You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
“The analysis of a good work of jazz in the classical style, reveals the coexistence of two characteristics that seem opposed to each other—an element of tension and an element of relaxation.”15 This paper will examine the various mechanisms by which jazz can increase and decrease the listener's level of internal psychic tension, thereby producing either pleasant or unpleasant sensations. The mechanisms of musical enjoyment discussed here are not unique to jazz, but can be applied to other types of music as well. These hypotheses may also have some application in other fields such as music therapy, musical criticism and musical creativity.
Internal psychic tension normally results from conflict between the expressive forces of instinctual drives, the adaptive forces of ego controls and the prohibitive forces of super-ego and environmental restrictions. When the degree of inner tension is increased, the individual usually experiences a feeling of displeasure such as anxiety, fear, pain or frustration. Conversely, a decrease in the degree of inner tension results in a feeling of pleasure such as joy, happiness, sensual pleasure or elation. The more abruptly the degree of tension is altered (either increased or decreased), the more intense are the feelings of pleasure or displeasure.11