26 January 2012

A Speculative Look At The Psychology and Morality of Music

Conor Sullivan
Vol. 1, No. 1 2012

It doesn’t take long to hear a catchy tune on any given day. Music has been, technologically speaking, built into nearly every facet of our lives. People play their car stereos to distract themselves from what would be a boring drive and even sing when no one else is within earshot. Computers and iPods are equipped with apps, programs and websites all designed to play the music we want at precisely the moment we want it. As we watch modern film, our appetites are moved by the minor keys of sorrowful dirges or our hearts our lifted by the magnificent score of a triumphant scene. Lastly, but certainly the most importantly, our minds and hearts are lifted to the very worship of God and the consideration of the Divine in the music we hear sung at the Sacred Liturgy. Our Catholic heritage is filled with the tremendous accomplishments of many brilliant musical scholars like Pope Gregory and Palestrina. Perhaps what attracts us most to music is the mystery of it all. For some reason when we listen to certain music, we are moved to sadness. Other times we become excited or energized. Some music tends to make us a little more laidback while other music incites us to act with a zeal we didn’t even know we had. Why is this? What is this mysterious relationship between our minds and the sounds we take in through our ears? And in that case, what does this mean for the music to which we already listen? ...

The full article is available in the printed subscriptions or as individual digital copies. Simply e-mail voxchristi@my.kenrick.edu if interested.

No comments:

Post a Comment