Audience synchronies in live concerts illustrate the embodiment of music experience

A study of 132 audience members of three classical public concerts (all three staged the same chamber music pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven, Brett Dean, and Johannes Brahms) had the goal of analyzing the physiological and motor responses of audiences. It was assumed that the music would induce synchronous physiology and movement in listeners (induction synchrony). In addition to hypothesizing that such synchronies would be present, we expected that they were linked to participants' aesthetic experiences, their affect and personality traits, which were assessed by questionnaires before and after the concerts. Clear evidence was found of physiological synchrony (heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance response) as well as movement synchrony of the audiences, whereas breathing behavior was not synchronized. Thus the audiences of the three concerts resonated with the music, their music perception was embodied. There were links between the bodily synchrony and aesthetic experiences: synchrony, especially heart-rate synchrony, was higher when listeners felt moved emotionally and inspired by a piece, and were immersed in the music. Personality traits were also associated with the individual contributions to induction synchrony

The Influence of Formats and Preferences on the Aesthetic Experience of Classical Music Concert Streams

Music is listened to in many different situational and media frames that can be expected to shape its experience. In this study, we were interested in the effects that different formats of audiovisual streaming of classical concerts can have on the aesthetic experience of their audience. We also investigated the effects of preferences for streaming features. A total of N =525 participants watched one of four chamber music concert streams and reported their expectations, appreciation, and experiences. Overall, participants liked the concerts and reported positive experiences. The immersive emotional and social dimensions of aesthetic experiences with music, however, were only rarely activated, showing the disadvantage of recorded as compared to live performances. Several experience dimensions were influenced by streaming format: a stream that allowed audience members to interact on a chat platform afforded a stronger social experience, but less concentration; while a stream that included an introductory talk led to a better understanding of the programming and increased feelings of melancholy. Effects of the preference for certain stream types were only found in the stream that most resembled a standard audiovisual concert broadcast but were leveled out in other stream formats explicitly designed to counterbalance known disadvantages of nonlive performances. From our study, we draw conclusions regarding the importance of an experimental approach to frame effects not only on the aesthetic experience of music but also on the future of concert streams as a new musical medium in its own (aesthetic) right

Music Listening in Classical Concerts: Theory, Literature Review, and Research Program

Performing and listening to music occurs in specific situations, requiring specific media. Empirical research on music listening and appreciation, however, tends to overlook the effects these situations and media may have on the listening experience. This article uses the sociological concept of the frame to develop a theory of an aesthetic experience with music as the result of encountering sound/music in the context of a specific situation. By presenting a transdisciplinary sub-field of empirical (concert) studies, we unfold this theory for one such frame: the classical concert. After sketching out the underlying theoretical framework, a selective literature review is conducted to look for evidence on the general plausibility of the single elements of this emerging theory and to identify desiderata. We refer to common criticisms of the standard classical concert, and how new concert formats try to overcome alleged shortcomings and detrimental effects. Finally, an empirical research program is proposed, in which frames and frame components are experimentally manipulated and compared to establish their respective affordances and effects on the musical experience. Such a research program will provide empirical evidence to tackle a question that is still open to debate, i.e., whether the diversified world of modern-day music listening formats also holds a place for the classical concert––and if so, for what kind of classical concert

NP03, a novel low-dose lithium formulation, is neuroprotective in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington disease

International audienceHuntington disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene, remains without a treatment to modify the course of the illness. Lithium, a drug widely used for the treatment of bipolar disorder, has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects in a number of models of neurological disease but may have various toxic effects at conventional therapeutic doses. We examined whether NP03, a novel low-dose lithium microemulsion, would improve the disease phenotypes in the YAC128 mouse model of HD. We demonstrate that NP03 improves motor function, ameliorates the neuropathological deficits in striatal volume, neuronal counts, and DARPP-32 expression, and partially rescues testicular atrophy in YAC128 mice. These positive effects were accompanied by improvements in multiple biochemical endpoints associated with the pathogenesis of HD, including normalization of caspase-6-activation and amelioration of deficits in BDNF levels, and with no lithium-related toxicity. Our findings demonstrate that NP03 ameliorates the motor and neuropathological phenotypes in the YAC128 mouse model of HD, and represents a potential therapeutic approach for HD