1

GSTR 310 November 12, 2013 Music and its Emotional Significance W en sacred te!t is cou"led #it music, t e significance and emotional relations i" t at a #ors i"er e!"eriences #it God, is magnified to a far greater level$ # en com"ared to sim"l% s"ea&ing t e te!t alone' T is is a substantial argument because music is "erceived as t e (universal language') Music e!"resses # at #ords can not describe' T ere are multi"le instances in # ic music as added meaning to religious e!"eriences' *n religious istor%, music as often been used to conve% emotion or "raises to t e +ord # en #ords alone #ould not do ,ustice' T ere is a multi"licit% of articles # ic ave been #ritten on # % e!actl% music "ossesses t e

"o#er to com"letel% alter an% s"iritual or emotional "ractice' Studies s o# t ere are strong "s%c ological occurrences t at ta&e "lace #it in t e uman brain # en a "erson is e!"eriencing musical stimulation' T ese occurrences increase e!"eriential gratification, t us "roving t at t ere is most certainl% a connection bet#een music and uman emotion' W en sacred te!t is cou"led #it traditional #ors i" %mns, " %siological effects ta&e "lace in all sections of t e brain t at in turn create emotional res"onse and revelations of God' Elements of music and t e earl% c urc We &no# t at so called music is made u" of sounds, but # at are t e "arts of a sound and o# do t e% create music- T ere are nine as"ects to t e basic sound' (T e basic elements of an% sound are loudness, "itc , contour, duration .or r %t m/, tem"o, timbre, s"atial location and reverberation') .+evitin, "g' 10/ T ese nine conce"ts are t en organi1ed into larger subgrou"s' (2ur brains organi1e t ese fundamental "erce"tual attributes into ig er level conce"ts' T ese include meter, armon% and melod%').+evitin, "g' 10/ W en sound transmits "itc to t e uman

ears, an individual #ill find t emselves eading into a com"letel% different state of mind' 3 lo# "itc can create feelings of de"t and #armt , # ile a ig "itc can cause e!citement' (4itc is one of t e "rimar% means b% # ic musical emotion is conve%ed' Mood, e!citement, calm, romance, and danger are signaled b% a number of factors, but "itc is among t e most decisive') .+evitin, "g' 25/ T e deviation of "itc t roug out a song encourages an individual to e!"erience a certain emotion as it #as "reviousl% decided b% t e com"oser' (6om"osers use timbre as a com"ositional tool7 t e% c oose musical instruments8and combinations of music instruments8to e!"ress "articular emotions, and to conve% a sense of atmos" ere or mood') .+evitin, "g' 52/ 9ased on genetic differences as #ell as an individual:s life e!"erience, t e emotional e!"erience can var% from "erson to "erson even if t e% are seated side b% side in a concert all' T e reason t ese variations occur is because uman anatom% is different from "erson to "erson' (T e abilit% to detect differences in "itc is based on " %siolog%, and varies from one animal to anot er') .+evitin, "g' 2;/ Music as not al#a%s been acce"ted as somet ing "ositive for religious #ors i"' (T e 6at olic 6 urc banned music t at contained "ol%" one .more t an one musical "art "la%ing at a time/, fearing t at it #ould cause "eo"le to doubt t e unit% of God') .+evitin, "g' 13/ Not onl% did t e c urc feel t at t#o instruments #ere distracting, t e% felt t at music sometimes eliminated t e message of God all toget er' (T e c urc also banned t e musical interval of an augmented fourt , t e distance bet#een c and f8s ar" and also &no#n as a tritone' T is interval #as considered so dissonant t at it must ave been t e #or& of +ucifer, and so t e c urc named it diabolism in musica') .+evitin, "g' 13/ T e dissonant sounds are roug on t e ear, often causing tension and uneasiness' (Sounds t at

go #ell toget er are consonant7 t e rest are dissonant') .<ourdain, "g' 100/ 6 urc arc itecture and mani"ulation of sound 6om"osers certainl% use "itc , and a variet% of instruments to mani"ulate emotion, but t e s"aces # ere an individual ears t is music are in fact designed to en ance t e initial intentions of t e com"oser as #ell as magnif% t e sound so t e listener can become over# elmed b% t e musical e!"erience' T roug centuries of e!"erience, t e builders of c urc es and auditoriums ave become e!traordinaril% s&illed at ma&ing t eir buildings resonate' .Sac&s, "g' 10;/ 9% ma&ing c anges in c urc arc itecture, t e sound "roduced becomes "o#erful and aut oritative' Not onl% can t e arc itecture of concert alls and c urc es en ance sound, but some selective fre=uencies are dam"ened to &ee" t em from diminis ing t e overall e!"erience' (*f a concert all or lecture all is badl% designed, sounds ma% be &illed, voices and music seem dead') .Sac&s, "g' 10;/ Sound engineers design t ese buildings so t at t e listener can get t e o"timal e!"erience' (3 concert all acts as an e!tension to ever% instrument b% reverberating sounds, selectivel% en ancing or absorbing various fre=uencies as it does too') .<ourdain, "g' 0>/ 9% en ancing t ese fre=uencies it allo#s reverberation from instruments and vocalist to reac t e audience in its "urest form' 9ecause t is sound is so "ure and clean, listeners can remember t e sound as it fades a#a%, small sections at a time' Memories of t e music being "la%ed are subse=uentl% accom"anied b% an individual:s o#n memories and t e% undergo an emotional res"onse s"ecific to t em' (Reverberation also "rovides and unnoticed bac&dro" t at gives meaning to armonic transformations7 t e brain sustains memories of music t at as ,ust "assed b%, and it dra#s relations bet#een t ese memories and t e sounds it ears at t e moment') .<ourdain, "g' 0?/

Reverberation of music in c urc es is designed to endure longer t an it #ould in ot er settings, or buildings' 2ne core reason for t is is t at it allo#s listeners to more efficientl% remember t e sound as it "asses t em, creating a "leasantl% over# elming feeling' T ese long memories en ance t eir s"iritual e!"erience and aid t em in aving revelations of God' (Some cat edrals resound #it seven second reverberations, time enoug for t ree measures of music to unfold') .<ourdain, "g' 50/ T e combination of long musical measures and large o"en s"ace arc itecture causes t e sound to fill ever% s"ace of t e sanctuar%, giving t e effect of eternal sound' (6 urc music for organ and c orus as evolved to suit t ese circumstances, em"lo%ing long reverberations to evo&e an aura of eternit%') .<ourdain, "g' 50/ T is idea accom"anies t e 6 ristian idea of eternal life' Religious music as evolved to reflect t is idea' (+ong reverberation gives #armt to music') .<ourdain, "g' 51/ T is #armt ma&es t e music comforting and inviting for guest to benefit from it' @o# music affects t e brain Ever% region of t e uman brain is at #or& # en #e listen to music' Eac section is res"onsible for a tas&, and all of t e sections #or& toget er' 9ecause of t is s%stematic occurrence umans can actuall% understand music to a muc larger e!tent' (Musical activit% involves nearl% ever% region of t e brain t at #e &no# about, and nearl% ever% neural subs%stem') .+evitin, "g' A0/ T e uman brain is se"arated into four lobes7 t e frontal, tem"oral, "arietal, and occi"ital, and t e cerebellum' .<ourdain, "g' A3/ W en "la%ing an instrument t e uman brain is involved at an even greater level of neural stimulation' (4la%ing an instrument re=uires t e orc estration of regions in our "rimitive, re"tilian brain8t e cerebellum and t e brain stem8as #ell as ig er cognitive s%stems suc as t e motor corte! .in t e "arietal lobe/ and t e "lanning regions of our frontal lobes, t e most

advanced region of t e brain') .+evitin, "g' 55/ W en #e ear music, it enters our brains as com"le! arra% of signals7 somet ing as to decode all of t ose$ t e area res"onsible for t is #ould be t e frontal lobe' (T e frontal lobe is associated #it "lanning, and #it self8control, and #it ma&ing sense out of t e dense and ,umbled signals t at our senses receive') .+evitin, "g' A3/ 3not er ,ob t at t e uman brain "erforms # en it is e!"osed to music is memori1ation' T is action is "erformed b% t e tem"oral lobe' (T e tem"oral lobe is associated #it earing and memor%') .+evitin, "g' A3/ Burt ering

our e!"loration in t e uman brain, #e #ill find t e "arietal lobe' (T e "arietal lobe is associated #it motor movements and s"atial s&ill') .+evitin, "g' A3/T e "arietal lobe is es"eciall% im"ortant # en "la%ing an instrument' (T e occi"ital lobe is associated #it vision') .+evitin, "g' A3/ Cision is actuall% crucial in musical inter"retation' T e e%e sees # at t e ear #ill soon ear' Cision as a sense, is res"onsible for t e o"inion formed on a musical e!"erience' Bar before t e uman ear can decode t e sound #e begin ma&ing ,udgments based on # at #e see' (T e cerebellum is involved in emotions and t e "lanning of movements, and is t e evolutionaril% oldest "art of our brain') .+evitin, "g' A3/ Emotional o"inions are im"ortant, because emotion is # at creates lasting and meaningful e!"eriences t roug music' (Different as"ects of t e music are andled b% different neural regions8t e brain uses functional segregation for music "rocessing, and em"lo%s a s%stem of feature detectors # ose ,ob it is to anal%1e s"ecific as"ects of t e musical signal, suc as "itc , tem"o, and timbre and so on') .+evitin, "g' A0/ 9ecause different as"ects of musical "ractice involve and engage different regions of t e brain, t e # ole "rocess becomes an all8encom"assing ,ourne% #it in' T e regions ,ust described are

t ose # ic are im"licated # en listening to a song t at one as never "reviousl% eard' @o#ever, # en t e listener as eard a "articular melod% on a "revious occasion, t e% ma% feel as if t e% are familiar #it t e tune' *n t is case, additional regions of t e brain become involved' T ese regions include t e i""ocam"us8our memor% center8and subsections of t e frontal lobe' .+evitin, "g' A0/ W en #e e!"erience emotion from music, it comes from t e dee"est regions of our brain, # ic are also t e oldest' T ese regions are t e cerebelar vermis, and t e am%gdala8t e eart of emotional "rocessing in t e corte!' .+evitin, "g' A5/ T e basic units of t e brain are neurons7 t ese are o# our brain sends signals to ot er "arts of our bod%' (T e average brain consists of one undred billion neurons') .+evitin, "g' A5/ *t is im"ortant to understand # ere neurons are located in t e uman bod%' (Neurons are t e "rimar% cells of t e brain7 t e% are also found in t e s"inal cord and t e "eri" eral nervous s%stem' 3ctivit% from outside t e brain can cause a neuron to fire8suc as # en a tone of a "articular fre=uenc% e!cites t e basilar membrane, and it in turn "asses a signal u" to fre=uenc%8selective neurons in t e auditor% corte!') .+evitin, "g' 120/ We can understand t at neurons are res"onsible for sending signals to t e brain for a multi"licit% of reasons, but one ma% #onder o# t ese signals actuall% a""en' (W en #e sa% a neuron is firing, it is sending an electrical signal t at causes t e release of a neurotransmitter') .+evitin, "g' 120/ During t is "rocess, t ere is a release of c emicals t at act as transmitters, so naturall% t ese c emicals are called Neurotransmitters' (Neurotransmitters are c emicals t at travel t roug out t e brain and bind to rece"tors attac ed to ot er neurons').+evitin, "g' 120/ 3n individual forms an o"inion of t e music based on t e millions of firings of neurons during a "erformance' We can "assivel% listen to music, for e!am"le a diner listening to t e soft bac&ground music at a restaurant, or #e can activel% listen to it, becoming engaged and emotional involved, li&e a listener at is or er favorite bands concert' (3ctive

listening is accom"lis ed #it t e cerebral corte!') .<ourdain, "g' 20>/ 3ctive listening can create a sort of bond bet#een t e listener and t e "erformer or "erformance' T e t#o different listening forms create t#o totall% different e!"eriences, and can be categori1ed as memorable or unmemorable' (6ategori1ation is at t e eart of nearl% all our mental activit%, and ence all our musical activit%') .<ourdain, "g' >5/ 2nce a musical e!"erience is considered memorable, it #ill never be forgettable'

Music and t e ears T e brain ma&es sense of all t e com"le! as"ects of listening to music, but #it out our ears it #ould not be "ossible to &no# t e feelings t at music evo&es' 2ur ears "rocess an incoming sound so t at t e brain can res"ond to it accordingl%' (3fter sounds enter t e ear, t e% "ass b% t e basilar membrane, # ere certain air cells fire, de"ending on t e fre=uenc% of t e sounds') .+evitin, "g' 2>/ T ese air cells el" decode all t e different fre=uencies t e ears receive' (3ctivit% in a certain "art of t e membrane causes it to send an electrical signal on u" to t e auditor% corte!') .+evitin, "g' 2>/ Different electrical signals are sent to t e auditor% corte! based on tone of t e sound' (T e auditor% corte! also as a tonoto"ic ma", #it lo# to ig tones stretc ed out across t e cortical surface') .+evitin, "g' 2>/ Different fre=uenc% ranges activate certain areas of t e air cells in t e inner ear' T is area is &no#n as t e organ of corti' T e organ of corti, lies in t e basilar membrane of t e coc lea and contains about t irt% five undred inner air cells, # ic are t e ultimate auditor% rece"tors' .Sac&s, "g' 132/ T ese are e!tended across t e membrane for lo# to ig fre=uencies' +o#8fre=uenc% sounds stimulate air cells on one end of t e basilar membrane, medium fre=uenc% sounds stimulate air cells in t e middle, and ig 8fre=uenc% sounds stimulate t em at t e furt er end' .+evitin, "g' 2;/ (+istening

to music starts #it sub cortical .belo# t e corte!/ structures8 t e coc lear nuclei, t e brain stem, t e cerebellum8and t en moves u" to auditor% cortices on bot sides of t e brain') .+evitin, "g' A0/ (T e organ of corti is lodged dee" in t e ead, encased in t e "etrous bone, t e densest in t e bod%, and floats in fluid to absorb accidental vibrations') .Sac&s, "g' 132/ (3 molecule vibrates 20 times a second for t e lo#est "itc #e can ear and u" to 20,000 times a second for t e ig est') .<ourdain, "g' >/ (T e arder t e molecules are "us ed t e arder t e% #ill s ove at an eardrum and t e louder a sound a""ears') .<ourdain, "g' >/ Sounds are also naturall% am"lified b% a s"ecific "ortion of t e ear called a "inna' (T e ,utting outer ear is called a "inna' 3 "innas main ,ob is to am"lif% sound b% funneling it into t e ear canal') .<ourdain, "g' ;/ (Music must travel t roug t e "inna, ear canal, eardrum, ossicles, middle ear muscles, and coc lear fluid, before meeting t e nervous s%stem') .<ourdain, "g' 12/ (3s musicEs vibrations s"read t roug t e surrounding fluid, t e membrane su""orting t e organ of corti #aggles u" and do#n, airs bend, and air cells fire' (T e stronger t e motion, t e more ra"id t e firing') .<ourdain, "g' 12/ Music vs' language 2ne could believe t at music and s"o&en #ords "roduce similar emotions but t is is not t e case at all' W ile music and language activate similar "ortions of t e brain, s"o&en language can not "roduce meanings to t e de"t s t at music can reac ' (2nl% uman beings are ca"able of "roducing and com"re ending music and language') .<ourdain, "g' 2;0/ (+anguage describes t e #orld about us #it great "recision' 9ut language is e!tremel% crude in describing our interior feelings8not ,ust of mood and emotion, but of all t e bodil% sensations #e e!"erience as #e move t roug t e #orld') .<ourdain, "g' 2?5/ 3 "rofessional #riter could #rite a full "age of te!t describing a "articular emotion, "ossibl% solemn and grief #it man% literar% tools suc as

meta" ors and similes, but a single measure of music could e=uall% effective' <ust a fe# notes can send a listener into a realm of emotional #ort '

Music creating emotion We listen to music for man% reasons, for entertainment, ,o%, relief, rela!ation, and emotional sentiment' (We listen to music for t e e!"erience of its meaning, for # at is sa%s to us') .<ourdain, "g' 2>1/ Music is a gate#a% for e!"erience, #it musical e!"erience comes emotional gratification' (Music sets u" antici"ations and t en satisfies t em' *t can #it old its resolutions, and eig ten antici"ation b% doing so') .<ourdain, "g' 312/ 3ll of t e emotional effects created b% music are based on our antici"ation of # at is coming ne!t' (Negative emotions arise # en e!"erience falls s ort of antici"ation' 4ositive emotion arises # en e!"erience e!ceeds antici"ation') .<ourdain, "g' 312/ (T ese e!"eriences outstri" t ose of our mundane e!istence, and t at usuall% are be%ond recollection once t e music sto"s') .<ourdain, "g' 300/ (Music lifts us from our fro1en mental abits and ma&es our minds move in #a%s t e% ordinaril% cannot') .<ourdain, "g' 302/ (3 single ig note can conve% e!citement, single lo# note sadness') .+evitin, "g' 25/ (W en notes are strung toget er, #e get more "o#erful and more nuanced musical statements') .+evitin, "g' A0/ (Music communicates to us emotionall% t roug s%stematic violations of e!"ectations') .+evitin, "g' 1>A/ (+istening to music is not a "assive "rocess but intensel% active, involving a stream of inferences, %"ot eses, e!"ectations, and antici"ations') .Sac&s, "g' 211/ (3 "rimar% function of music is collective and communal to bring and bind "eo"le toget er') .Sac&s, "g' 200/ (T e abilit% to ma&e sense of music de"ends on e!"erience') .+evitin, "g' 2A/ 3s a "ianist * ave e!"erienced t is first and' T roug out m%

10

%ears of stud% * ave "la%ed a large arra% of re"ertoires' 3mong t ese songs are some of m% favorites 6 o"in nocturnes' * began learning t ese nocturnes as long as 0 %ears ago, and # en * "la% t em toda% t e% ave an entirel% different meaning to me' T e reason for t is is because of m% e!"erience along t ose %ears' T e music summons emotions * ave felt and brings t em bac& to life as * "la% t e "ieces' S"iritual im"act Music as t e abilit% to ma&e an average s"iritual e!"erience a su"erior one' T e bod% can undergo certain " %siological res"onses to t is' (3 " %siological res"onse to music is &no#n as c ills or s ivers do#n t e s"ine') .4atel, "g' 31;/ T ese c ills are a reaction t at almost ever% uman as e!"erienced at one time, t e% are t e uman bod%:s reaction to com"lete and total emotional stimulation' (6 ills are often associated #it sudden c anges in armon%, # ic can be regarded as a violation of e!"ectanc%') W en ritual or s"iritual music is "erformed, t ere is usuall% at least one moment of religious over# elming t at is encountered' T ese moments are crucial to t e #ors i"ers, because it eig tens t eir o#n s"iritualit% to e!traordinar% levels' .4atel, "g' 31A/ (Music can trigger feelings a&in to t e oceanic') .Storr, "g' ?0/ (T e oceanic feeling is usuall% com"ared #it t e states of mind described b% t e m%stics in # ic t e sub,ect feels at one #it t e #orld and #it im or erself') .Storr, "g' ?5/ Musical s"iritualit% creates

# ole ne# meaning, and gives religious umans feelings of bot "eace and unit%' T e% are able to e!"erience feelings of stabilit% and "rotection' Musical s"iritualit% often "la%s t e role of "us ing "eo"le to better t emselves' (Music enables t e observing self to reac ne# levels of a#areness # ile "roviding t e guiding structure for inner "ersonal e!"loration') .2rti1, "g' 01/ T is inner "ersonal e!"loration can c allenge a "erson to gro# closer to t eir fait #it god' Music is eard b% our ears and travels t roug t e basilar membrane as #ell as t e "inna lined

11

#it t ousands of air cells' T ese air cells are activated and send electrical im"ulses or neurons to our brain telling it # at #e are earing' 9ased on t ese im"ulses an o"inion of t e music eard is formed b% an individual' T is o"inion is accom"anied b% is or er o#n "ersonal e!"erience t roug out t eir lifetime and an emotional e!"erience to t e music is created' T e emotion created as t e "o#er to bind "eo"le toget er in c urc and in turn create oceanic feelings in t e mind full of s"iritual im"act and revelations of God'

12

Wor&s 6ited <ourdain, Robert' Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination' Ne# For&G W' Morro#, 1??;' 4rint' +evitin, Daniel <' This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human O session' Ne# For&, NFG Dutton, 200>' 4rint' 2rti1, <o n M' The Tao of Music: Sound !sycho"ogy: #sing Music to Change Your $ife' For& 9eac , Me'G S' Weiser, 1??;' 4rint' 4atel, 3nirudd D' Music, $anguage, and the Brain' 2!fordG 2!ford H4, 200A' 4rint' Sac&s, 2liver' Musicophi"ia% TorontoG Ino"f, 200;' 4rint' Storr, 3nt on%' Music and the Mind' Ne# For&G Bree, 1??2' 4rint'