旋律に於けるアブラハム効果の實驗的研究

抄録

1. The only noted contribution which experimentally investigated the grasp of the musical melody is the study of Otto Abraham in 1923.
He was in his experiment the intervals between each note in the melodies were not sung precisely by this subjects as every musical notation indicates, but they were modified variously according to a certain principle (Abraham effect).
2. With his prominent auditory ability, he could execute the work, but the melody which he took up as a material for his study was but one, that is, “Deutschland über alles.” We haved re-examined the effect in regard to the Japanese people as well as to the melodies composed by them, employing the talkie film recording device for the purpose of the optical measurement of the pitches.
3. “Kojo-no-Tsuki” which is a famous Japanese air and “Kono-michi” a children's song composed by K. Yamada, one of the most celebrated contemporary composers, were selected as the materials. The former was sung by heart eight times by three subjects, the later three times by three, both without any accompaniment.
4. Our result, abstractred from the records of the two melodies by the abovementioned optical measurement method, are shown in Table 4 and 5. Intervals are shown in both tables with the unit of “cent” as Abraham did.
5. Intervals No. 1, 13, 22, and 37 in the experiment (VI) (Table 4) are homoharmonic, nevertheless they are all in upward slop. On the contrary No. 8, 29, and 34 are in downward slope. Every minor second interval, No. 4, 5, 16, 17, 40, and 41, is remarkably diminished. Intervals No. 9 and 10 however enlarged in the opposite direction. So-called leap intervals No. 23, 47 and 28 are expanded obviously.
6. Table 5 indicates results of the experiment of the melody “Kono michi.” Interval No. 5, the so-called leap interval, is clearly expanded. On the other hand No. 2. an octave, which seems to be a leap interval is not enlarged at all, it is quite reasonable on account of its disposition as a dead interval. And each minor second intervals, No. 21, 22, 28 and 29, is diminished as in the preceding experiment.
7. Thus various modifications of intervals which are revealed in the melody when they are sung by heart was investigated by the optical measurement which has a wealth of the objectivity. And in the case on our people and the Japanese melodies too, the validity of Abraham effect was clearly demonstrated almost in all aspects.