"Traditional attachment" in social psychology and the early music revival movement: Style reconstruction and audience psychological needs in modern performances of J.S. BACH'S partitas

Abstract

This study, grounded in traditional attachment theory from social psychology, investigates the style reconstruction phenomenon of J.S. Bach's Partitas in modern performance, exploring the underlying mechanisms between audience psychological needs and performer behavioral choices within the early music revival movement. Employing mixed research methods, data were collected from 360 listeners and 48 professional performers through questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews, and participant observation. The findings reveal: (1) A significant positive correlation exists between traditional attachment and early music preference (r=0.67, p<0.001), with the cognitive dimension demonstrating the strongest predictive effect (β=0.42, p<0.001), validating the applicability of traditional attachment theory in the musical cultural domain; (2) Performers' style reconstruction primarily employs five fusion strategies, with the "technical conservative-stylistic innovative" approach being most favored (37.5%), and performers' stylistic choices are driven by basic psychological needs including autonomy, competence, and relatedness; (3) Different performance styles fulfill listeners' differentiated psychological needs, with historical styles scoring highest in cultural satisfaction (M=6.07) and modern styles excelling in social satisfaction (M=5.67); (4) Cultural identity and musical choice exhibit a bidirectional interactive relationship, with traditional attachment influencing musical preference through the mediating role of cultural identity, accounting for 42.7% of the total mediating effect; (5) Social environmental factors such as performance venues, peer groups, and professional guidance exert significant moderating effects on listener preferences. The research findings illuminate the deep psychological mechanisms underlying the early music revival movement, providing empirical support for the application of traditional attachment theory in music psychology, and offering significant theoretical value and practical guidance for music education, cultural transmission, and classical music industry development.