demonstrated by Turner (1985) and Pöppel (1985) to characterize uni-
versally lines of verse,and that Lynch et al.(1995) found to characterize
phrases of prelinguistic vocalization,adult speech,oral poetry,and music
(see also Krumhansl 1992;Beebe and Gerstman 1984).Indeed,seg-
mented action units of one to four seconds generally characterize plan-
ning,preparatory behavior,perception,and speech,and segmentation
may be a central feature of neuronal integration (Schleidt and Kien
1997).
It is well accepted among emotion theorists that affect in general is
a response to some change—to novelty,strangeness,or uncertainty
(Ellsworth 1994:151–152).It is also widely held that manipulation and
delay of expectation,within acceptable parameters,is an important
source of emotional meaning in music (Meyer 1956).Perhaps it is less
well known that expectation and its manipulation within acceptable
parameters plays a large part in the infant’s reactivity to a partner.To
capture and keep the three-month-old infant’s attention,the mother’s
movements and vocalizations must take place within an optimal range
of tempo,neither excessive nor insufficient,and degree of variability,not
irregular or too slow (Beebe et al.1982).
The infant’s expectancies in dyadic interactions are organized accord-
ing to three principles of salience (Beebe and Lachmann 1994):1.Expectable continuing regulation(demonstrated across modalities
of gaze,vocalization,facial expression,timing,and general affective
involvement) refers to the characteristic and predictable ways in which
an interaction unfolds.
2.Some interactions (disruption and repair) are organized by violations
of expectancy,which may be mild or severe,and ensuing efforts to
resolve these breaches.Experience is organized by contrast,disjunction,
and difference;the gap between what is expected and what is happen-
ing may be repaired,leading to experiences of coping,effectance,and
rerighting,or (in mismatchings) to frustration and distress.^4
3.In heightened affective moments,infants may experience a powerful
state transformation:one dramatic moment stands out in time.I find these principles also relevant to an understanding of musical
competence and sensitivity,which is exercised and experienced within a
known and hence generally predictable tradition.Continuing regulation
characterizes the sort of music that may be most common,comfortably
constant,or regularly unfolding,such as (in the Western tradition) Gre-
gorian chant,dance suites,much church and occasional music,Dixieland,
and swing.Pygmy women’s music,which may constitute the “world’s
oldest stock of sound”(Lomax,in Thompson 1995:206),superimposes395 Antecedents of the Temporal Arts