Objective:

To pilot a computational framework for quantifying musical scores and explore how neuromuscular disease influences composition.

Background:

There is substantial literature on music’s impact on the brain, but little has examined how neurologic disease shapes composition. Dmitri Shostakovich developed progressive motor weakness later in life, raising the possibility that his musical style reflected declining motor control. To address this gap, we developed an approach to quantify compositional features, piloted using his final work, the Viola Sonata, Op. 147.

Design/Methods:

Op. 147 was converted from PDF to MusicXML in MuseScore and analyzed with custom Python code using the music21 library. Variables extracted per measure included: time signature, beats per measure, notes per bar, pitch classes, within and cross-hand intervals, chord size, and rest ratio. The code exported results directly into structured spreadsheets and figures, producing organized outputs for descriptive analysis and replication.

Results:

The method generated reproducible, per-measure datasets across the composition. Feature extraction aligned with annotated markings, validating our process. Later movements demonstrated fewer right-hand notes per bar, smaller chords, and longer rests, while cross-hand spans and pitch ranges remained stable. The normalized rest index rose to 0.45 in the last movement compared to <0.20 in the first, illustrating the method’s sensitivity to shifts in texture and motor demands. These findings show the protocol can capture features of hand use, dexterity, and timing, providing a basis for comparisons to earlier works and disease-related analysis.

Conclusions:

This study establishes a framework for translating musical scores into quantitative measures of structure and performance demand. In Op. 147, the method generated variables suitable for longitudinal comparison. Earlier works may serve as internal controls, with later pieces reflecting reduced tempos, note densities, and chords, consistent with progressive motor limitations. Future work will assess generalizability across compositions and investigate whether musical features can serve as markers of disease progression.