Musical Minds: Exploring the Connection Between Music and Emotions Open Access

Abstract

This honors thesis explores the multifaceted relationship between music and emotions, weaving together insights from psychology, neuroscience, and music cognition. The first part delves into theoretical models and neurobiological mechanisms underlying music-evoked emotions, discussing the discrete and dimensional models, the Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS), and cross-cultural perspectives on emotional perception in music. It also examines the role of the amygdala and the impact of neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine, in shaping our emotional responses to music.

The second part of the thesis shifts focus to the practical application of these concepts through the detailed analysis of Imọlara, a string quartet I composed for this thesis. It highlights the use of harmony, timbre, and texture to evoke emotions in each of the four movements, demonstrating the process of translating emotion into music. By bridging the gap between abstract principles and their application in composition, this thesis aims to deepen the current understanding of the emotional power of music and its universal connection with the human experience.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Theory of Music-Evoked Emotions 1

1.1 Current Models of Music-Evoked Emotions 1

1.2 Current Theories of Music-Evoked Emotions 8

1.3 Universality of Music-Evoked Emotions 12

Chapter 2: Neurobiology of Music-Evoked Emotions 17

2.1 The Amygdala and Music Processing 17

2.2 Neurocooperation and Music-evoked Emotions 27

2.3 Neurotransmitters and music-evoked emotions 28

Chapter 3: Imọlara 34

3.1 The Creation and Themes of Imọlara 34

3.2 Movement I: "Ayọ" 36

3.3 Movement II: "Ibinu" 39

3.4 Movement III: "Ijaya" 45

3.5 Movement IV: "Ibanuje" 51

Bibliography 56

Appendix: Full Score of Imọlara 58

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

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School	Emory College
Department	Music
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Music Psychology, Behavioral Sciences Biology, Neuroscience
Keyword	Composition Music Music-evoked Emotions Neuroscience Emotion Classical Music Emotions
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Young, Katherine, Emory University
Committee Members	Emmery, Laura, Emory University Lennard, Paul, Emory University

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Supplemental Files

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	Liberosis/Iji Lile Score (These are the scores to Liberosis and Iji Lile, pieces that were also performed in my Honors Recital)	2024-04-10 11:49:54 -0400	Press to Select an action Download
	Musical Minds Copyright Supplement (This document contains screenshots for the copyright permissions for all of the figures used in the literature review portion of my thesis)	2024-04-10 11:50:06 -0400	Press to Select an action Download
	Program Notes (These are the program notes used in my Honors Recital)	2024-04-10 11:50:21 -0400	Press to Select an action Download
	Honors Recital Recording (This is a recording of my Honors Recital)	2024-04-10 11:50:37 -0400	Press to Select an action Download