Introduction
As an aspiring orchestral flutist preparing for a professional performance career, I’ve always approached music through the lens of technique and expression—endless hours of practice, mastering breath control, and interpreting scores to evoke emotion in listeners. However, enrolling in the university course “How Music Works: An Affective History” has profoundly shifted my understanding. This reflective essay explores how the course’s major themes—from ancient philosophies to modern psychological insights—have reshaped my views on music’s role in performance, interpretation, and society. Before the course, I saw music primarily as a personal and aesthetic pursuit; now, I recognize it as a powerful force intertwined with emotions, ethics, and human identity. Through this reflection, I’ll connect these ideas to my experiences with audition preparation, performance pressures, and the ethical dimensions of being a musician, highlighting my intellectual growth over the semester.
Ancient and Classical Philosophies: Music as Moral and Social Force
The course began with ancient perspectives that challenged my simplistic view of music as mere entertainment. Plato, for instance, viewed music as morally powerful, capable of shaping character and influencing societal harmony (Plato, 2004). He argued that certain musical modes could instill virtues or vices, which made me reflect on my own flute playing. Before, during auditions, I focused on technical perfection to impress judges, but Plato’s ideas prompted me to consider how my interpretations might affect listeners’ moral outlooks. For example, when preparing for a recent orchestral audition, I chose a piece from Bach’s flute sonatas, now aware that its structured harmony could promote a sense of order and calm, much like Plato’s ideal of music fostering ethical character.
Aristotle extended this by linking music to catharsis and emotional education, suggesting it purges emotions and teaches emotional balance (Aristotle, 1995). This resonated with my performance anxiety; auditions often leave me emotionally drained, but viewing them through Aristotle’s lens, I see playing as a cathartic release, not just a test. The course also covered Confucian and medieval ideas of music as embodying social and cosmic order, where music regulates human behavior and aligns with the universe (Cook, 1998). As a flutist in an orchestra, this makes me think of ensemble playing as a microcosm of society—each musician contributing to a greater harmony. Previously, I underestimated this; now, I approach rehearsals with a sense of ethical responsibility, ensuring my contributions foster collective balance rather than individual showmanship.
These ancient views have deepened my interpretation skills. Interpretation isn’t just about notes; it’s an ethical decision-making process that shapes emotional experiences. In one audition, I altered my phrasing in a Romantic piece to emphasize emotional depth, realizing it could educate listeners on resilience, aligning with Aristotelian catharsis.
Music and Emotion: From Doctrine of Affects to Romanticism
Delving into emotion theories, the course explored the Doctrine of the Affects from the Baroque era, where music was seen as a structured expression of specific emotions like joy or sorrow (Buelow, 1983). This contrasted with my intuitive approach to flute performance, where I’d improvise emotional inflections without much theory. Now, I apply this consciously; during practice sessions, I structure my phrasing to evoke targeted affects, enhancing my expressiveness under pressure.
Romanticism shifted this to music as subjective inner feeling, with composers like Beethoven expressing personal turmoil (Bonds, 1991). As someone drawn to Romantic flute repertoire, this hit home. Before the course, I performed these pieces for their beauty alone; now, I see them as channels for my own emotions, like channeling performance stress into a passionate rendition of Debussy’s “Syrinx.” This has transformed auditions from mechanical trials to opportunities for authentic self-expression, making me a more compelling performer.
Connecting to my identity, these theories highlight how music affects listeners psychologically beyond aesthetics. In orchestral settings, my flute lines aren’t just sounds—they’re emotional cues that can uplift or unsettle audiences, urging me to interpret with intention.
Modern Psychological and Neurological Insights
The course’s modern perspectives, particularly from psychology and neurology, were eye-opening. Freud and his followers linked music to the unconscious, viewing it as a way to access repressed emotions (Freud, 1961). This made me reflect on how music emerges from my subconscious during high-stakes performances; sometimes, under audition pressure, a phrase flows effortlessly, revealing inner states I hadn’t acknowledged.
Oliver Sacks’ “Musicophilia” was particularly impactful, describing music as embedded in the brain, tied to memory and identity, with cases of sudden musical experiences from trauma or neurological changes (Sacks, 2007). Reading about patients who regain musical abilities post-injury reminded me of a fellow musician who overcame a hand injury through therapeutic flute playing, emerging stronger. For me, this underscores music’s resilience-building power. Before, I saw performance slumps as failures; now, I view them as neurological opportunities for growth, like using music to process the emotional toll of repeated audition rejections.
These insights have changed how I prepare: I now incorporate mindfulness techniques, aware that music engages deep brain functions, making my role as a musician one of psychological facilitation, not just entertainment.
Evolutionary and Cognitive Debates
The evolutionary debate added another layer. Steven Pinker famously called music “auditory cheesecake”—a pleasurable byproduct without adaptive purpose (Pinker, 1997). This initially disheartened me, suggesting my flute career might be frivolous. However, the course contrasted this with views of music as integral to human cognition and emotion, aiding social bonding and emotional regulation (Dissanayake, 2000). I lean toward the latter; in orchestra, music fosters group cohesion, essential for human survival.
This debate connects to my experiences: audition preparation isn’t just skill-building but engaging an evolved cognitive tool. It has made me value music’s deeper purpose, countering Pinker’s dismissal and reinforcing my commitment to a performance career.
Music as Power and Ethics
Finally, the course addressed music’s ethical dimensions. Moustafa Bayoumi discussed its use in interrogation for psychological coercion, showing music’s potential for manipulation (Bayoumi, 2015). This was unsettling; as a flutist, I never considered my art could be weaponized. Jacques Barzun critiqued the overuse of music in modern society, leading to its trivialization (Barzun, 1974). These ideas prompted reflection on my societal role: musicians shape cultural meanings, not just produce sounds.
In performance, I now weigh ethical implications—choosing pieces that promote positive emotional impacts rather than exploitation. This awareness has heightened my sense of responsibility, especially in interpreting works that could influence listeners’ psyches.
Conclusion
Through “How Music Works: An Affective History,” my understanding of music has evolved from a technical craft to a multifaceted force intersecting philosophy, emotion, psychology, and ethics. Before, as an aspiring flutist, I focused on personal achievement; now, I see performance as emotional and ethical decision-making, with musicians as shapers of societal meaning. This shift has enriched my audition preparations, making me more resilient and intentional. Ultimately, I now embrace my role not just as a performer, but as a steward of music’s profound power, committed to using it for positive transformation in a complex world. This course has not only deepened my intellectual horizons but also affirmed my path in music, blending passion with purpose.
References
- Aristotle. (1995) Poetics. Translated by S. Halliwell. Harvard University Press.
- Barzun, J. (1974) The Use and Abuse of Art. Princeton University Press.
- Bayoumi, M. (2015) This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. New York University Press.
- Bonds, M. E. (1991) Wordless Rhetoric: Musical Form and the Metaphor of the Oration. Harvard University Press.
- Buelow, G. J. (1983) ‘Johann Mattheson and the invention of the Affektenlehre’, in New Mattheson Studies. Cambridge University Press.
- Cook, N. (1998) Music: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
- Dissanayake, E. (2000) ‘Antecedents of the temporal arts in early mother-infant interaction’, in The Origins of Music. MIT Press.
- Freud, S. (1961) The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. Hogarth Press.
- Pinker, S. (1997) How the Mind Works. W.W. Norton & Company.
- Plato. (2004) Republic. Translated by C. D. C. Reeve. Hackett Publishing.
- Sacks, O. (2007) Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Alfred A. Knopf.
(Word count: 1,248 including references)
