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Copyright

Renee Timmers; Scott Bannister; Thomas M. Lennie;

Published On

2024-06-20

Page Range

pp. 73–96

Language

  • English

Print Length

24 pages

4. Aesthetic Emotions in Music

Theory, Measurements, and Cross-cultural Comparison

Chapter of: Psychological Perspectives on Musical Experiences and Skills: Research in the Western Balkans and Western Europe(pp. 73–96)
Theories and methods that investigate aesthetic emotions in music listening have been shaped by certain assumptions concerning the context and function in which such music appreciation takes place. This chapter summarises main understanding and debates in this area and reflects on what changes in approach are required for psychological research to be sensitive and more applicable to a variety of musical practices. We propose an embodied and dynamic approach to aesthetic emotions, built on the bodily, cognitive, and functional affordances of music. We argue that such an approach will help define a flexible framework for cross-cultural research, reducing reliance on implicit assumptions of (passive) aesthetic contemplation, and instead advancing the notions of situated goals and active listening. Aesthetic emotions may be distinguished from everyday emotions by functional context, close interaction with musical properties, and the functions and engagements afforded by music that listeners value and experience as meaningful.

Contributors

Renee Timmers

(author)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1981-0834
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music

Renee Timmers is Professor of Psychology of Music at the University of Sheffield. Her research concerns the expressive performance of music; music, emotion, and health; and multimodal and embodied experiences of music. She has co-edited two volumes published by Oxford University Press (Expressiveness in music performance; Together in music) and two by Routledge (Routledge companion to music cognition; Sound teaching). She directs the research centre ‘Music Mind Machine’ in Sheffield and is past-President of ESCOM.

Scott Bannister

(author)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Leeds
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0511

Scott Bannister is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and holds a PhD in Music from Durham University. Scott’s central research interests are music and emotion; social and embodied cognition of music listening; music listening and hearing aid technology; psychophysiological responses; psychoacoustics; and neuroscience.

Thomas M. Lennie

(author)
Assistant Professor at American University in Bulgaria
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9821-6173

Thomas M. Lennie, PhD is Assistant Professor of Psychology within the Department of Philosophy and Psychology at the American University in Bulgaria. His primary focus lies in the cognitive mechanisms of music-induced emotional episodes. He was awarded his PhD in Music Cognition from Durham University (UK) in 2023, fully-funded by Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Programe. His recent contributions to the field assess the role of goal-directed appraisal mechanisms in shaping musical affect across diverse contexts (Lennie & Eerola, 2022). He is currently in the process of establishing the first music psychology lab in Bulgaria, promoting research into music psychology on the Balkans.