Loading...
Musical parameters in the playlist of a Dutch Crematorium
Mollenhorst,Janieke Hoondert,Martin van Zaanen,Menno
Mollenhorst,Janieke
Hoondert,Martin
van Zaanen,Menno
Abstract
In cremation rituals in the Netherlands music plays an important role. However, what exactly this role is remains unclear. In the literature on cremation rituals, music has received little attention up to now. A computational analysis of music played during cremations and a subsequent comparison of the results of this analysis with results of the analysis of two other playlists containing popular music shows that the crematorium playlist differs significantly from the other two playlists. The music played at cremations does indeed have specific properties, properties that correspond to notions typically expected at cremations, making it suitable for the occasion. Theories of the relation between musical properties and emotions indicate that the music played as part of cremation rituals can be qualified as serene, solemn and tender. Here we provide computational evidence that this is indeed the case.
Description
Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
crematorium, music, playlist, emotion, computational analysis
Citation
Mollenhorst, J, Hoondert, M & van Zaanen, M 2016, 'Musical parameters in the playlist of a Dutch Crematorium', Mortality, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 322-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2016.1138935