Abstract
Abstract In this article, we formalize and analyze qualia motion, i.e., the process by which a composition transitions across distinct harmonic qualities through the Fourier qualia space (FQS)—a multidimensional and transposition-independent space based on the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) coefficients’ magnitude. In the FQS, the plot of set classes relies on their harmonic qualities—such as diatonicity and octatonicity—enabling us to (1) identify the pitch-class set in a musical phrase that best represents its qualia—a reference sonority; (2) define a harmonic progression using all sequential reference sonorities in a piece; (3) visualize trajectory in space; and (4) establish a statistical metric for the ambiguity of harmonic qualia. Finally, we discuss Schoenberg's Op. 19, No. 1, analyzing the sense of its harmonic path. The proposed space leverages a bipartite, symmetrical, and consequential structure and unveils ambiguity as an element of nondirected linearity and counterpoint.

Abstract
This paper introduces Motiv, a dataset of expert saxophonist recordings illustrating parallel, similar, oblique, and contrary motions. These motions are variations of three phrases from Jesús Villa-Rojo's "Lamento,"with controlled similarities. The dataset includes 116 audio samples recorded by four tenor saxophonists, each annotated with descriptions of motions, musical scores, and latent space vectors generated using the VocalSet RAVE model. Motiv enables the analysis of motion types and their geometric relationships in latent spaces. Our preliminary dataset analysis shows that parallel motions align closely with original phrases, while contrary motions exhibit the largest deviations, and oblique motions show mixed patterns. The dataset also highlights the impact of individual performer nuances. Motiv supports a variety of music information retrieval (MIR) tasks, including gesture-based recognition, performance analysis, and motion-driven retrieval. It also provides insights into the relationship between human motion and music, contributing to real-time music interaction and automated performance systems. © 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).

Abstract
State-of-the-art symbolic music generation models have recently achieved remarkable output quality, yet explicit control over compositional features, such as tonal tension, remains challenging. We propose a novel approach that integrates a computational tonal tension model, based on tonal interval vector analysis, into a Transformer framework. Our method employs a two-level beam search strategy during inference. At the token level, generated candidates are re-ranked using model probability and diversity metrics to maintain overall quality. At the bar level, a tension-based re-ranking is applied to ensure that the generated music aligns with a desired tension curve. Objective evaluations indicate that our approach effectively modulates tonal tension, and subjective listening tests confirm that the system produces outputs that align with the target tension. These results demonstrate that explicit tension conditioning through a dual-level beam search provides a powerful and intuitive tool to guide AI-generated music. Furthermore, our experiments demonstrate that our method can generate multiple distinct musical interpretations under the same tension condition.

Abstract
We present a metadata enrichment framework for Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) files, featuring mid- to higher-level multimodal features to support content-driven (similarity) retrieval with semantic awareness across large collections. While traditional metadata captures basic bibliographic and structural elements, it often lacks the depth required for advanced retrieval tasks that rely on musical phrases, form, key or mode, idiosyncratic patterns, and textual topics. To address this, we propose a system that fosters the computational analysis and edition of MEI encodings at scale. Inserting extended metadata derived from computational analysis and heuristic rules lays the groundwork for more nuanced retrieval tools. A batch environment and a lightweight JavaScript web-based application propose a complementary workflow by offering large-scale annotations and an interactive environment for reviewing, validating, and refining MEI files' metadata. Development is informed by user-centered methodologies, including consultations with music editors and digital musicologists, and has been co-designed in the context of orally transmitted folk music traditions, ensuring that both the batch processes and interactive tools align with scholarly and domain-specific needs.

Abstract
Phrase segmentation is a fundamental preprocessing step for computational folk music similarity, specifically in identifying tune families within digital corpora. Furthermore, recent literature increasingly recognizes the need for tradition-specific frameworks that accommodate the structural idiosyncrasies of each tradition. In this context, this study presents a culturally informed adaptation of the established rule-based Local Boundary Detection Model (LBDM) algorithm to underrepresented Iberian folk repertoires. Our methodological enhancement expands the LBDM baseline, which traditionally analyzes rests, pitch intervals, and inter-onset duration functions to identify potential segmentation boundaries, by integrating a sub-structure surface repetition function coupled with an optimized peak-selection algorithm. Furthermore, we implement a genetic algorithm to maximize segmentation accuracy by weighting coefficients for each function while calibrating the meta-parameters of the peak-selection process. Empirical evaluation on the I-Folk digital corpus, comprising 802 symbolically encoded folk melodies from Portuguese and Spanish traditions, demonstrates improvements in segmentation F-measure of six and sixteen percentage points~(p.p.) relative to established baseline methodologies for Portuguese and Spanish repertoires, respectively.