Throughout its long and complex history, the Western world has seen several cultural icons rise to Olympian heights, boasting creative achievements which position them above the deeds of simple men. Their quest for truth and beauty has led them to stand closer to the world of divinity. This tradition of great men and women features painters, writers, philosophers and scientists of several different backgrounds and achievements.
Amongst these, the figure of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) stands towering as one of the few composers in the history of art-music who has been able to not only become a major figure amongst specialists but actually penetrate the general public’s collective cultural world. Mozart was a German-Austrian composer, considered alongside Joseph Haydn and Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the 18th century’s classical period’s absolute and unquestionable masters.
The development of The Mozart Effect
Over the last three decades, the term “The Mozart Effect” has become a controversial topic in several psychological and academic circles. Furthermore, an entire, highly lucrative industry has been erected around its principles and claims.
The development of the term began with the work of the greatly discredited figure of otolaryngologist and psychologist Alfred A. Tomatis. His work focused on attempting to use Mozart’s music to treat a wide variety of physical and mental disorders. A few years later, another important step in the growth of the idea was taken when the highly prestigious Nature magazine published an article by three University of California researchers. In a few words, the study centered around the idea that after just ten minutes of listening to Mozart’s K.448 sonata for two pianos, college students were able to perform better on a paper folding and cutting spatial reasoning test. Nevertheless, the results of this study have been the object of much criticism specially due to some irregularities in the selection of the subjects for study, the presentation of the results and the wording of some of the claims, specially that of increased intelligence. In reality, the results demonstrate that there is no actual increase in intelligence due to being exposed to Mozart’s music but a short-lived increase in the subject’s spatial reasoning and memory.The development of the term began with the work of the greatly discredited figure of otolaryngologist and psychologist Alfred A. Tomatis. His work focused on attempting to use Mozart’s music to treat a wide variety of physical and mental disorders. A few years later, another important step in the growth of the idea was taken when the highly prestigious Nature magazine published an article by three University of California researchers. In a few words, the study centered around the idea that after just ten minutes of listening to Mozart’s K.448 sonata for two pianos, college students were able to perform better on a paper folding and cutting spatial reasoning test. Nevertheless, the results of this study have been the object of much criticism specially due to some irregularities in the selection of the subjects for study, the presentation of the results and the wording of some of the claims, specially that of increased intelligence. In reality, the results demonstrate that there is no actual increase in intelligence due to being exposed to Mozart’s music but a short-lived increase in the subject’s spatial reasoning and memory.
Throughout the nineties the commercial potential of these claims became viable and exploited. Several articles were published in large media outlets like The New York Times or The South China Morning Post, abiding by the discoveries of “scientists” and “studies” which claimed several unbacked ideas such as: “listening to Mozart can help students of all ages improve their mental faculties” or “making in-utero babies listen to Mozart aides in the development of their cognitive capacities”.
The last step in the popularization of the term and its entrance into the collective consciousness of the modern world occurred with the publication of Don Campbell’s 1997 book, “The Mozart Effect”. The book’s assertions suggested that listening to Mozart could literally produce a small surge in intellectual coefficient and a general improvement in mental speed. Over the years it has become generally accepted that the book’s and the movement’s claims were not as pronounced and deep as they led the general public to believe. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop the commercialization of millions of Cd’s, books and courses specifically marketed at parents and teachers who fell for the claims of improved mental functions and general well-being.
Mozart and relaxation
Regardless of the validity of the Mozart effect as a genuine psychological phenomenon, it is undeniable that Mozart’s work is amongst the greatest creative corpuses of the entire western world and as such its influence is wide and far reaching. Regardless of the validity of the Mozart effect as a genuine psychological phenomenon, it is undeniable that Mozart’s work is amongst the greatest creative corpuses of the entire western world and as such its influence is wide and far reaching.
In the lifestyle of modern individuals, classical music, and specially Mozart’s work, has become intrinsically related with secondary functions which greatly diverge from its original purely aesthetic purpose and aspirations. Over the past decade many media platforms have flooded with thousands of collections, playlists and compilations of pieces specially selected to aid in several activities like meditation, falling asleep, reducing stress and anxiety, among others. At Radio Art we have hand selected a team of musicologists who carefully studied and analyzed Mozart’s entire oeuvre to craft masterful channels with the best possible selections of pieces to induce stress relief and sleep induction to our listeners. The level of success of the channel is clearly demonstrated in the fact that it is in the top 5 of popularity among the two hundred Radio Art channels.
Classical music of the soothing kind has been used more often than other genres for relaxation and concentration purposes due to some of its fundamental constitutive principles, like a generally slow pace in the occurrence of events, a highly refined timbral spectrum, a high level of compositional elaboration and sophistication, and last but not least, a general tendency towards lyricism and tranquility. Furthermore, the act of actively concentrating on listening to music is in many ways similar to that of profound mediation. Just due to the act of delving into deep focus on a single activity for a prolonged period of time, the body’s rhythm gets regulated and synchronized with a new more isochronous rhythm. On top of that, due to this regulation of basic body rhythm other secondary beneficial effects may arise, for example, a slower heartrate, improved sleep and a decrease in stress and anxiety levels.
To synthesize these ideas, it is without a doubt that we can assert that although the Mozart effect’s actual impact on intellectual growth and development may not be as deep and widespread as we have been once led to believe, it is still the object of much controversy and continuing research and therefore any type of conclusion at this point would be too hasty. In the meantime, the beneficial effects of Mozart’s work (and several other composers’) in the areas of relaxation and stress relief have been widely tested, proved and optimized and it is due to this that we invite you to explore Radio Art’s channels and specially the one dedicated exclusively to Mozart’s work.