This is a blog designed for my online research about music and emotions. My name is Martin Ringsmut and I am a lecturer in ethnomusicology at the University of Cologne. This blog should give you an overview of my research plans and of how you can participate. Nobody likes reading long texts on the internet, so I will try to keep it short.
I am currently observing comments on Youtube which were posted under songs of children movies from the 80’s and 90’s – especially those songs who seem to have extraordinary emotional impact on their viewers/listeners.
In this study I want to know how these songs (and the emotional response they create) are situated within the everyday lives of people. Which habits do people establish for listening to emotionally challenging music? I don’t want to elaborate further on my hypothesis here right know because I don’t want to bias anyone. You can participate in this study by filling out this questionnaire, which I have designed especially for those people whose comments on Youtube triggered my attention and led me to this study. For all those who came across this blog by chance, let me just exemplify the phenomenons in question:
It is most likely at night, when everything is quiet and my wife already has gone to sleep and I am still awake browsing through the internet, that I am vulnerable for otherwise untypical mood swings. It is a mixture of nostalgia, sadness and longing – in other words, feelings that do not occur in my otherwise emotionally balanced everyday life. In this mood I usually browse through YouTube in search of cartoons and children movies from the 80’s and 90’s. I do not watch whole episodes or films, but rather search for specific songs in these videos to amplify my emotional state. In my case it is mostly two songs that bring me to the verge of tears: “A New Generation” and “Forever Young” by Dean and Caroll Parks in the movie “Care Bears 2 – A New Generation”.
For me, these Songs embody what one may call „sweet sorrow“, the feeling of having lost something beautiful, which leaves you with regret, but at the same time remembers you that you really had something that made you happy (whatever that might have been). I assume that most people would call this kind of music corny or cheesy, and I admit that the musical features, the vocal melody, the soft instrumentation and the minor harmonies in combination would under other circumstances probably lead me to the same judgement. But in this specific case, I don’t care about anything concerning this music in relation to a judgement of taste, except for their power to induce and amplify my emotions. The texts of these songs, although I think they are quite fitting the music and do express some parts of my inner feelings, are kind of secondary. As a result, I can’t put my finger on the exact features of these songs that make them so special for me, and honestly I admit that I am, despite being a social scientist, relieved that something at the core of my heart is left in the dark and assures me that there is no full disclosure which might destroy the power of these songs.
After hearing these songs, the feelings of sweet sorrow last until I fall asleep. In retrospect, I think that listening to these songs once in a while functions like an emotional catalyst and ensures my emotional stability in everyday life – at least sometimes.
If you can identify yourself with this exemplary ideography and want to participate and help me beyond filling out the questionnaire, I would love to read your own ideography.
The text above is meant to be a stylistic example for your orientation, and it also represents my very own habits towards music and these specific emotions. I think it is just fair if I open up myself in order to encourage others to open up for me. If you are willing to write me a short text and send it to musicandemotionstudy@yahoo.com, please consider the following questions:
Why, do you think, are you listening to music that makes you feel nostalgic/sad/lonely?
How does listening to this kind of music affect you in your everyday live?
Is there something special about the music itself?
How do these songs fit into your “normal” music consumption habits?
Please try to write as intuitively as you can. Don’t think that something may be not worth saying or may be too silly to say. I assure you that all your information will be treated confidentially. Every text you send to me will be read only by me. If I find some of your texts to be especially inspiring, I may consult you for an anonymous publication. I don’t know yet where exactly this study is going, but I definitely thank you all for your participation and help.
If you have further questions, suggestions, or thoughts on this matter, please feel free to contact me via email.
music of sweet sorrow 