When Hearts Beat as One – Cardiac Dynamics and Synchrony in String Quartet Performances
Abstract
If you are interested in this study, please read the whole thesis!
This master’s thesis examines the musicians’ cardiac rhythms in string quartet performances. It attempts to capture and demonstrate the cardiac dynamics and synchrony in musical ensembles by analyzing two cases, including a student string quartet (the Borealis String Quartet) and a world-renowned quartet (the Danish String Quartet) performing in different experimental configurations. Two string quartets measured resting heart rate as the Quiet Baseline and repeated Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat major in conditions that differ in communication constraints such as the Blind, Violin-isolated, Score-directed, Normal, and Concert. Besides, the Danish String Quartet performed an additional Moving Baseline condition in which they played a scale together, as well as a Sight-reading condition involving a music excerpt they had never heard or practiced before. Unlike most previous studies on music and physiological responses, this study employs both linear and nonlinear methods to reveal different aspects of cardiac dynamics from the individual to the group level. Firstly, we observed more predictable individuals’ cardiac dynamics during the musical performance than the resting baseline in both quartets. Secondly, group-level synchrony analysis demonstrated that both quartets’ cardiac synchrony levels increased during performance conditions relative to the Quiet Baseline. Moreover, the cardiac synchrony level of the Borealis String Quartet was affected to varying degrees by adverse conditions. However, the Danish String Quartet, as an expert group, was more resistant to constraints. Finally, we compared the cardiac synchrony level of the two quartets in identical pairwise conditions. We found the Danish String Quartet has a higher cardiac coupling rate relative to the Borealis String Quartet. Overall, our findings suggest that performing in the string quartet facilitates more predictable cardiac dynamics and synchrony. Different constraints may affect cardiac synchrony to the degree associated with the level of expertise.