Patrik Juslin’s (paid link) Musical Emotions Explained was an interesting, comprehensive book about musical emotions. It is not quite what I was looking for as I wanted a book that gave guidance on evoking emotions through music rather than a comprehensive examination of how we experience emotional responses through music on a deep psychological level.
This is an in-depth study of how and why music moves us emotionally. It covers not just what we feel when we hear music, but how those feelings arise, why they differ from person to person, and what makes a performance emotionally expressive.
The author looks at
- Can music truly arouse emotions, and if so, which ones?
- Why do different listeners respond differently to the same piece?
- How do emotions triggered by music compare to those in everyday life?
- Why do we react emotionally to fictional events in art?
- What makes a musical performance emotionally expressive?
The author researches deeply the research, past and present, to answer these questions and much more
- Multiple mechanisms of emotional response — the author identifies several psychological systems that respond to music, from primitive startle reflexes to complex aesthetic judgments. These mechanisms operate at different levels of the brain and interact with musical meaning in layered ways.
- Emotion vs. expression — The book distinguishes between music that expresses emotion and music that arouses emotion in the listener. This subtle but crucial distinction helps clarify why some music feels emotionally rich even if it doesn’t make us cry or cheer.
- The role of performance — the author emphasizes that emotional expressiveness isn’t just in the notes—it’s in the delivery. Timing, dynamics, articulation, and phrasing all shape how emotion is conveyed.
- Aesthetic emotions — Beyond basic feelings like joy or sadness, music can evoke complex states like nostalgia, awe, or transcendence. Juslin explores how these aesthetic emotions differ from everyday affect
Whilst this book is highly useful for composers, performers, and educators and challenges intuitive assumptions replacing them with a rigorous framework for understanding emotional impact, there is little practical advice on evoking emotion through music.
Musical Emotions Explained is a bridge between neuroscience, psychology, and artistic intuition.
This was a very interesting read but did not fulfill the purpose for which I bought it.
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