THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE TUNE

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Frederick the Great plays flute in his summer palace Sanssouci, with Franz Benda playing violin, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach accompanying on keyboard, and unidentified string players; painting by Adolph Menzel (1850–52)

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE TUNE

Words by Michele Tufigno

The human condition is necessarily defined by change. Fashion, love, tax rates, the weather: we live in a constant state of flux. Such is the unpredictability of life that we cling to that which seems eternal, which sparks joy or reassurance by its mere being. The Queen, Cher, the fact that plants will bloom in spring. And yet, one feature of Western culture has remained quietly constant, omnipresent, for twelve solid centuries. Classical music: bane of my childhood, respite of my mid-thirties. Be it a car advert, a concert or a hotel lift, classical music endures, largely impervious to changing tastes. We may no longer wear powdered wigs, but the notes and melodies which floated through 18th century enfilades still bring us pleasure, relaxation, even increased IQ if some studies are to be believed.

The ‘Mozart Effect’, as it is often called, has been a source of fascination for close to three decades. In 1993, a team of researchers tested the effects of listening to Mozart upon willing, healthy adult participants. The results were remarkable: in a mere 10 minutes, researchers noted an IQ increase of 8 to 10 points in spatial reasoning skills. While temporary, this impressive enhancement inevitably raised eyebrows. Can classical music, a human artistic expression created within the context of a very specific era and culture, be so universally beneficial? The evidence seems to say so. Countless studies, on rats and humans, confirm the intelligence boosting effects of listening to and playing classical music, inspiring anxious mothersto-be worldwide to play Mozart to their unborn children in the hopes of birthing yet another genius. Whether it works remains to be seen (my nephew is only 4), but general consensus is that Mozart’s, and some of Bach’s, works profoundly affect human reasoning skills.

Less scientifically acclaimed, but equally surprising are claims that music and intention can alter the molecular structure of water. A controversial 2003 study by Masaru Emoto, admittedly a healer and pseudo-scientist rather than a molecular physicist, revealed that positive intentions could affect the internal structure of water drops, resulting in more beautiful freezing patterns. Published in his New York Times Bestseller ‘The Hidden Messages in Water’, these findings would raise the scepticism of the scientific community, until being successfully replicated in numerous control experiments by qualified researchers in different corners of the globe. Intriguingly, Emoto’s studies also tested the effect of different frequencies and genres of music on water molecules, to fascinating results. Emoto noticed that classical music, ranging from Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ to Debussy’s ‘La Mer’, produced complex, geometric crystallisation structures deemed to be aesthetically ‘beautiful’ by a panel of judges, in contrast to the irregular, clouded crystals created by exposure to heavy metal music. Emoto would go on to extend this theory to the human body, known for being largely composed of water. In simple terms, if classical music and good intentions can change the structure of simple drops of water, what might their effects be on the human person? While his claims remain widely disputed, classical music has been proven to increase dopamine through its calming effects, in practice inhibiting the release of stress hormones, lowering blood pressure and decreasing cortisol levels.

But aside from its physiological benefits, classical music possesses one quality which is uniquely beneficial to the human person: the ability to rouse emotion. Like all true art, classical music remains one of the highest expressions of human creativity and artistic expression, defining our collective and private experiences. ‘Claire de Lune’, ‘O mio Babbino caro’, the theme to ‘Gone with the Wind’: classical music has provided the soundtrack to our films and lives since its very first inception, accompanying prayer, heartbreak and excitement across generations and national boundaries. Whether it can rewire our brains or beautify our bodies might remain debatable; what it certainly does is make us feel, give us pleasure in its beauty and stimulate our imagination, remaining current, relatable and absolutely magical.

Remember Trip-Hop? Me neither.