An Initial Study of the Effects of Perceived Composer Identity on Ratings of Ensemble Performance and Musical Authenticity

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perceived composer identity on inservice band directors’ perceptions of ensemble performance and music authenticity. Four music excerpts were retitled to represent the culture and music heard in the recordings. Each excerpt was assigned two fictitious composer names—one matching the target culture represented in the piece, and another with a common American/English name. In addition, each music piece was paired with two photos of separate males: one matching the presumed cultural origin of the music and another depicting a White man. Participants ( N = 77) evaluated the ensemble performance and musical authenticity of the excerpts. We found no significant differences between conditions. Participants’ free-response comments reflected opinions that when selecting band literature, concerns for cultural authenticity should be contextualized within judgments of pedagogical appropriateness and assessments of overall musical quality.