| Abstract | The expressions and individual character of a musical performance resides in its microstructure, which includes variation in the exact timing and intensities of the tones played. Each performance has a unique microstructure which cannot be reproduced exactly by a human performer, even though repeated performances by the same artist are often highly similar. Objective performance analysis (Seashore, 1936) thus makes it possible to distinguish an identical copy from a repeat performance with a high degree of confidence. |