Music and Your Emotions

Music and Your Emotions, by six of the great medical and psychological authorities of The Music Research Foundation, is the first scientific study of the effect of music on the individual's emotions. Drawing on numerous experiments, it probes exactly how and to what extent music elicits different psychosomatic reactions and influences the mood of the listener. Music treatments were given to both the mentally ill—who responded gratifyingly—and "normal" people—who became happier and calmer.Asked and answered are such intriguing questions as: Can music be used therapeutically with the same certitude as drugs? Can we say scientifically that Wagner "exalts," Chopin "stimulates," and Stravinsky "disturbs"? Are some patients allergic to certain kinds of music as others are to certain kinds of drugs? Following the text is a splendid chart which indicates the mood that a diverse list of musical pieces—from Tristan and Isolde to "Turkey in the Straw"—will probably elicit.