain. Previous research suggests that memory for an initial key remains active up to 20 s after modulation; however, homophonic textures were used in these studies, leaving open the possibility that surface features such as figuration may contribute to nonadjacency effects. In two experiments, we investigated this issue by measuring goodness of completion ratings for stimuli in which musical surface features were manipulated. Two types of surface feature were tested: figuration and activity (total number of notes per stimulus). Stimuli were composed of three parts: (1) nonadjacent section (in either the same or a different key to the probe); (2) intervening section (in a different key to the probe); and (3) probe (a cadence in either the same or different key as the nonadjacent section). In Experiment 1, we tested whether the presence of surface features resulted in higher goodness of completion ratings for the probe; in Experiment 2, we manipulated nonadjacent key relationships to ascertain the effect of surface features on global perception of key. Results showed that figuration and activity contributed to goodness of completion ratings, particularly in stimuli where these features matched each other in the nonadjacent sections. Moreover, the presence of surface features strengthened the perceived relationships between the keys of nonadjacent sections, thereby appearing to contribute to the global perception of phrase. In sum, although from an analytical perspective surface features are often considered to be less important hierarchically, our results indicate that they contribute significantly to the perception of nonadjacent key relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the duration of an intervening key has a negative effect on memory for the original, nonadjacent key. Evidence suggests the recollection of a key only remains for 20 seconds after modulation to a new key section. But factors other than time might influence the perception of nonadjacent key relationships. By using a probe-cadence paradigm, this study tested whether time or the number of musical events (chords) determined the deterioration in memory of the global effect of nonadjacent keys. Stimuli were constructed in three parts: (a) a major key was established through a standard chord progression; (b) an intervening section, either 6 or 9 seconds in duration and formed from either four or six chords, was introduced in 12 possible keys; and (c) a short pause was followed by the probe cadence in the original key—that is, the key at (a). Fifty-one participants were asked to estimate the amount of harmonic closure they perceived at the probe cadence. Results confirmed previous findings of significant negative effects of time on the residual influence of the nonadjacent key. However, there were no significant effects of number of events. This provides evidence that it is the length of time, not the number of musical events in an intervening modulation that determines the recollection of the original key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]