Abstract
Music—why we enjoy it, why it has such power over us, its origins, its evolution, and its cognitive functions—has been considered a mystery by Aristotle, by Darwin, and by contemporary musicologists. This chapter reviews attempts to explain mysterious properties of music from Pythgoras till today. Ancient Greek philosophers saw dangers of untamed emotions and looked for musical appeal to reason. Since Renaissance emotional power of music was gradually accepted, Tonality emerged for expressing emotions in music. Based on Descartes’ theory of emotions, “The Doctrine of the Affections” was developed. Deficiencies of Descartes’ theory are related to opera seria, Calzabigi and Gluck reform is related to synthesis of emotions and reason. Misunderstanding of cognitive mechanisms affects development of opera. The first attempt at scientific understanding of music begins since Helmholtz, whose theory is briefly summarized. While in the Middle Ages Church has been afraid of strong emotions, today this role is performed by “academic” musicians. Prominent current theories of musical emotions are briefly summarized: while interesting ideas are discussed, scientific understanding is missing, contradictions and confusions abound. Music remains a mystery.
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