Tribal Sound of Music -or- Jazz Guitar of Django Rheinhardt
Music and the Dreaming Brain -or- Music in Dreams
From a historical perspective music has played an important cultural archetypal role. Marshall McLuhan in "Understanding Media", tells us; "The subliminal depths of radio are charged with the echoes of tribal horns and antique drums. This is inherent to the very nature of this medium, with its power to turn the psyche and society into a single echo chamber." The "Dream of Scipio" by Cicero is in part a musical "dream vision" journey through the universe. Guiseppe Tartini's "Devil's Trill Sonata" was based on a dream. Cicero and Tartini are not the only dreamers to create dream visions made of music. The dream reported at the end of this introduction speaks of the therapeutic role of music. From the beginning, my note books recorded many of my early dreams that were accompanied by music and songs by the likes of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", Neil Young's "Heart of Gold", Al Stewart's "Time Passages", Sweet's "Love is Like Oxygen", Elton John's "Your Song", Barbara Streisand, and Jimmy Hendrix to name a few.
As a University student, I had read neuropsychological studies that suggested that music in non-musicians is primarily a right hemispheric function, however musicians begin to lateralize these cognitive functions to the left hemisphere through learning. We might call this learning "musical literacy". In a relatively recent research study "Music in Dreams" conducted by Valeria Uga (et al) at the University of Florence compared the dreams of 35 professional musicians and 30 non-musicians. Uga reported, that the musicians dream log over a 30 day period had more than twice the number of dreams reported than non-musicians. The findings also suggest that original music can be created in dreams. Paul McCartney reportedly had dreamed up the songs "Yesterday" and "Let it Be".
Today "popular music" and so-called "art music" are part of the music scene of our dreams. Many dreams received by the International Institute for Dream Research have songs associated to them. The "Magical Musical Mystery Tour" underscores the musicological role of musical sounds and lyrics and their oneirological effect on our thoughts and mood.
Below is a dream that speaks to the therapeutic role and relaxing effect of music. Music in Janette's dreams creates in her own words; "a certain euphoria and a calmness". A dream state of euphoria induced by music, not drugs! A dream state of calmness, in other words "peace of mind".
Janette, 23 Graphic Artist
I dream music. It's been happening more frequently over the past year. I dreamt of a rendition of Pachelbel's Canon. There were no images to accompany it except for notes from the composition floating in the air. The most recent dream I had included snatches of a jazz guitar. Jazz guitarist Django Rheinhardt faded in and out, but I don't know if any of what I heard was his...I'm not too familiar with his music. When I dream music, it's always pleasant and relaxing. I feel a certain euphoria and a calmness.
Mr Hagen's Reply; The Sound of Music Therapy -or- Panchelbel's Canon
Your taste for music does not need visual images, however as you say "notes from the composition" were "floating in the air". As a creative medium, the tribal drum of music psychology can be used for the purpose of music therapy. "Musical films" like "Flashdance", "Singin in the Rain", "The Sound of Music" or "Chicago" induces a state of "narcissistic elation", or what you have called "euphoria and a calmness". On a similar final musical therapeutic note the Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (listen to song) fits the musical sentiment.