The Emotion of Sound

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The sense of hearing has many levels of importance to us such as hearing a loved one's voice, sensing a potentially dangerous situation, listening to music, or just simply hearing the sound of leaves crunch under foot in autumn. One of the first things I think about with the importance of hearing would be music. In Diane Ackerman's Natural History of the Senses she discusses this relationship that humans
Our Christmas ornament from
when I played trumpet. 
have to sound and music and states that "the odd thing about music is that we understand and respond to it without actually having to learn it" which is one thing I find amazing about music and sounds in general (Ackerman, 205). I have long forgotten the details about scales, notes, and measures that I learned while playing trumpet in eighth grade, but that does not mean I cannot enjoy, appreciate, and feel emotions that the song evokes. Music is so universal regardless of language or genre and it can be enjoyed and understood by all.

© Doug Wheller
One of the main aspects about music I enjoy is the memories I associate with it. Music brings out some of the strongest emotional memories, even more so than images. I grew up listening to country music and I went back to this frequently during my first year in college because it reminded me of home. While this is not my go-to genre of music now, it connects me to very happy memories of family and childhood. I can't fully describe the feelings that such music brings, but it is incredible how much emotion I can feel from a song that I have not heard in years. This emotional power of sounds and music can also be found in religions, not just on music playlists.

The emotions connected to music are intertwined through many different religions. Anne Rasmussen discusses the role of sounds in Islam and the recitation of the Qur'an in her book Women, the Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia. One detail of Indonesian culture Rasmussen describes in relation to sounds associated with the religion is that "letting Arabic "live on the lips" of Muslims allows Indonesians--whether they understand Arabic or not--to both feel the language and let others experience it" (Rasmussen, 193). This ties back to what Ackerman has described about our connection to music and the universal understanding of sounds. The sounds we hear can connect deeply to our emotions, so whether that is the melody of a song or the "busy noises" of Indonesia it is still a powerful sense in our lives (Rasmussen, 193).

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausApril 15, 2020 at 8:39 AM

    Yes. Not much to add since you already say it pretty beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brian MarulisApril 24, 2020 at 8:33 AM

    Since you talk about how genres of music can evoke certain emotions and memories, do you think that the lyrics matter less than the underlying rhythm or feel of the music? So in a way, the structure of the music emphasizes the feeling more than lyrics of one particular song.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aidan TravisApril 28, 2020 at 9:53 AM

    You have a very interesting point about music. I have never thought about how you don't need to understand how to play and instrument or even know what the difference is between an A and a C cord, to understand the significance of a song in something such as a movie or in a theatre production. I really enjoy movies with strong significant musical compositions, but I have never been part of a full orchestra in my life.

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