The paper begins by highlighting a 2018 conference at the Max Planck Institute which emphasized the need for increased interdisciplinary collaboration in music cognition research, particularly to move beyond the predominantly Western-centric focus. While acknowledging existing interdisciplinary work, the authors emphasize the continued need for cross-cultural research. This paper responds to this call by focusing on Chinese Xiangsheng (XS), a form of musical comedy, as a case study. The paper centers on the concept of "musicality," defined as the underlying capacity for verbal and musical communication. The relationship between music and language, an area of particular interest for both scientists and ethnomusicologists, is explored through the lens of Xiangsheng, offering potential insights for scholars across disciplines. The introduction lays the groundwork for exploring how various fields, including sociology, developmental psychology, music psychology, and neuroscience, contribute to understanding the musical elements of language and the relationship between speech and song in Xiangsheng.

The paper reviews existing literature on the musical aspects of speech in intersubjective communication. It discusses research on expressive verbal and nonverbal behaviors in adult interactions and the highly sophisticated exchanges between mothers and pre-linguistic infants. The concept of "communicative musicality" (CM), coined by Malloch and Trevarthen, is introduced as a term to describe the musical and dance-like nature of these proto-conversations. Dissanayake's ethological explanation for the centrality of CM in human evolution is presented, highlighting anatomical changes and the need for intense maternal care. The distinction between musicality and music is discussed, noting the differing focuses of scientists (biological underpinnings) and humanists (cultural aspects). The paper argues for finding commonalities between the musicality of speech and song. Drawing on Turino's concepts of "presentation" and "participation," the paper examines research on jazz performance and ethnomusicological studies of performer-audience interaction and performative mutuality, highlighting the dynamic reciprocity between performers and audiences. The literature review sets the stage for applying these concepts to the analysis of Xiangsheng.

The paper draws heavily on a previous study (Lawson et al., 2020) analyzing a Xiangsheng performance titled "A Carefree Life" featuring Guo Degang and Yu Qian. The methodology employed in the previous study and summarized here involved using ELAN video analysis software, Praat acoustic analysis software, and R statistical software. The researchers analyzed two "bouts" of the performance: Bout 1, focused on spoken dialogue, and Bout 2, featuring a musical exchange culminating in a sung aria. The analysis examined pulse, intonation, and pitch relationships between the performers (Guo Degang and Yu Qian), and the audience. Specific analyses included looking at rhythmicity (regular rhythmic cycles) and pitch matching between turns. The researchers compared the interactions in the two bouts, noting differences in the dynamics between the performers (presentational vs. participatory styles) and the audience's role. The methodology involved detailed transcription and analysis of audio and visual data to quantify rhythmic and melodic elements of the interactions.

The analysis of Bout 1 revealed a "heavy-on-one-end" style of Xiangsheng, where Guo Degang was dominant, and Yu Qian acted as a foil. While rhythmicity was present for about 50% of the bout, there was no statistically significant pitch matching. Audience laughter played a significant role, with laughter durations sometimes exceeding those of Yu's utterances. In Bout 2, a shift to a more participatory style was observed, with both performers and the audience actively engaging in the musical exchange. A highly significant linear correlation was found between the pitch of the last syllable of one utterance and the starting pitch of the next, indicating pitch approximation between performers and audience members. This pitch approximation was found to be statistically significant in both spoken and sung phrases. The findings suggest that attitudinal alignment (emotional engagement) between performers and audience influences rhythmicity and melodic entrainment. The culmination of the performance showcased a heightened level of participation from the audience, marked by loud applause, demonstrating a strong affiliative relationship, and suggesting that attitudinal alignment (emotional engagement) enhances "musicality" in terms of pitch alignment and periodicity. The increasing participation of the audience and performers throughout the performance challenged the traditional dichotomy of presentational versus participatory performances.

The findings support Cross's claim that music and language are two halves of a communicative toolkit. The Xiangsheng performance demonstrated a fluid interplay between speech and song, with the dominance of spoken or musical modes varying across the performance. The observed rhythmicity and pitch approximation highlight the interconnectedness of music and language in emotional engagement. The study suggests that attitudinal alignment—a strong emotional connection between performers and the audience—is crucial for successful Xiangsheng performance and the emergence of musicality in the interaction. The gradual shift from a presentational to a more participatory mode of interaction within a single performance challenges existing categorizations of performance styles. The study's findings suggest a model where presentational and participatory aspects are complementary and fluid, rather than mutually exclusive.

This study contributes to the field of music cognition by offering a cross-cultural perspective, analyzing a genre outside of the Western European tradition. The use of diverse methodologies highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration in understanding the interplay of music and language in performance. The findings suggest that emotional engagement influences the emergence of musicality in speech and song, and that the classification of performances as presentational or participatory may need to be revised to reflect the fluid nature of these interactions. Further research employing similar methodologies with other performance traditions could provide a broader understanding of this phenomenon. The use of advanced technologies to measure audience reception in real time is proposed as a direction for future research.

The study is based on a single Xiangsheng performance, limiting the generalizability of the findings. While the selected performance featured highly popular and skilled performers, its unique characteristics might not reflect the full spectrum of Xiangsheng performances. Furthermore, the methods used to assess audience reception were indirect (through audio analysis of applause) and may not fully capture the diverse range of audience experiences. The limitations suggest a need for future research to examine a wider range of performances and utilize more sophisticated methods to capture the nuances of audience reception and engagement.