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ARTIGOS

Vol. 13 (2025): Percepta - Revista de Cognição Musical

The Prestige Effect as a Modulator of Musical Listening in Contém Erros: An Artistic Application

DOI
https://doi.org/10.34018/2318-891X.13e025024
Submitted
September 10, 2025
Published
2025-12-18

Abstract

This article examines the use of the prestige effect as an artistic device in musical composition, focusing on the interaction between text and music. Drawing on studies in cognitive psychology, it discusses text–music priming, in which prior texts shape the reception of a work. Within this framework, the piece Contém erros is presented, consisting of an epigraph and a musical miniature, designed to artistically explore the notion of negative prestige and Huron’s (2012) concept of error-listening. The analysis shows how musical elements – abrupt pauses, chromaticism, and unexpected resolutions – may be interpreted as “mistakes” when anticipated by textual information that authorizes the listener to adopt a hypercritical stance. Although not an empirical experiment, but rather an artistic application informed by the literature, the study suggests that epigraphs may function as modulators of listening, predisposing audiences to states of vigilance and negative expectancy.

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