International Council for Education, Research and Training

EMOTIONAL SOUNDTRACK: INFLUENCE OF MUSIC COMPOSERS ON AUDIENCE EMOTION

Oyeniyi, Gabriel Ademola 

Dean, Faculty of Church Music, Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso

 

Abstract

Music has the unrivalled ability to elicit emotions and change human experiences. This study explores the complex interaction between music composition, attendance behaviour, and mood during musical events. Music’s significant effect on human emotions has been the focus of much study and intrigue. Music composers use the emotional power of music to elicit profound reactions from their audiences. In the context of soundtracks, this study explores the complex link between music creators and listeners’ emotions. This study investigates the methods, plans, and underlying psychological processes that composers use to affect the emotional states of their audience by carefully examining previous research and studies on music, emotion, and soundtracks. The study’s methodology is based on an extensive literature assessment, empirical investigations, and theoretical frameworks exploring the mutual relationship between music and emotion. It examines how different musical components, including instrumentation, rhythm, melody, and harmony, can influence listeners’ emotions over time. Furthermore, the study explores how the musical element interacts with contextual factors in cinematic narratives and visual cues to enhance emotional engagement. The study’s findings demonstrate how emotions and music interact with soundtracks. Composers utilize various strategies to alter and shape the listener’s emotions to fit music to the intended emotional arc of the lyrics, pitch, storyline, and melodies. This study synthesizes the plethora of data and ideas from studies on music, emotion, and soundtrack to further the understanding of the complicated relationship between music and emotion. It also highlights the artistic and mental prowess of composers who employ music as a powerful instrument to evoke intense emotional reactions in their listeners. By shedding further light on the impact composers have on the emotional landscape of music and the cinematic experience, this study contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the art and science of music composition and how it impacts audience emotion.

 

Keywords: Emotional Soundtrack, Emotion, Influence, Music, Composer, Audience.

 

Impact Statement

The study looks into the complex relationship that exists between soundtrack music and emotions. It demonstrates how composers employ various strategies to affect listeners’ feelings by coordinating the piece with the desired emotional progression of the words, melody, pitch, and plot. The study synthesizes research on soundtracks, music, and emotion to improve our understanding of the nuanced interaction between the two. It highlights the creative and intellectual prowess of composers who successfully use music to arouse strong emotional reactions. The study adds to the current conversation on music composition’s aesthetic and scientific aspects, especially as it relates to how music during a movie shapes the audience’s emotions.

 

About Author

Dr Gabriel Ademola Oyeniyi, an ordained Baptist minister hails from Ogbomoso in Oyo State Nigeria. He is a graduate of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree and the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary (NBTS), Ogbomoso, Nigeria where he bagged the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) in collaboration with Youth Ministry International (YMI), USA.  He teaches at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in the Faculty of Church Music where he specializes in Music Composition. He once served as the Director of Student Affairs of the Seminary and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Church Music of NBTS. He has written several scholarly articles in journals and books and currently developed an interest in writing Kindle books. He is happily married to Ruth and they have a son, Joshua together with several other spiritual children. His interests are in music, children, youth, and worship issues.

 

REFERENCES

  1. Buhler, J. et al. (2010). Hearing the movies: Sound and music in the history of cinema. Oxford University Press.

  2. Cikara, M., Bruneau, E. G., & Saxe, R. R. (2011). Us and them: Intergroup failures of empathy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 149–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411408713

  3. Clarke, E., DeNora, T., & Vuoskoski, J. (2015). Music, empathy and cultural understanding. Physics of Life Reviews, 15, 61–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2015.09.001

  4. Cumming, N. (2000). The sonic self: Musical subjectivity and signification. University Press.

  5. Cupido, C. (Ed.). (2022). Music, art and emotion as depictions of the night inspired by romantic art song. AOSIS Books.

  6. d’Artenay, A. (2019). ‘The Influence of Film Music on Emotions’: Capstone projects and Master’s theses.https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/559. Retrieved October 24, 2023, 559.

  7. Egermann, H. et al. (2015). Music induces universal emotion-related psychophysiological responses: Comparing Canadian listeners to Congolese pygmies. Frontier.

  8. Egermann, H., Fernando, N., Chuen, L., & McAdams, S. Frontiers in Psychology. (2014). Music induces universal emotion-related psychophysiological responses: Comparing Canadian listeners to Congolese Pygmies, 5, 1341. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01341

  9. Gabrielsson, A., & Juslin, P. N. (2003). Emotional expression in music R. J. Davidson.

  10. Scherer, K. R., & H. H. Goldsmith Handbook of affective sciences (Eds). Oxford University Press.

  11. Gabrielsson, A. (2002). Emotions perceived and emotions felt: Same or different? In Musicae Scientiae, 5(1), 123–147.

  12. Gagnon, L., & Peretz, I. (2003). Mode and tempo relative contributions to “Happy-Sad” judgments in Equitone melodies. Cognition and Emotion, 17(1), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930302279

  13. Hays, T., & Minichiello, V. (2005). The contributions of music to quality of life in older.

  14. Hays, T., & Minichiello, V.. (2005). The contribution of music to quality of life in older people: An Australian qualitative Study. Ageing and Society, 25(2), 261–278. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X04002946

  15. Hunter, P. G., Schoenberg, E. G., & Schimmack, U. (2008a). Mixed affective and responses to music with conflicting cues. Cognitive Emotion, 22, 327–352.

  16. Hunter, P. G., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2010). Music and emotion. In Jones M.R. et, 129–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6114-3_5

  17. Ibri, I. A. (1992). Kosmos Noētos: A arquitetura metafísica de Charles S. Peirce. São Paulo: Perspectiva and Hólon press.

  18. Juslin, P. N., & Laukka, P. (2004). Expression, perception, and induction of musical emotions.

  19. Juslin, P. N., & Västfjäll, D. (2008). Emotional responses to music: Need to consider underlying mechanisms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 559–75; discussion 575. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005293

  20. Juslin, P. N. et al. (2003). Communication of emotions in vocal music performance: Different.

  21. Juslin, P. N., & Laukka, P.. (2003). Communication of emotions in vocal expression and music performance: Different channels, same Code? Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 770–814. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.770

  22. Juslin, P. N., & Lindström, E. (2010). ‘Musical Expression of Emotions: Modelling Listeners’ judgements of composed and performed features. Music Analysis, 29(1–3), 334–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2249.2011.00323.x

  23. Juslin, P. N., & Sloboda, J. A. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of music and emotions: Theory, research, and applications, xiv, S.n., s.l.

  24. Juslin, P. N., & Västfjäll, D. (2008). Emotional response to music: Need to consider underlying mechanisms’. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 559–75; discussion 575. https://doi. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005293

  25. Juslin, P. N., & Laukka, P. (2004). Expressions, perceptions, and induction of musical emotions.

  26. Khalfa, S., Isabelle, P., Jean-Pierre, B., & Manon, R. (2002)

  27. Event-related skin conductance responses to musical emotions in humans. Neuroscience Letters, 328(2), 145–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3940(02)00462-7

  28. Kawakami, A., Furukawa, K., Katahira, K., & Okanoya, K. (2013). Sad music induces pleasant emotion. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 311. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00311. Retrieved October 28, 2023.

  29. Kivy, P. (2001). New essays on musical understanding. Clarendon Press.

  30. Costabile, K. A., & Terman, A. W. (2013)

  31. Effects of Film Music on Psychological Transportation and Narrative Persuasion. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35(3), 316–324., doi:10.1080/01973533.2013.785398. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2013.785398

  32. Konečni, V. J. (2008). Does music induce emotion? A theoretical and methodological analysis. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(2), 115–129. https://doi.org/10.1037/1931-3896.2.2.115

  33. Kreutz, G., Ott, U., Teichmann, D., Osawa, P., & Vaitl, D. (2008). Using music to induce emotions: Influences of musical preference and absorption. Psychology of Music, 36(1), 101–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735607082623

  34. Krumhansl, C. L. (1997). An investigative analysis of psychophysiology and musical emotions. In Can J Exploratory Psychology 51:336–353.

  35. Larsen, J. T., Norris, C. J., McGraw, A. P., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2009). The evaluative space grid: A unified scale for measuring positive and negativity. Cognition and Emotion, 23(3), 453–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930801994054

  36. Lundqvist, L. O., Carlsson, F. et al. (2009). Emotional reactions to music: Physiology, experience, and expression. Music. Psychology, 37(1), 61–90.

  37. Lindström, E., Juslin, P. N. et al. (2002). Expressivity is found in your soul: A survey of music students’ views on expressivity. Research Papers on Music Education, 20, 23–47.

  38. Martinez, J. L. (1996). Icons in Music: A Peircean rationale. Semiotica, 110(1–2), 57–86. https://doi.org/10.1515/semi.1996.110.1-2.57

  39. Martinez, J. L. (2001). Semiosis in Hindustani music. Montilal Banarsidass.

  40. R, B. (2023). Harnessing happiness in Education: Fostering youth leadership. Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 01(3), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9008

  41. Meyer, L. B. (1956). Emotion and meaning in music. Chicago University Press.

  42. Anthony, M. (2021). What makes A happy song happy? https://www.creativesoulmusic.com/blog/what-makes-a-happy-song-happy#:~:text=While%20there%20are%20many%20ways,slow%20tempos%20and%20minor%20keys.

  43. Barbara, M., Juan, C., & Soyen, A. (2021). Sound track design: How music influences affective responses and visual attention. Application of Ergonomics, 93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103301

  44. Mitterschiffthaler, M. T., Fu, C. H., Dalton, J. A., Andrew, C. M., & Williams, S. C. (2007). A functional MRI study of the emotions affected by classical music: Happy and sad. Brain Maps of Humans. Human Brain Mapping, 28(11), 1150–1162. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.20337

  45. Yadav, M. K. (2023). Rehabilitation through dance therapy. Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 02(4), 60–72. https://doi.org/10.59231/SARI7624

  46. Mohn, C., Argstatter, H., & Wilker, F. W. (2011). Perception of six basic emotions in music. Psychology of Music, 39(4), 503–517. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610378183

  47. Poon, M., & Shutz, M. (2015). Cueing musical emotions: An empirical study of chopin and Bach’s 24-piece sets shows similarities to emotional speech. Frontiers in Psychology, 1–13.

  48. Santaella, L. (2009). Matrizes da linguagem e pensamento: Sonora, visual, verbal.

  49. Yadav, M. (2023). Understanding and addressing youth mental health: Challenges and strategies. Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 01(3), 232–243. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9010

  50. Schäfer, T., Sedlmeier, P., Städtler, C., & Huron, D. (2013). The psychological functions of music listening. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 511. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00511

  51. Shifriss, R., Bodner, E., & Palgi, Y. (2015). When You’re down and troubled: Views on the regulatory power of music. Psychology of Music, 43(6), 793–807. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735614540360

  52. Spackman, M. P., Fujiki, M., Brinton, B., Nelson, D., & Allen, J. (2005). The capability of children with language impairment to identify emotion through music and facial expression. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 26(3), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/15257401050260030201

  53. Thayer, J. F., & Faith, M. L. (2001). A Dynamic systems model of musically induced emotions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 930(1), 452–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05768.x

  54. Västfjäll, D. (2002). Emotional induction through music: A review of the musical mood induction procedure. Musicae Scientiae [Special Issue, 2001–2002], 173–211.

  55. Vuoskoski Jonna, K. (2023). What makes an instrument sound sad? Commentary on Huron, Anderson, and Shanahan. Empirical Musicology Review, 9(1), 14.

  56. Winner, E. (2019). How art works: A psychological exploration. Oxford university press, new. York.

  57. Wilson, F. (2019). Moved to tears. https://interlude.hk/moved-

  58. Wilson, S. (2013). The benefits of music for the brain. Research Conference (pp. 140–148).

  59. Witvliet, C. V. O. et al. (2007). Play it once more. Sam: Listening to emotionally charged music repeatedly divides Influences and Reactions to Liking and Smiling Additional Impactful Reports heart rate and Face EMG. Mental emotion, 21, 3–25.

  60. Thanh, X. T. How Music Affects Our Emotions? https://www.academia.edu Retrieved October 24, 2023

 

Back

Contact​

Visit our main website www.icert.org.in

Copyright © 2024  International Council for Education, Research and Training  – All Rights Reserved.

Scroll to Top