Date of Award

1981

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Program

Music, MA

First Advisor

Paul E. Hamel

Abstract

Problem Contemporary Christian churches have a growing concern over music ethics. A more objective standard than personal taste and opinion is needed to evaluate and assess both art music and popular music. The purpose of this present study was to determine a philosophy of music history on which an objective standard can be based. The study also investigated the expressive function of music. Method Two fields of investigation in music scholarship were correlated — the history of stylistic and instrumental development in Western art music and the scientific study of the psychophysiological effects of music on the human organism. Results Scientific research demonstrates that the musical elements of pitch, volume, harmony, and rhythm elicit psycho-physiological responses in the human organism. Throughout the history of stylistic and instrumental development in Western art music these elements have been developed in such away as to have an increasingly potent impact on the human organism. Thus, a definite trend to increase the stimulative potential of Western art music was traced. This trend permeates the entire fabric of Western art music development and evidence for it is exhibited on both the micro and macro levels of music development. Consistently linked to this trend is a desire for greater emotional expression, a move toward increased individualism and freedom in musical composition, and a gradual shift in orientation from sacred to secular music. Conclusion The history of musical development in Western culture is not a static system in which all elements maintain a dynamic equilibrium. The historical facts and scientific data only allow for a directional philosophy of music history. When aligned with similar trends in the music of two ancient cultures, the process of desensitization, scientific research in to the psycho-physiological effects of music, and the Biblical account of the nature of man, the weight of evidence suggests that the trend is indicative of a decline. It is therefore proposed that the historical trend itself becomes a guideline for judging the relative equality of particular stylistic features. As such it provides a consistent and objective standard by which to evaluate all music.

Subject Area

Music--Psychological aspects.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/theses/26/

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