January 8, 2001
Dear Artist;
The Mozart Effect, by Don Campbell makes some startling claims. By listening to Mozart you might just turn out to be more creative, productive and healthier. This book is full of scientific studies and lots of anecdotal evidence. For example, premature triplets were separately incubated; one was fed Mozart, one silence, and one Rock. Guess what? The Mozart-fed kid gained weight faster, didn't fuss, was smarter, and did more with his life. That sort of thing.
Why Mozart? Campbell claims that Mozart, above all others, was "in utero" already a composer. His dad practiced the fiddle nearby while his pregnant mom sang lullabies and hummed a lot. According to Campbell, Mozart's music also mimics the gurgles and beats that the essentially underwater fetus hears. The result is a mantra of creative security and a feeling of wellbeing. Mozart grew up able to compose several concertos at once. The author goes on to show that the Mozart effect can be used to good results with arthritis, autism, burns, cancer, depression, grief, headaches, hypertension, substance abuse, trauma, etc.
If you feel like it I thought we might put young Wolfie to a test. We'll publish your results or observations. There are three things you might try: A constant low level of Mozart in the workspace for several days, sporadic motivational blasts, and specific symphonies or concertos by headset tailored to high-energy work periods. For the latter I chose a CD of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525, Serenade in G (St. Martin-in-the-Fields version). Campbell recommends this one for those with Attention Deficit Disorder. It's 17 minutes long. I took breaks for rethinking when the music ended and replayed the piece four times to the completion of a 12 x 16. In the end I was a human tuning-fork. I'll tell you about my painting later.
Best regards,
Robert
PS: "How powerful is your magic sound." (W A Mozart, "The Magic Flute")
Esoterica: Not just Mozart. "Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Corelli give a sense of order and create a mentally stimulating environment for study or work." (Don Campbell) Haydn improves concentration, memory and spatial perception. He also says there's a place for jazz, blues, salsa, rhumba, maranga, macarena and samba.
The following are selected responses to the above and other
letters. Thank you for writing rgenn@saraphina.com
+Hero
Worship?
Every mind and creative spirit learns from and is enriched by the
complex and beautiful
human thoughts and creations to which it is exposed. In this way, we
are beautifully and intricately connected to each other and to those who have preceded us
in time. Of course Mozart's music is an especially advanced and wonderful example of the
complex creations of which human beings are capable. I have spent countless hours playing
his gorgeous sonatas on the piano. But, the notion that he alone has especial powers to
encourage in infantile minds (or adult minds for that matter) a uniquely beautiful
flowering of creative spirit under emphasizes the contributions of so many other worthy
human beings. Yes, he was a unique genius. But so were Scarlatti, Bach, Verdi, and so many
others. This line of reasoning borders on idolatry and hero worship. The
mimics-a-mom's-gurgling theory strikes me as a real stretch... past the breaking point. We
all need to surround ourselves and our children in rich examples of human brilliance...
and avoid simplistic hero worship.
)
Great Meadows
oil painting click image to enlarge
Kyle Nitzsche knitzsche@mediaone.net
+Include all music
It seems obvious that actively listening to (and playing/practicing) music of quality and
compositional order will have a positive effect on one's life and work. It would seem that
there is a possibility that using certain kinds of background music, would result in
nothing more than background noise after a while. This might prove to be more mind numbing
than mind stimulating, especially if the choice is to use the overly repetitive patterns
of pop, rock, new age, etc. So, listen to Mozart certainly, but be careful not to choose
only music of the past. Include excellent music from all historical periods, especially
from our own time, because, after all, that is where we live.
R. Duane Hendricks, Calgary, Alberta hendricks@nucleus.com
+Celebrate our gifts
I read your Mozart piece with interest and I see that it has also been forwarded to me by
another artist who is also ADHD. I would be interested in hearing more about ADHD. What
rewards it has for you, how you cope with it and what you need to overcome to deal with it
daily. I have my own list along with 2 children who are also ADHD. It is time to celebrate
our gifts and contributions, instead of criminalizing it. Interestingly, just before
opening my e-mail, I tuned my radio to a classical music station, looking for NPR and left
it to play, and it could be Mozart, I couldn't tell you!
Susan T. Kerry stkerry@home.com
(RG note) Information and opinion on this and how ADD affects artists can be found at http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/aadd.htm and at http://www.painterskeys.com/letters/robert_genn_letter_011016.htm
+Distracting
I will go back and give Mozart a try. My problem with classical music while working has been the dramatic changes in volume. I find it distracting for getting into a creative groove. Try Dexter Gordon's Ballads CD, or Gene Harris on Black and Blue.
Stephen Connor connor@onr.com
+Thomas Tallis
I would add another form of music to your list - Gregorian chants, in their many forms, as
well as the works of Thomas Tallis, particularly as performed by the Tallis Scholars. I
find that the harmony of these pieces feeds directly into my soul and creative spirit, as
well as having a decidedly positive and smoothing influence on my temperament.
Ron Mains RonM@itsc.org
+It makes me happy
I don't know about Mozart, but I listen to a lot of those Chopin Nocturnes and they seem
to be good to work to. Also I listen to the oldies rock station, now, I am 56 so oldies to
me are the early rock and roll of the '50s and '60s. I think this music is musically terrible,
lots or repetition and not much content. However, it always seems to make me happy, so
guess that is important. Being a printmaker I usually listen to it when I am printing and
the work is repetitious as the creative part has already been done and I am doing the
"work" part of producing an edition. They say babies that hear Mozart in utero
have perfect pitch. I think it must have something to do with the connection between the
right and left brains, as music is really mathematics in creative flow. This is just my
own theory and probably has not been studied. Maybe it should be!
Barbara Mason bemason@concentric.net
+New age
I've always painted to "New Age" music and find that it takes me away, so much
so, that often times I finish a painting and look at it in wonder, "Wow, did I do
that?" Artists from the Windam Hill label, and Narada are always a safe
bet. The latest cd that has me mesmerized, is the K-Pax soundtrack by Edward
Shearmur. I consider my music as essential to my painting as my paints.
Elzire, Princeton, MA elzire@elzire.com
+Superlearning
Mozart does improve creativity. Years ago, in the 1980s, when I was in the editorial end of magazine publishing, a couple of articles dealt with a book called Superlearning, wherein academics in Eastern Europe tested students learning French by using Mozart compositions to enhance their ability. It worked. Someone in the U.S. cottoned on to the method, and it proved astonishingly effective. I doubt the book is still in print. In Romania, Mozart was also used to enhance training speed and effectiveness for athletes, by the way.
Jane Champagne, Southhampton, Ont. janec@bmts.com
(RG note) Superlearning by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder, was first published in 1979.
The book outlines some of the early development of "superlearning" techniques
by Bulgarian researcher Dr. George Lozanov. His system made use of Baroque background music as a key element to
catalyze "superlearning". A newer version is now available called Superlearning
2000.
+Soother of fear
It's not about Mozart, but I have to say that music is a powerful soother of fear. I had
to have surgery a few years ago. I could not have general anesthesia, and was slated for a
spinal block. I was understandably a bit alarmed at the idea of surgery while being awake
(even if pain free). So I decided to take my little Walkman type cassette player and a
copy of Pachabel's Canon in D, having discovered the merits of
this piece some time before. The surgeon allowed me to listen to my tape, and I relaxed to
the Alpha brain wave inducing music. It's interesting that this particular recording also
incorporates the sounds of waves crashing on a beach and a faint distant fog-horn, at one
point. I will now try Mozart and see if he inspires me to better painting!
June Raabe, Ladysmith BC a5a56205@telus.net
+DNA and music
There are many other classical composers who lend themselves to creative painting. I have
always used their music in my Studio (or car). Recently I heard a lecture on DNA, and
learned that your leaning towards a certain composer is written in your DNA. I need the
drum rolls of Beethoven for inspiration.
Ursula Reese ursula.reese@sympatico.ca
þ
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