Abstract
[The Perception of the Opposition Invariant/Variant]
This paper proposes that the use of repetition and variation is a constant in the musical construct irrespective of era or cultural origin. Taking this premise as a basis, an experimental study is described which investigates the perception — in the course of listening to a piece of music — of a polar opposition which can be termed Variant/Invariant in the light of the subjects’ prior knowledge and of the type of musical structure involved.