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Musical expectancy: The influence of musical structure on emotional response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2008

Carol L. Krumhansl
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. [email protected]@gmail.comhttp://www.psych.cornell.edu/people/Faculty/clk4.html
Kat R. Agres
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. [email protected]@gmail.comhttp://www.psych.cornell.edu/people/Faculty/clk4.html

Abstract

When examining how emotions are evoked through music, the role of musical expectancy is often surprisingly under-credited. This mechanism, however, is most strongly tied to the actual structure of the music, and thus is important when considering how music elicits emotions. We briefly summarize Leonard Meyer's theoretical framework on musical expectancy and emotion and cite relevant research in the area.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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