David Huron, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of Music at Ohio State, presents "A Theory of the Musically Sublime.” Dr. Huron holds a joint appointment at the Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
Most music listening is enjoyable. However, on occasion the experience of listening to music evokes strong emotions. Classic symptoms of strong emotions are evident in statements such as "The music sends shivers up and down my spine," "the music takes my breath away," "I'm choked up by the music" or "the music brings tears to my eyes." This presentation reviews the pertinent scientific literature including music-analytic, behavioral, ethological, physiological and brain studies, and offers a comprehensive theory of such experiences. The resulting theory amounts to an elaboration of a theory of the "sublime" first proposed by the 18th century British philosopher, Edmund Burke.