Individualized interpretation: Exploring structural and interpretive effects on evaluations of emotional content in Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier

Audiences, juries, and critics continually evaluate performers based on their interpretations of familiar classics. Yet formally assessing the perceptual consequences of interpretive decisions is challenging – particularly with respect to how they shape emotional messages. Here, we explore the issue through comparison of emotion ratings (using scales of arousal and valence) for excerpts of all 48 pieces from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. In …