Anticipating the main theme: A model for understanding prospective memory and reward learning in sonata-form listening

A number of studies have established a connection between musical anticipation and reward processing, yet the interrelated roles of the musical themes, their anticipatory cues, and the large-scale design of musical forms have not been adequately explored. To fill this gap, I present in this article a psychological model that focuses on listeners’ anticipation of musical themes while listening to familiar pieces written in sonata form. Active listening may engage prospective memory, which refers to the ability to recall an intended action in the future. While listening to a piece in sonata form, an intended action is to monitor the recapitulation of the main theme in the home key. The retransition preceding the recapitulation may prompt listeners to engage in anticipatory imagery of the imminent theme. I identify four types of musical cues present in retransitions: dissonance-related, attention-related, goal-related, and time-based. These cues can foster listeners’ attention allocation toward predicting the theme through sequence processing and subvocal humming along with the music. The confirmation of this prediction and the harmonic resolution at the beginning of the recapitulation can serve as positive reinforcers, strengthening the listening habit of anticipatory imagery of main themes. Drawing on recent brain-imaging studies, the proposed model suggests that sensitization to anticipatory musical cues and precise prediction/imagery of themes are essential for reward-based learning of music. Moreover, this model clarifies both the presence of themes in various musical forms and a critical attribute of effective musical themes, namely, their ease of memorization and imaginability.