Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Moods, madness, and music. I. Major affective disease and musical creativity

1987; Elsevier BV; Volume: 28; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0010-440x(87)90067-8

1532-8384

William A. Frosch,

Neuroscience and Music Perception

Abstract The 19th century invention of the misunderstood and neglected genius became the mad genius, suggesting not only that the brain (and mind) played a role in the creation of music, but that derangements (depression, mania, drugs, or personality disorder) were important in unusual creativity. Schumann, for instance (who died in an insane asylum), wrote to the Director of the Hamburg Musical Society, “I wrote my symphony in December, 1845, and I sometimes fear my semi-invalid state can be devined from the music. I began to feel more myself when I wrote the last movement, and was certainly much better when I finished the whole work. All the same it reminds me of dark days…. My mournful bassoon in the Adagio”. In this article, the possible roles of affective disease in musical creativity are examined using specific examples from composers' lives.