Klarinet Archive - Posting 000744.txt from 2002/05

From: Lucienne <lucienne@-----.ca>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Music and society
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 18:51:33 -0400

Dear Dan
Because it is a childrens literature course I am writing this for and not
my masters thesis I do hope to cover the basics and hopefully have some
credible source to which I can relate a childrens novel.
I am currently "skimming" a book titled "Music and Your Emotions" by Emil
A. Gutheil M.D. I think it was copywritten in 1952. A VERY LONG TIME AGO.
It offers some very interesting opions and facts but really it isn't what
I'm looking for. I guess its the psychology of music that I need. All music
will make at least one person happy. All music will make at least one
person sad. On and on like this. I turn to music- classical heavy metal and
techno to get me through a break up. It gives me the strength to push
through all the hard times. If I took a way the music I count on, would I
still be the same person? Would I have killed myself ? Its very hard to
say. I'm far from suicidal but I was also hoping to find the statistics of
suicide in Afganistan in the last 10 years. Do you think that the repressed
people ( banned music) would give up fighting for their rights?
It is a very hard topic.

thanks for the info Lucienne

At 10:40 AM 5/27/02 -0700, you wrote:
>Lucienne wrote:
>
> > I'm have a really hard time finding literature on: how music
> effects > ... emotions
>
>
>Lucienne, I have spent a number of years trying to deal with the issues
>of HOW music affects the emotions, and I have failed utterly to find any
>convincing literature that explains the HOW of that phenomenon.
>
>That music DOES affect emotions seems to be a given, but the mechanism
>about how it goes about achieving this end is almost non-existent.
>
>There was a theory, still voiced as if it had substance, which I do not
>believe it has, suggesting that the particular emotion derived from
>music was based on its key signature, or else its mode.
>
>For example, one theory is that the key of A major makes one happy,
>while the key of C major makes one resolute. Another theory suggests
>that music in a minor key is inherently somber.
>
>To this, I can only say that it appears to be nonsense, without a shred
>of evidence to support the claim, and even those who espouse the theory
>contradict each other with one say that the key of X makes one joyous
>while another says that the same key of X makes one sad.
>
>And though I deny hotly that such an argument has any validity, I do
>point out that the theory exists. In fact, the presence of such a
>bizarre explanation for HOW music affects the emotions is indicitive of
>how few answers there are to this centuries old question.
>
>That I find some of Mozart music enjoyable (let's leave out "happy,"
>"sad," "uplifiting," etc.) is true, but WHY this happens is beyond my
>understanding. I find other music not to generate any emotional
>response in me whatsoever and this is also beyond my understanding.
>
>I once discussed Country & Western music with someone who felt the same
>way about it as I do Beethoven. He could not comprehend how I was
>unable to generate the same feelings as he had, and vice versa with
>respect to Beethoven.
>
>My son is crazy about acid rock but also finds Mozart, Beethoven, etc.
>fascinating and enjoyable. Go figure.
>
>I think you have taken upon yourself a task that cannot be accomplished,
>though I also hope I have not misunderstood your question.
>
>Dan Leeson
>
>
>***************************
>** Dan Leeson **
>** leeson0@-----.net **
>***************************
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------

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