F r o m M o d e t o E m o t i o n i n Musical Communication. S t e v e n B r o w n M c M a s t e r U n i v e r s i t y

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1 F r o m M o d e t o E m o t i o n i n Musical Communication S t e v e n B r o w n M c M a s t e r U n i v e r s i t y

2 Appraisal theories of emotion

3 Appraisal theories of emotion Emotions are ABOUT something. They are situational. They are induced by particular experiences or objects. They are based on an evaluation of emotional meaning (i.e., personal significance).

4 Appraisal theories of emotion Emotions are ABOUT something. They are situational. They are induced by particular experiences or objects. They are based on an evaluation of emotional meaning (i.e., personal significance). This is in contrast to moods, which tend to be objectless affective states.

5 Three dimensions of emotion valence: positive or negative (binary) intensity: weak to intense (graded) the arousal dimension of emotion focus (or quality): there are various schema

6 A one-dimensional theory: The basic emotion theory The one dimension is focus/quality

7 Problems with basic emotion theory 1) It is unidimensional. It basically ignores valence and intensity. 2) It strongly underestimates the number of human emotions (there are hundreds, not 5-10). 3) It puts too much stock in the connection with facial expression. It tends to ignore other modalities of emotional expression like intonation and gesture. 4) It doesn t consider the connection between emotion and cognition.

8 Clore/Ortony theory of emotion Three major foci of emotions (objects of appraisal): 1) outcomes of events: pleased vs. displeased motivational/action emotions 2) aspects of objects: liking vs. disliking aesthetic emotions 3) actions of agents: approving vs. disapproving social/moral emotions

9 Some common daily emotions positive valence negative valence 1. outcomes happiness frustration/anger (events) contentedness anxiety 2. objects liking/love disliking/hate (objects/people) attraction repulsion ecstasy disgust 3. agency pride indignance (people/objects) happiness disgust approval exasperation

10 Emotion and the arts

11 A basic question: To what extent do art works induce emotion in perceivers vs. do they simply represent emotion?

12 Represented emotions: the emotions the music expresses; the emotional content of a piece of music. These are not emotions; these are cognitive representations of emotion. Induced emotions: the emotions that a person feels when listening to music. These are true emotions.

13 Emotion and the arts 1) Art works are often expressive of emotion. In other words, artists express/communicate emotion through art works. Hence, perceivers of art works have to recognize these emotions for the impact of the work to be realized. ART WORK Expressed emotion

14 Emotion and the arts 2) When an art work is most appreciated, the emotionally-expressive character of the work elicits positive aesthetic responses in the perceiver (Clore/Ortony s aspect of objects category). ART WORK Expressed emotion Aesthetic emotion PERCEIVER

15 Emotion and the arts 3) The emotion expressed in the art work can sometimes induce the same emotion in the perceiver. This process is called empathy. For example, a sad-sounding piece of music can make someone feel sad. Induced emotion ART WORK Expressed emotion Aesthetic emotion

16 Emotion and the arts 4) However, in most cases, we recognize the emotional content of an artwork in a virtual manner. We use an emotion-recognition system to recognize the emotional content without feeling the emotions in parallel. The principal emotion we feel is an aesthetic one. Recognized emotion Induced emotion ART WORK Expressed emotion Aesthetic emotion

17 Emotion and the arts 5) Finally, art works are moral objects. Not only can we have aesthetic appraisals of them but we can also have moral ( agency ) appraisals of them (and/or their creators). Recognized emotion Induced emotion ART WORK Expressed emotion Aesthetic emotion Moral emotion

18 Emotion and the arts Experiments of musical emotion show that music is NOT effective at inducing the emotions expressed in the music. By contrast, music is very effective at inducing aesthetic responses in people. In their strongest form, these responses include feelings such as: chills; tears; being moved; feelings of awe, transcendence or longing; etc. Recognized emotion Induced emotion ART WORK Expressed emotion Aesthetic emotion Moral emotion

19 Which emotions are expressible in what art forms? theatrical arts all of them through language, gesture, facial expression dance all of them through gestures and facial expressions visual arts all of them through postures and facial expressions

20 Which emotions are expressible in what art forms? theatrical arts all of them through language, gesture, facial expression dance all of them through gestures and facial expressions visual arts all of them through postures and facial expressions But what about music?

21 What about music? outcome emotions the predominant effect of music (e.g., happy, sad) object emotions music represents beauty by being beautiful agency emotions???? shame? pride? embarrassment? jealousy?

22 Music is a pure valence marker In other words, music works by representing the general sense of positivity/goodness or negativity/ badness of whatever it is associated with.

23 Music is a pure valence marker In other words, music works by representing the general sense of positivity/goodness or negativity/ badness of whatever it is associated with. Briefly stated, music is a prostitute.

24 Emotional expression in music

25 Represented emotions: the emotions the music expresses; the emotional content of the music. These are not emotions; these are cognitive representations of emotion. Induced emotions: the emotions that a person feels when listening to the music. These are true emotions.

26 Three dimensions of emotion valence : positive or negative (binary) intensity: weak to intense (graded) the arousal dimension of emotion focus (or quality): there are various schema

27 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms to signal emotional intensity 2. Contrastive scales for mode/emotion processing to signal emotional valence

28 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms: register (low to high pitch) tempo (slow to fast) volume (soft to loud)

29 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms: register (low to high pitch) tempo (slow to fast) volume (soft to loud) For example, happiness is associated with high pitch, fast tempos, loud volumes. Sadness with the reverse.

30 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms: register (low to high pitch) tempo (slow to fast) volume (soft to loud) These factors have similar emotional meanings between music and speech. Hence, these factors are almost certainly shared between music and speech.

31 Herbert Spencer s speech theory of music origin (1857)

32 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms: register (low to high pitch) tempo (slow to fast) volume (soft to loud) There is a large literature in music psychology on expressive phrasing during musical performance that deals precisely with how these features are modulated.

33 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 2. Contrastive scales for mode/emotion processing Different emotional valences are associated with different scale types. This is music s most unique emotive mechanism.

34 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 2. Contrastive scales for mode/emotion processing Different emotional valences are associated with different scale types. This is music s most unique emotive mechanism. Well-known examples: major vs. minor in Western music ragas of classical Indian music dastgahs of classical Persian music

35 The expression of contrastive emotions This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles.

36 The expression of contrastive emotions Text This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles. This one doesn t!!

37 The expression of contrastive emotions Text This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles. This one doesn t!!

38 The expression of contrastive emotions Text This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles. This one doesn t!!

39 The expression of contrastive emotions Text This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles. This one doesn t!!

40 The expression of contrastive emotions Text This transition requires the activity of DOZENS of muscles. This one doesn t!!

41 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression 1. Generalized arousal mechanisms 2. Contrastive scales for mode/emotion processing These two factors can be varied independently. For example, music in a major key can be played in a high-arousal or low-arousal fashion. Likewise for music in a minor key.

42 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression low arousal high arousal major key (posi3ve valence) tranquil sweet happy heroic minor key (nega3ve valence) sad sinister tragic fearful

43 Prosody in speech and music Linguistic prosody = patterns of stress Affective prosody = emotional modulation Generalized arousal mechanisms: register (low to high pitch) tempo (slow to fast) volume (soft to loud) This is completely shared with musical prosody (and expressive phrasing in music)

44 Prosody in speech and music Linguistic prosody = patterns of stress Affective prosody = emotional modulation Another factor: melodic contour Falling contours convey stability and certainty. Rising contours convey instability and uncertainty.

45 Prosody in speech and music Hence, musical prosody encompasses speech prosody (a common system), using a shared set of arousal and contour mechanisms.

46 Prosody in speech and music Hence, musical prosody encompasses speech prosody (a common system), using a shared set of arousal and contour mechanisms. Again, music has a domain-specific way of expressing emotion, and that is tonality. Speech has a domain-specific way of expressing emotion: emotional language (part of the semantic system)

47 Domain general MUSIC arousal mechanisms melodic contour SPEECH arousal mechanisms melodic contour emo3onal intensity expression expressive phrasing in music (musical prosody) speech prosody 43

48 Domain general Domain specific MUSIC arousal mechanisms melodic contour tonality mechanisms (mode/emo3on) SPEECH arousal mechanisms melodic contour emo3onal intensity expression expressive phrasing in music (musical prosody) speech prosody 44

49 Domain general Domain specific MUSIC arousal mechanisms melodic contour tonality mechanisms (mode/emo3on) SPEECH arousal mechanisms melodic contour emo3onal language (seman3cs) emo3onal intensity expression expressive phrasing in music (musical prosody) speech prosody 45

50 Two mechanisms of musical emotional expression low arousal high arousal MUSIC SPEECH major I love you tranquil sweet happy heroic MUSIC SPEECH minor I hate you sad sinister tragic fearful

51 Unification Sharing of arousal factors and contour factors for the prosodies of speech and music. Domain-specific factors of emotional expression: music: tonality (mode/emotion) speech: emotional language (semantics)

52 Unification These factors are universally combined in the form of songs with words. Here we see the synthesis of: generalized arousal mechanisms music s tonal grammar language s emotional semantics

53 O mort, poussière d étoiles Lève toi sous mes pas! Viens, ô douce vague qui brille Dans les ténèbres; Emporte moi dans ton néant! Viens, souffle sombre où je vacille, Comme une flamme ivre de vent! C est en toi que je veux m étendre, M éteindre et me dissoudre, Mort, où mon âme aspire! Viens, brise moi comme une fleur d écume, Une fleur de soleil à la cime Des eaux, Et comme d une amphore d or Un vin de flamme et d arome divin, Épanche mon âme Et ton abîme, pour qu elle embaume La terre sombre et le souffle des morts. O death, starry dust, Rise up where I tread! Come, gentle wave that shines In the darkness; Bear me off into your void! Come, dark sigh in which I tremble, Like a wind intoxicated flame! It is in you that I wish to be absorbed, To be exenguished and dissolved, Death, to which my soul aspires! Come, break me like a flower of foam, A speck of sun in the crest of the waves, And like a golden amphora's Flaming wine of heavenly fragrance, Pour my soul into your abyss, that it might perfume The dark earth and the breath of the dead. 49

54 O mort, poussière d étoiles Lève toi sous mes pas! Viens, ô douce vague qui brille Dans les ténèbres; Emporte moi dans ton néant! Viens, souffle sombre où je vacille, Comme une flamme ivre de vent! C est en toi que je veux m étendre, M éteindre et me dissoudre, Mort, où mon âme aspire! Viens, brise moi comme une fleur d écume, Une fleur de soleil à la cime Des eaux, Et comme d une amphore d or Un vin de flamme et d arome divin, Épanche mon âme Et ton abîme, pour qu elle embaume La terre sombre et le souffle des morts. O death, starry dust, Rise up where I tread! Come, gentle wave that shines In the darkness; Bear me off into your void! Come, dark sigh in which I tremble, Like a wind intoxicated flame! It is in you that I wish to be absorbed, To be exenguished and dissolved, Death, to which my soul aspires! Come, break me like a flower of foam, A speck of sun in the crest of the waves, And like a golden amphora's Flaming wine of heavenly fragrance, Pour my soul into your abyss, that it might perfume The dark earth and the breath of the dead. 49

55 O mort, poussière d étoiles Lève toi sous mes pas! Viens, ô douce vague qui brille Dans les ténèbres; Emporte moi dans ton néant! Viens, souffle sombre où je vacille, Comme une flamme ivre de vent! C est en toi que je veux m étendre, M éteindre et me dissoudre, Mort, où mon âme aspire! Viens, brise moi comme une fleur d écume, Une fleur de soleil à la cime Des eaux, Et comme d une amphore d or Un vin de flamme et d arome divin, Épanche mon âme Et ton abîme, pour qu elle embaume La terre sombre et le souffle des morts. O death, starry dust, Rise up where I tread! Come, gentle wave that shines In the darkness; Bear me off into your void! Come, dark sigh in which I tremble, Like a wind intoxicated flame! It is in you that I wish to be absorbed, To be exenguished and dissolved, Death, to which my soul aspires! Come, break me like a flower of foam, A speck of sun in the crest of the waves, And like a golden amphora's Flaming wine of heavenly fragrance, Pour my soul into your abyss, that it might perfume The dark earth and the breath of the dead. 49