Body and Force in Music: Metaphoric Constructions in Music Psychology

Journal of Music Theory, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 68(1), P. 165 - 171

Published: April 1, 2024

embodiment has become a near-ubiquitous analytic frame across humanities scholarship, including in music studies. Embodiment's appeal to analysts is clear: it promises ground analysis relational modes of engagement rather than objective universals, gives new tools for describing and explaining phenomena like timbre or affect that traditionally have been low priorities, potentially broadens discourse by incorporating non-Western epistemologies.1 Because so pervasive the concept risks becoming flexible capacious could lose much its explanatory value. Conversely, embodiment—and especially "the body"— may risk universalizing framework own, very sort early interventions into bodily musical experience grounded feminist thought were trying challenge. In either case, scholars enthusiastic about study intersections body must take pains avoid assuming are terms with agreed-on transhistorical meanings.Youn Kim's Body Force Music: Metaphoric Constructions Music Psychology (2022) presents careful, historically metaphor description analysis. focus on musicological psychological writing from nineteenth twentieth centuries, making book welcome contribution not only contemporary work embodied but also history psychology. "The human mind, which subject matter psychology, given constructed practitioners field," Kim writes. same idea be applied music; practices practitioners, composers, performers, listeners, theorists" (9). As such, both calls theorists historicize their assumptions body, does this claims music, force made during psychology's rapid efflorescence turn century.Chapter 1 walks reader through fascinating metaphors as motor, particularly body's transduction (or vitality) energy action). The scholarship narrative weaves together paints picture emerging theories rhythm perception, (often negative) impact processes industrialization modernization corporeal subject. "body motor" clearest Charles Sears's studies timing variations between pianists' movements, he described expenditures force, inefficient force: "Irregular forming activity unrhythmical movements greater sense consumers every operation demands action intellect" (Sears 1902: 22, qtd. p. 19). suggests account experiences transformation "purely mental successive minima sensibilia" (20) something embodied, corporeal, vital. Not merely sequence symbolic representations page, exists these pedagogical treatises by-product movement. Further, such can evaluated an indicator well-conserved performer, else inefficiency.Kim discusses German scholar Karl Bücher's Arbeit und Rhythmus ("Labor Rhythm" 1896), explicitly connects nascent modern automation. Bücher contrasts mechanical factory rhythms songs Naturvölker (Kim 2020: 21). For Bücher, was part economic development, increasing worker productivity even while stood aural synecdoche alienation working person labor era mechanization. traces influence psychologist Ludwig Klages, "notoriously outspoken anti-semite" (23). Klages's shares glorification romanticized pastoral life would come characterize one strand Nazi anti-modernism. carefully reads show how his vitalist philosophy led him argue properly motor at all, mere product succession elements "associated irrational essence continuum" From moves Rudolf Bode, whose pedagogy gymnastics built significance rhythm. "Modernization seen process 'de-rhythmification' (Entrhythmisierungsprozeß), gradual repression primal rhythm" (24). had liberated imposed mechanization, technology, orderings industrial life. Bode highlight valuable addition recent interpenetration eugenics racism music-psychological research 2 looks primacy voice what "music-voice-nature nexus" (34). Today remains center debates origin whether musilanguage Steve Brown (2000), neuroscientific showing overlaps neural-processing resources perception speech (e.g., Patel 2008; Fiveash et al. 2021). (2022: 36) "what noteworthy nineteenth-century attribution shifting notion nature." narrative, music's function shifts imitation external natural world internal expression emotions social desires. Herbert Spencer's 1857 speech, suggestion common grounding both. "[Certain] muscles," wrote Spencer, "in those large, excited contraction pleasurable painful feelings. And therefore feelings demonstrate themselves sounds well movements" (Spencer 1857: 310, 36). corporeally language emotion synthesis undertaken Hermann von Helmholtz few years later. Helmholtz's vowel "signifies detachment body," writes, echoing Benjamin Steege (2012) arguing dissociated render object closer study. But 40) maintains did sever role site for, communicator of, emotional subjectivity. "Voice occupies ambiguous position theoretical framework. Voice simultaneously subject."Chapter 3 returns several piano texts considered first chapter's discussion Here where focuses "force," preoccupation source (Kraftquelle). persuasively argues result they evidence importance performativity past theories. example, century saw prominence movement externalization some directed by, emanating from, willpower. close reading physiologist Johannes Müller, finds regular mention playing illustrate Müller's conception movement: brain, excitation certain infinitely many primitive fibers, resembles play multistringed instrument strings sound keys touched. mind player excitator" (Müller 1837: 816, 66). tradition emanates physiological Müller's, sought internally, located brain nervous system. Müller becomes liminal figure account, preoccupied sensation avant la lettre. Music's capacity stimulate leads observations James Mursell's, 1927: writer [Mursell] regularly feels ponderous opening measures second Schumann's 'C-Major Fantasy' swing whole beat 'Minute Waltz' chattering teeth" (Mursell 1927, 70).Chapter 4 considering photography, photographs action. "These moving musicking bodies constituted conceptual background emphasis placed continuous dynamic 'energeticist' understanding itself" (79). thesis there linkage energeticist technology-assisted motion. To this, begins lengthy surprising figure: French photographer Étienne-Jules Marey. Marey write physiology documenting workings body. Marey's Bergsonian capturing via photography linked broader discourses continuously treated writings performance Marey, theorist Ernst Kurth—he famous dictum "melody motion" (Kurth 1920: 7, 85). describes Kurth's melodic energeticism, motion discrete points arrival, listener-evoked sensation: "Unlike spatial continuum line connecting two points, passively experienced, tones artificial active imagination" (91). once again pedagogy, invoking Heinrich Schenker's use word portamento describe particular set gestures meant invoke tones. Schenker, technique "a kind commitment aesthetic principle (92), specifically creative co-constitutional act hearing.In last chapter book, turns mechanisms construed listeners. asserts laws physical understood seventeenth-century philosophers, "action distance permitted" (98): contact. cites example René Descartes's explanation magnetism, held invisible particles emitted magnet behaved twisting threads screws, constituting form no less real contact objects (98). end century, psychologists perfectly content explain communicative waves, vibrations, telepathy, all acting listeners (as particles) distance. interested relationship ninteenth-century "non-cognitive aspects mind," system (105). Vibration deployed sympathy, sympathetic systems. companion "wave" invoked context notes pre-electroencephalography waves referred 'psychic force' spiritualism, flourished time affected scientific scholars. . conjunction used explicate experienced within and, beyond that, cognition means individual brains" (112–13).The concludes wonderful Victor Zuckerkandl. Working middle Zuckerkandl comes remarkably nonplussed acoustical knowledge oscilloscope. These lines represent pitch loudness "dynamic state tone" (116). "Tonal psychic, motion, without material substratum, nonspatial spontaneous self heard 'emotion,' bodies" (Zuckerkandl 1976: 142, 117). I found myself reflecting slippage former implying metaphysics necessarily implied latter. rest co-constitutive listening practice, himself puts follows: "Listening then, we tone, then next, forth. We are, rather, always tones, way tone tone; our hearing remain reaches it" [1956] 1969: 136–37, 118). ability cause distance, seems refigured imaginative listening.Apart rooted embodiment, present overarching single strong thesis. It synoptic survey work—often underappreciated, times conflicting, interesting—relating centuries. appeared me read. One occupied theory afforded value speculative disciplinary bounds losing sight important ideologies previous eras. case back-filling disciplinarity onto scholarly eras; inherited problematic periods. 125) book's conclusion, psychology interlinked other closely boundaries challenged blurred." mining carefully, refractions observes ways prefigured later developments. However, centers privileges pedagogues. Such centering unproblematic sufficient justification, but, hegemony keyboard instruments field theory, felt more reflection piano's outsized representation warranted.A theme concerns enmeshment technological advances, hopes fears connected advances. This includes piano, extends it, brings fruitful dialogue accounts sensorium brought advances cinematography. Heine's praise violin's intimate humanity, contrasted mechanistic piano: piano-playing got out hand triumphal processions virtuosos characteristic bear most authentic witness victory realm machinery over mind" (72, cited Phelan 2007: 202). There done examining imbrication technologies—their genesis, workings, affective general public—and period. inquiry might reveal, yet overlap socio-technical underway postindustrial West.Youn wide-ranging guiding metaphors. Many endure today, them inheritors, however oblique, deployment scholarship. who conducting historical will scaffold reminder long complex histories emerges.

Language: Английский

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You got rhythm, or more: The multidimensionality of rhythmic abilities

Attention Perception & Psychophysics, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 84(4), P. 1370 - 1392

Published: April 18, 2022

Language: Английский

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Language acquisition and speech rhythm patterns: an auditory neuroscience perspective

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 9(7)

Published: July 1, 2022

All human infants acquire language, but their brains do not know which language/s to prepare for. This observation suggests that there are fundamental components of the speech signal contribute building a language system, and neural processing mechanisms use these components, shared across languages. Equally, disorders acquisition found all languages, with most prevalent being developmental disorder (approx. 7% prevalence), where oral comprehension production is atypical, dyslexia written atypical. Recent advances in auditory neuroscience, along modelling from an amplitude modulation (AM, intensity or energy change) perspective, have increased our understanding both disorders. Speech rhythm patterns turn out be sensory linguistic processing. The rhythmic routines typical childcare many cultures, parental practice singing lullabies infants, ubiquitous presence BabyTalk (infant-directed speech) enhance AM brain.

Language: Английский

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Dynamic models for musical rhythm perception and coordination

Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 17

Published: May 17, 2023

Rhythmicity permeates large parts of human experience. Humans generate various motor and brain rhythms spanning a range frequencies. We also experience synchronize to externally imposed rhythmicity, for example from music song or the 24-h light-dark cycles sun. In context music, humans have ability perceive, generate, anticipate rhythmic structures, example, “the beat.” Experimental behavioral studies offer clues about biophysical neural mechanisms that underlie our abilities, different areas are involved but many open questions remain. this paper, we review several theoretical computational approaches, each centered at levels description, address specific aspects musical generation, perception, attention, perception-action coordination, learning. survey methods results applications dynamical systems theory, neuro-mechanistic modeling, Bayesian inference. Some frameworks rely on synchronization intrinsic span relevant frequency range; some formulations involve real-time adaptation schemes error-correction align phase dedicated circuit; others learning dynamically adjusting expectations make rhythm tracking predictions. Each while initially designed answer questions, offers possibility being integrated into larger framework provides insights perceive patterns.

Language: Английский

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Music can be reconstructed from human auditory cortex activity using nonlinear decoding models

PLoS Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 21(8), P. e3002176 - e3002176

Published: Aug. 15, 2023

Music is core to human experience, yet the precise neural dynamics underlying music perception remain unknown. We analyzed a unique intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) dataset of 29 patients who listened Pink Floyd song and applied stimulus reconstruction approach previously used in speech domain. successfully reconstructed recognizable from direct recordings quantified impact different factors on decoding accuracy. Combining encoding analyses, we found right-hemisphere dominance for with primary role superior temporal gyrus (STG), evidenced new STG subregion tuned musical rhythm, defined an anterior-posterior organization exhibiting sustained onset responses elements. Our findings show feasibility applying predictive modeling short datasets acquired single patients, paving way adding elements brain-computer interface (BCI) applications.

Language: Английский

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Can rhythm-mediated reward boost learning, memory, and social connection? Perspectives for future research

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 149, P. 105153 - 105153

Published: April 3, 2023

Studies of rhythm processing and reward have progressed separately, with little connection between the two. However, consistent links are beginning to surface, research suggesting that synchronization is rewarding, this rewarding element may in turn also boost synchronization. The current mini review shows combined study can be beneficial better understand their independent roles across two central aspects cognition: 1) learning memory, 2) social interpersonal synchronization; which so far been studied largely independently. From basis, it discussed how connections applied memory different populations, taking into account individual differences, clinical human development, animal research. Future will need consider nature rhythm, reward, potentially enhancing other cognitive processes.

Language: Английский

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Music Training and Nonmusical Abilities

Annual Review of Psychology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 75(1), P. 87 - 128

Published: Sept. 22, 2023

Music training is generally assumed to improve perceptual and cognitive abilities. Although correlational data highlight positive associations, experimental results are inconclusive, raising questions about causality. Does music have far-transfer effects, or do preexisting factors determine who takes lessons? All behavior reflects genetic environmental influences, but differences in emphasis-nature versus nurture-have been a source of tension throughout the history psychology. After reviewing recent literature, we conclude that evidence causes nonmusical benefits weak nonexistent, researchers routinely overemphasize contributions from experience while neglecting those nature. The literature also largely exploratory rather than theory driven. It fails explain mechanistically how music-training effects could occur ignores far transfer rare. Instead focusing on elusive benefits, argue it more fruitful examine social-emotional engaging with music, particularly groups, music-based interventions may be effective mainly for clinical atypical populations.

Language: Английский

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The Musical Abilities, Pleiotropy, Language, and Environment (MAPLE) Framework for Understanding Musicality-Language Links Across the Lifespan

Neurobiology of Language, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 3(4), P. 615 - 664

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

Abstract Using individual differences approaches, a growing body of literature finds positive associations between musicality and language-related abilities, complementing prior findings links musical training language skills. Despite these associations, has been often overlooked in mainstream models acquisition development. To better understand the biological basis differences, we propose Musical Abilities, Pleiotropy, Language, Environment (MAPLE) framework. This novel integrative framework posits that abilities likely share some common genetic architecture (i.e., pleiotropy) addition to degree overlapping neural endophenotypes, influences on musically linguistically enriched environments. Drawing upon recent advances genomic methodologies for unraveling pleiotropy, outline testable predictions future research development how its underlying neurobiological substrates may be supported by pleiotropy with musicality. In support MAPLE framework, review discuss from over seventy behavioral studies, highlighting is robustly associated range speech-language skills required communication These include speech perception-in-noise, prosodic perception, morphosyntactic skills, phonological reading aspects second/foreign learning. Overall, current work provides clear agenda studying musicality-language using an emphasis leveraging genomics complex traits.

Language: Английский

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Effects of Stimulus Rate and Periodicity on Auditory Cortical Entrainment to Continuous Sounds

eNeuro, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 11(3), P. ENEURO.0027 - 23.2024

Published: Jan. 22, 2024

The neural mechanisms underlying the exogenous coding and entrainment to repetitive auditory stimuli have seen a recent surge of interest. However, few studies characterized how parametric changes in stimulus presentation alter entrained responses. We examined degree which brain entrains repeated speech (i.e., /ba/) nonspeech click) sounds using phase-locking value (PLV) analysis applied multichannel human electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Passive cortico-acoustic tracking was investigated N = 24 normal young adults utilizing EEG source analyses that isolated activity stemming from both temporal cortices. parametrically manipulated rate periodicity repetitive, continuous click investigate speed jitter ongoing sound streams affect oscillatory entrainment. Neuronal synchronization enhanced at 4.5 Hz (the putative universal speech) showed differential pattern clicks, particularly higher rates. PLV decreased with increasing but remained superior clicks. Surprisingly, clicks invariant manipulations. Our findings provide evidence brain's complex is more sensitized when processing speech-like stimuli, even syllable level, relative sounds. fact this specialization apparent under passive listening suggests priority system for synchronizing behaviorally relevant signals.

Language: Английский

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Neural sampling of the speech signal at different timescales by children with dyslexia

NeuroImage, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 253, P. 119077 - 119077

Published: March 9, 2022

Phonological difficulties characterize individuals with dyslexia across languages. Currently debated is whether these arise from atypical neural sampling of (or entrainment to) auditory information in speech at slow rates (<10 Hz, related to rhythm), faster rates, or neither. MEG studies adults suggest that affects modulations the neurophysiological gamma band, phoneme-level representation. However, dyslexic have had years reduced experience converting graphemes phonemes, which could itself cause gamma-band activity. The present study was designed identify specific linguistic timescales English children may show entrainment. Adopting a developmental focus, we hypothesized would prosodic and syllable-level exaggerated infant-directed carried primarily by amplitude <10 Hz. recorded naturalistic story-listening paradigm. modulation bands different types were derived directly materials, lagged coherence multiple temporal spanning 0.9-40 Hz computed. Group differences speech-brain between control most marked corresponding stress (<5 our materials), (12-40 Hz). Functional connectivity analyses showed network groups both hemispheres, showing significantly global efficiency. Global efficiency correlated children's oral language development reading development. These data characterized slower rates. They also throw new light on nature band reported adults.

Language: Английский

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