Preference for musical tempo involving systematic variations of presented tempi for known and unknown musical excerpts.

Previous studies have indicated inconsistently that preferred tempo was moderate or fast. The basis for inconsistency might be differences in methods, i.e., differences in tempo operation and subjects' experience of listening to musical pieces. The present study examined the preference for tempo using known and unknown melodies which were presented at varied tempi systematically. 119 undergraduates not majoring in music were subjects, divided into three subgroups, slow, medium, and fast music groups according to tempi designated by composers. Subjects rated items about Perceived Activity and affect for each stimulus presented at varied tempi. Subjects evaluated fast tempi as active regardless of differences in the designated tempi and prior listening experience. Affect (including preference) showed an inverted-U shape relationship to variations in tempo. The most preferred tempo was the designated tempo for known melodies, while moderate tempi (109 to 130 in metronome measure) were preferred for unknown melodies.