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This book sets out to demonstrate the power that music has on our emotions, both to express and induce them. Kennedy uses a psychoanalytic perspective to help his exploration as well as drawing on a wide range of other disciplines—including infant research, neuroscience, evolutionary theory, musicology, and philosophy—to develop his discussion. He states:
Emotion is an integral aspect of musical experience: music has the power to take us on an emotional and intellectual journey, transforming the listener along the way; the aim of this book is to examine the nature of this journey. (p. 1)
The book comprises six chapters, each one having a musical reference as a title. In chapter one, “The overture”, an outline of what will be explored in this book, Kennedy considers both the “cognitivist” and “emotivist” views of the connection between music and emotion. The former takes the view that music expresses emotion in an individual whereas the latter argues that music induces them. Kennedy argues for the “emotivist” view stating that there is considerable evidence to support this approach. He draws parallels between listening to music and psychoanalytic listening, as the analyst listens to the “surface and depth of the patient's communications, to both the conscious and underlying unconscious stream of thoughts and feelings” (p. 1).
In chapter two, “The early musical experience as a root of music's power”, Kennedy draws on neuroscience to show how the power of music is rooted in the first intersubjective experience for the infant, the dyadic bond between mother and child. The tone of the mother's voice impacts on the child's development and, if the relationship goes well, the infant will experience sensitive tuning and mirroring. However, a deadened tone to the mother's voice, say because of depression, can negatively impact the child's psychological and social development. Kennedy argues that music allows the adult to get in touch with intense early experiences, release emot