Expressing emotions in music

2007·1.8 MB·English

by  Chakraborty, Kavita

Expressing Emotions in Music
KAVITACHAKRABORTY
Emotionsareamong themost powerfulofforces that influencehumanbehaviour. OUf
emotionscommandourattentionandwecannotignorethem.Whenwe feel intensely
emotional we cannot concentrateon performing our jobs as we should, or choosing our
wordscarefully, oreven listeningtomusic orreading.
Emotional behaviour is primarily influenced by conditioned visceral responses. OUf
visceraare always reacting, but in emotion, their reactions affect perception, thinking,
learning, and virtually everythingwedo.All emotionalbehaviourhas severalcharacteris
ticsincommon.First, emotionisdiffuse, that is,itisable toaffecttheentirebody; second,
emotion ispersistent,ittendstoremainlong after theimmediatestimulushas disappeared;
andthird,emotioniscumulative.
Itmight atfirstthought seemasifmusiccouldbeanidealvehiclefortheartisticexpres
sionofemotions. For music isan art ofsoundsand wecan express ouremotions through
thesounds wemake.Itmight appear,therefore,that music ispeculiarlyfittedtoexploitthe
variousfeatures oftheaudible manifestationsofemotionsintheconstructionofworksthat
are designedto beunderstood asexpressions of emotion.
Infact, there aretwo waysinwhich <mere'soundisconnectedwith emotionthat music
could seek to exploit. Under the stress ofan emotion, a human being may produce (i) a
certain kind ofsounde.g. (perhaps) laughter, a shriek, asob or (ii) sounds in aparticular
manner,e.g. slowly inasoftvoice, withacharacteristicinflectionorpatternofintonation.'
Music has been definedas the art of expression in sound, melody and harmonyin which
ideas and emotionsplay importantroles.
The psychologicalimpact ofmusichas alwaysbeen moreprominentascomparedtothe
physicalorphysiological.The ability ofmusic toinfluencehumanemotionis well known
andusedextensivelybymusicdirectors.Avarietyofmusicalmoodsmaybe used tocreate
feelings ofcalmness,excitement,tensionandromance. Musiccan alsobe usedtoexpress
emotionnon-verbally.Dependingonthe type and style ofsound,musicalsoundcaneither
sharpenmentalacuity orassist relaxation.The fundamentalerrorofthe transmissionform
oftheexpressiontheoryofmusic isitsseparationofwhatgivesits value-accordingtothe
theory,theexperienceittransmits fromcomposertolistener,fromthemusicitself.Itrepre
sentsamusicalwork as being relatedinacertainway toan experiencewhichcan befully
characterisedwithoutreferencetothe nature of the workitself."
Watson believes that there are three such fundamental patterns in the human infant:
fear,rage and love. Watsondefinedan emotionasahereditary"pattern-relationinvolving
profoundchangesof the bodily mechanismasawholebut particularlyofthe visceraland
Sangut Natak Vol.XLI. No.3. 2007
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS INMUSIC 41
glandular systems".
Titchener(1910) introduceshissystematicviewofaffectionandemotionbyconsidering
certainproblemsofdefinition.Affection isdefined astheelementary mentalprocesschar
acteristic of feeling and of the emotions such as love, hate.joy and sorrow. The term
'feeling' is used to denote a simple connection of sensation and affection in which the
affective process dominates consciousness.'
Feeling may be used in a narrow sense to denote sensations of touch, roughness,
solidityand the like. Such experiences,Titchenerbelieves, aremoreproperlytermed'per
ception' or 'touch blends' and, as such, do not enterinto the psychology of feeling and
emotion."
According to Schachter, "An emotion is the interpretation at a change in level and
qualityatinternalsensationsinaparticularcontext". Schachterfurtherexplainedthatemo
tions depend on two factors: (1) Physiological arousal; (2) a mental process by which
subjects interpret or label their physiological sensations. The internal sensations result
from physiological changes caused by patterns of brain activity, especially in the
hypothalamus and limbic system, that act through the autonomic nervous system. The
interpretation is a psychological process that seeks to find the relationship between the
sensations and the environmental context and that accounts forour subjective feelings.
In some theories of the mind, emotion, cognition and volition wereregarded asthree
fundamentalfaculties.Emotioncarnetoberegarded asdistinctfromcognitionandvolition
(willing). Weretain thevestigesofthisanalysis inourpresent-dayconceptionofemotion:
emotionis commonlythoughttobetheobserve ofreason, aseparatefaculty,usuallyone
to be guarded against lest it interfere with the rational aspects of the mind and thereby
subvert motivation or values.
Musical Feeling
Emotionand feeling arecloselyrelated tooneanother.theybothdependonthebrainstem
in the nervous system. Pleasure, pain, fear, anger, love, etc.•involve feeling as well as
emotions,consequently,manyoftheemotionsarelinkedwithfeeling.Feelingcanbepleas
ant and can be painful too. Similarly, emotions may becausedeither byhappiness orby
sorrow.Musicisthemediumthroughwhichweexpressourfeelingsofjoyandsorrow.love
andpatriotism.penitenceandpraise.According toCarlE.Seashore."Musicalfeeling,like
anotherfeeling, isarousedinproportiontoacertainsensitivenesstoobjects,either physi
cal. mental orideal. Aperson whoissensitive toadifferenceof0.01 atawholetonestep
respondsto themusical situationinanentirely differentaffectivewaythanthepersonwho
cannothearany less than aquarterorahalftone"..'iSusanneLangerspeaksof feelingand
its forms thus: excitement and repose. the easy passage of a reverie; sudden activation.
perhaps ofan impulse or thought, a moment of international waywardness; "precipitate
advances and victorious emergences'", the drive and directness ofdesires. and aboveall
therhythmic continuityof ourselfhood.
42 KAVITACHAKRABORTY
Typesof Emotions
Emotionsare moredifficulttoclassifythatitfirst appears;overtemotionalbehaviourdoes
not necessarily reflect covertemotional relations. "Emotions often overlap and opposing
emotionsmaybearousedbythesamestimuli,becauseoftheinfluenceofbothheredityand
individualleaming.Differentpeoplereactdifferentlyandwith varyingintensitytothesame
stimuli. However.psychologists,byobservingbodilyreactionstovariousemotionalstimuli.
have identified severalemotions that produce similar reactions in different people in the
samesituation.forexample.joy.sorrow,anger,love.fear and hate."
McDougall.a British psychologist. points out that all animals including humans have
"instincts" or "propensities" and that when these are activated an affective quality which
wecallemotion isassociatedwitheach.
Instinct Emotion
Flight Fear
Repulsion Disgust
Curiosity Wonder
Pugnacity Anger
Self-abasement Subjection
Self-assertion Elation
Parental Tender
Thesecondaryorcomplexemotionsarcillustratedbysuchthingsashate, whichMcDougall
definesasamixtureofanger, fearanddisgustscorn,whichisamixtureoffearanddisgust.
Tomkinsassumes that thereareeightbasicemotionsoreffects.Thepositiveeffectsare(i)
interest;(ii)surprise;and(iii)joy.
The negativeeffectsare(iv)anguish;(v)fear; (vi)shame;(vii)disgust;and(viii)rage.
Cattellhasfactor-analyzedavarietyofdescriptiveitemsrelatedtotheobjectiveoppression
ofemotionsandmotivations(1957).Hereportsten factors whichhedefinesasbasic emo
tions.He proposesthat each emotion hasa particulargoaloraim.andwhen he combines
thesetwo ideas.listlooksmuch likeMcDougal
Emotion Goal
Lust Mating
Fear Escape
Loneliness Gregariousness
Pity. succourance Protectiveness
Curiosity Exploration
Pride Self-assertion
Sensuous comfort Narcissism
Despair Appeal
Sleepiness Rest-seeking
Anger Pugnacity
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS IN MUSIC 43
MalcolmBudd considersthefollowing listofemotions:
co~dition
(i) Embarrassment isdiscomfortat thethought thatsomeactionor might
make others think lesswellofone.
(ii) Envy ispain at the thoughtof an advantage enjoyed byanother.
(iii) Fearisdistress at the thought ofdanger tooneselforsomeoneorsomethingone
cares about.
(iv) Griefisacute distress atthethought ofthedeathofsomeonewhoisdeartoone.
(v) Pride is satisfaction at the thought at an achievement, or the possession of a
desirablequalitybyoneselforsomeone orsomethingoneidentifieswith.
(vi) Remorse is distress atthe thought that onehasactedwrongly.
(vii) Shameis discomfort at the thoughtofthepossession ofadefectorfromfalling
short ofanideal, byoneselforsomeone oneidentifieswith."
Music and Emotions
Emotion can be communicated by means other than gestures andfacialexpression.The
human voice is an exceptionally sensitive instrument forcommunicatingemotion.Tone,
loudness and speed of speaking all can act as signals of the communicator's emotional
state. Rapid and loud speaking may reveal depression. The fine arts-music, painting,
sculpture,poetryandsoon-canvividly portrayemotions,althoughwerequirecontinued
exposuretothe artsbeforewecanfullyrecognize andappreciatewhatisbeingexpressed.
Even then great artists not only effectively portray universal emotions in their works.
Emotionsexpressedby many musical compositions donotneedlyrics,titlesorinterpreta
tions toexplainthem. Music isitselfanexpressivelanguagewithoutwords.
Wordsthat signify moods andemotionscanbeusedtodescribetheauditorystructures
ofmusic becausethe form ofexperiencesofonesensemodalitycanduplicatetheformof
experiencesofanothersensemodality.Objectivephenomenalstructurescanexhibitastrik
ing resemlance to the forms of subjective bodily reverberations andin consequencebe
thought of, erroneously, as the embodiments of emotions and moods. But they do not
I"
embodyemotionsandmoods. Rather,theymerelysoundandlookthewayemoti•ons l&ee.
Ragas as the Expression ofEmotions
Ragas, as it is understood in India, is mainly the spontaneous outflow of basic human
emotionsinthe formofmelodictunes.Aragaisabasicmelodicpattern,whethersimpleor
complex, consistingofseveralnotes-fiveorsixorseven-butnotmorethanfiveinafixed
ascendinganddescendingorder,whichmaybethesameordifferent.Itisdistinguishedby
itsownparticularsequenceofnotes, numberoftones,characteristicphrasesandprincipal
mood. In Indian classical ragas vocalists andinstrumentalists improviseinanystyle,for
o~
anyduration,and inanytempo, eitherasasolooraccompaniedbyTabla.Thequality a
notemaybetaken tocoverthefollowing: itsbeinghighorlowbyvirtueofitsplaceme~tIII
the bass, middle or upper register; its thinness or richness, tangentiality or penetranon.
44 KAVITACHAKRABORTY
which respectively mean how brieforhow long isthe abidance of aparticular note, and
above all, itsexpressiveness-gaiety,a sad and yearning intenseness, or a simple soulful
quality. One interesting aspectofthe Indian raga systemisthat asthe annual journeyof
II
the earth through the year brings about changes in the seasons and environment, ragas
alsomoveintimetorelatethemselves totheirsurroundings. There are thereforemorning,
afternoon, evening and night ragas, with different moods to indicate the passage oftime.
Forexample, theNorth Indian Basant and Baharragas areofspringtime.Malharis ofthe
rainy season.
Inorder tosubstantiate this point, letus take a look atthe classificationofragas tradi
tionally handed down to us by the eminent ancient musicologists. The classification of
thesesixarchaicragasintothirty-sixderived ragas hasbeen normallytabulatedasfollows:
1. Sri raga (Melody of the winter)"
1 2 3 4 5 6
Goodi Kolahali Dravali Andoliki Madhavi Devagandhari
2. Pancama raga (Melody of the autumn)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Suddhanata Suveri Saindhavi Malati Troti Koumadaki
3. Megha raga (Melody of the rainy season)
I 2 3 4 5 6
Sourastri Kambhari Vangali Madhumadhabi Devakri Bhupali
4. Natanarayana (Melody ofthe early winter)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Vallabhi Madhavi Vidagadhi Abhisiriki Trtveni Megharanji
Music,EmotionsandRasa
Ragacanbesaidtoconsist ofone'sidentificationwiththeessenceinaestheticenjoyment.
Apertinentquestion thatnowarisesiswhetherthepleasurethat anindividualderivesfrom
anappreciationof music israsa. It can also beequated with sentiment. Rasaresults from
Bhava,another termdifficulttotranslate. Bhava isabasic emotionalstate. Rasacannotbe
appreciated without an aesthetic propensity-vasana and previous sanskar.
It is indeed very difficult to find anexactEnglish equivalentofthe word rasa as it is
understood in Indian aesthetics. The nearest so-called equivalent would be feeling par
excellence;theeternal valuethatisfeltasanendinitself. Suchafeelingstands onahigher
levelascomparedtootherfeelings which aredirectedtoempiricalphenomena. Rasathus
maybesaid tosignifyafeeling ofenjoymentofwhich thereisnodirect empiricalobject,it
isasortoftrans-empiricalfeeling,inwardlydirected.AccordingtoPradeepSenGupta,rasa
thus may be said to be rooted in the essence offeeling ofthe highest order. It is to be
understoodeitherasaneternalfeelingorasaneternalvalueasfelt. Itinvolvessomefactors
whichdistinguishitfromtheobject.Thesefactorsare:expression,detachmentandeternity.
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS INMUSIC 45
These can be realised, though not necessarily, in the location of any object only as the
projectionofsympatheticfeelingtogetherwithcontemplativefeeling withoutlossoffree
dom. Itsoverallcharacteris transcendental",
Emotions and Raga
In Indianstandard literatureemotionsaredividedintonineragaswhich areasfollows :
1. Sringaraorlove
2 Karunaorgrief
3. Raudraoranger
4. Viraorenthusiasm
5. Bibhatsaor fisgust
6. Hasyaormirth
7. Adbhut or wonder
R Bhayanakaorterror
9. SantaorpeaceI tranquillity
Accordingtosome aestheticians,therearetwomore-Bhakti (devotion)and Varsalya
(maternal feeling).The following tableshows the relation between the individual swaras
and the associated rasas :
SaandRa Vir,Raudra andAdbhuta
(il Karuna
Ma Hasya
Pa Sringara
Dha VibhatsaandBhayanaka
Ni Santa
Rasamayberegardedassomehowrepresenting thesublimatedmentalstateofanemo
tion.The factors that form theconstituentsofemotionalaction are. in Indian psychology
vibhavas (the determinant), anubhava (the consequents), satvabhava (involuntary re
sponses), bhavas.Each ragain Indianmusicisassociated withadefiniteRasormood. In
other words. ragas areunderstood as the musical vehicle to conveya specific aesthetic
cum-emotional sentimentcharacteristic ofarasa, itsdefiniteethos,itsspiritual and trans
empirical appeal.It isthisemotive-aesthetic principle,the indwellingor presidingsenti
ment,which themusician takes to invoke with the helpofa unique combinationofnotes.
customarilycalledtheraga."
AccordingtoB.C.Deva,someexperimentsoncurrentscientificlineswereconductedby
measuring the responses to a few ragas.It was found that theydid produce fairlysimilar
moods inallthelistenersparticipatingintheexperiment,asinstancedbelow:
Kafi:Veryaffective,humid,cool,soothing,light,deepdoesnotagitate.
Misra Mand : Pleasing a gay, representing light, sweet, deep but does not
KAVITA CHAKRABORTY
agitate,hasno feelingofnovelty.
PooriyaDhanasri:Sweet.colourful,deep.heavy.weary.reflectsstability,cloudy.
sacred. hasnovitality.
Ragesri:Sweet,soothing.deep,weary.dark.nonovelty,stableandcalm.B
Conclusion
Music expresses the unconscious motivation. emotions, feelings. attitudes. conflicts and
frustrationsofhumanbeing.Theidealof'absolutemusic' canalmostbereactedinthe raga
systemofIndian musicwhen the artisttouches the soulofaraga through the sublimation
ofthe ideas and emotion which itevokes. Raga and rasa cannot beseparated from each
other.Forevery ragathereissomesuchemotionalcorecontentinman'sinnermostfeeling.
thedepthofwhichhealonecanrealize.Itisfromsuchrealization thatmusiccomesintoan
articulated fonn of expression through swaras or tones. Ifraga is the melodic cone or
microcosmofIndianmusic.rasaoremotionisitsbasicaestheticappealwhichenrichesthe
raga in the domain of art. and infuses life into music so that it grows and becomes an
unending process flourishing in diverse forms of development culminating in spiritual
enlightrnent, acommunion with the infinite- the fullness in man. There can be no raga
without anaccompanying rasa or emotions.This is perhaps the unique feature of Indian
musicwhich cannotbefound in any othermusicalheritage,
NOTESAND REFERENCES
l• Budd. Malcolm.Musicandthe Emotions.p. 131.
2. Op.cit.,p. 123
3. The expositionfollowsTitcbener (1910).
4. Chaplin.Svstem at Psychol08"''' p.423.
~. Seashore E.Carl. Psychology ofMILlie.p. 118.
6. A[~r1 Goehring:quoted byS.K. Unger inMind:An Essay on Human Feeling. Vol. I.John Hopkins
University Press.2""Printing. ]975. p.83.
7. S.K.Langer :Problems ofArt.Routledge and Kegan Paul. J957. p.33.
8. E. Robert. Psychology (third edition). p.285.
9. Budd Malcolm.Musicam! Emotion, p.4.
10. Carroll C.Pratt. "ObjectivityatAestheticValue", Journal ofPhilosophy,Vol. XXXI (1934).
11. S.K. Saxena,SangeetNatal:.,December 1992,p. 11.
1~. Sengupta. Pradeep. Fotmdasions ofInJian Musicology. p. 110.
I3. Sengupta. Pradeep.op. cit.r.110.
14. Pradeep.Sengupta:op.cit. p.112
lS. B.C. Deva,An Inrroollction 10Indian Mu.sic.p.6&.