Neurological Aspects of Musical Experience

Abstract

This chapter discusses the neurological aspects of musical experience. The essential auditory requirements for rewarding expressive or receptive musical activity include the capacity to perceive tones and tonal relationships, and not simply the specific acoustic properties of a note, such as pitch, duration, timbre, and intensity, but the sounding of notes consecutively—melody—tones sounded simultaneously—harmony—and tones sounded in terms of time—rhythm. The musician must also be able to recognize the horizontal relationship of tones or counterpoint. Memory is essential for musical appreciation and performance, and an emotional response is necessary for full experience. It is found that while generalizations of this sort can be validly made, it is a truism to recall that the requirements differ according to the individual and that there are wide variations in any unselected group of persons. The majority is able to enjoy music in one form or another and is sufficiently equipped to sing a tune. Most musicians would surely agree that music has a meaning beyond perception of the structure and content of a composition. Musicality is a complex function involving the special senses, and intellectual and emotional functions.