Musical Expression and Body Expression

Abstract

The present series of experiments used either musical excerpts which subjects listened to and then associated to verbal categories (Exp. I) or videotape recordings of body expression sequences which subjects watched and associated with the same verbal categories. These videotapes were recorded by “actors” under two conditions, (a) after the actors had listened to the musical excerpts (Exp. II) and (b) following the induction in actors of the verbal categories which had been associated to the excerpts in Exp. I (Exp. III). The results demonstrate a partial equivalence between the verbal categories associated with the music in Exp. I and those associated with the videotape recording of Exps. II and III. This partial equivalence of the verbal categories is explained by the existence of a bodily core to musical expression.