Prenatal Exposure to Classical Music Improves Learning and Memory in Adult Rats

Background: Exposure to music during pregnancy enhances brain development and improves learning in neonatal rats. Methods: In these experiments, we examined the effects of exposure to silence, hard rock, classical, and rap music in utero plus 60 days postpartum on learning and memory in adult Wistar rats. Passive avoidance learning (PAL) was assessed at age 60 days, and a retention test was done 24 hours after training. Elevated plus maze (EPM) was also used as a standard behavioral task for assessing the effects of music therapy on anxiety. Furthermore, we measured serum corticosterone levels and adrenal weight at the end of experiments to show the possible effect of stress on the rats’ behavior. Results: Hard rock music impaired acquisition, increasing the number of trials to acquisition in PAL task. Hard rock music also impaired the retrieval process by decreasing step-through latency and increasing time spent in the dark compartment during the retention trial. Further, in the hard rock group, there were increases in serum corticosterone and adrenal weight of rats. Classical music, in turn, improved acquisition learning and retention memory and decreased serum corticosterone levels compared to the silence group. Rats’ exposure to rap music did not show any significant change in acquisition and retrieval processes compared to the silence group. In the EPM task, classical music exposure had anxiolytic-like effects revealed in an increase in the number of entries into open arms and time spent in the open arms. However, in this task, hard rock music induced an anxiogenic effect. Conclusions: Prenatal and postnatal exposure to music improves PAL and memory in adult rats. The effects of music therapy with classical music might be related to stress reduction by lowering corticosterone as a stress biomarker or anxiolytic effects; this deserves further examination.

Style evolution of Sting’s creativity

The purpose of this article is to outline the evolutionary vector of the style evolution of G. M. T. Sumner’s (Sting) creativity. The methodology. The study is based on the comprehensive use of systematic, historical and cultural approaches, as well as methods of periodization and genre-style analysis. The results. The article analyzes the work of one of the recognized masters of world popular music — English musician G. M. T. Sumner, better known by the stage name Sting. The topicality of the chosen topic is due to the artistic and socio-cultural significance and genre and stylistic diversity of Sting’s creative work, which in the research space of modern musicology still remain poorly understood. The article considers the preconditions for the formation of Sting’s authorial style, reveals the key stylistic trends that shaped his individual authorial style, and highlights the personal and professional-artistic criteria of his creative activity. Embodying in one person the guise of a composer, poet, singer, guitarist and actor, G. M. T. Sumner (Sting) is a shining example of a modern universal artist. He illustrates by his own example typical genre-style metamorphoses of mass music of the late XX — early XXI century, revealing new paradigms of modern world music art. The stylistic evolution of Sting’s creativity is substantiated in accordance with the proposed concept of periodization of his creative activity. The main periods of the artist’s creative activity are outlined: 1) early (1977–1990); 2) mature (1991–2012) and 3) late (since 2013). The stylistic priorities inherent in each of these periods are described. The uniqueness and originality of Sting’s authorial artistic style lies in the peculiarity of his artistic thinking, which to some extent is based on the concept of stylistic pluralism. The stylistic evolution of Sting’s works represents his appeal to various stylistic models of modern mass music (rock, jazz, pop, reggae). At the same time, the artist’s stylistic search goes far beyond popular music, extending to the spheres of academic and ethnic musical traditions. The scientific novelty of this article is that this study for the first time reveals the stylistic evolution of Sting’s works, its periodization and identifies the main stages, identifies the leading genre and style features of the artist’s works and the characteristics of his artistic thinking. The practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of using its materials and conclusions in further research on this issue, in performing and pedagogical practice (in the courses “Music of the XX century”, “History and theory of modern music”, “History of rock music”, etc.).

Features of positioning of German university libraries on official websites

The problem of space music as a special cultural phenomenon requires scientific understanding. The purpose of the article is to study the features of the emergence and development of space rock as a specific trend in modern popular culture using the history of the “HAWKWIND” group as an example. The chronology of sound recordings of the “HAWKWIND” group as one of the founders of the “Space Rock Music” is established. The role of Dave Broсk, Bob Kalvert and other group participants in the creation of creative music programs is noted. It is proved that these musicians are the principles of the historical phenomenon, which received popularity as “Space Rock”. For the first time, the analysis of “HAWKWIND” sound documents through the prism of the history of space music development has been proposed.

Space music in socio-cultural retrospective: information analysis of the phonographic heritage of “Hawkwind”

The problem of space music as a special cultural phenomenon requires scientific understanding. The purpose of the article is to study the features of the emergence and development of space rock as a specific trend in modern popular culture using the history of the “HAWKWIND” group as an example. The chronology of sound recordings of the “HAWKWIND” group as one of the founders of the “Space Rock Music” is established. The role of Dave Broсk, Bob Kalvert and other group participants in the creation of creative music programs is noted. It is proved that these musicians are the principles of the historical phenomenon, which received popularity as “Space Rock”. For the first time, the analysis of “HAWKWIND” sound documents through the prism of the history of space music development has been proposed.

Decoding of the coupling between the brain and facial muscle reactions in auditory stimulation

BACKGROUND: Analysis of the reactions of different organs to external stimuli is an important area of research in physiological science. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we investigated the correlation between the brain and facial muscle activities by information-based analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and electromyogram (EMG) signals using Shannon entropy. METHOD: The EEG and EMG signals of thirteen subjects were recorded during rest and auditory stimulations using relaxing, pop, and rock music. Accordingly, we calculated the Shannon entropy of these signals. RESULTS: The results showed that rock music has a greater effect on the information of EEG and EMG signals than pop music, which itself has a greater effect than relaxing music. Furthermore, a strong correlation (r= 0.9980) was found between the variations of the information of EEG and EMG signals. CONCLUSION: The activities of the facial muscle and brain are correlated in different conditions. This technique can be utilized to investigate the correlation between the activities of different organs versus brain activity in different situations.

CULTURAL MEANING OF JAZZ (THROUGH THEODOR ADORNO’S CONCEPTION)

The article examines the patterns of development of one of the important musical trends in the XX and the XXI centuries in terms of its socio-cultural and socio-philosophical characteristics. The analysis takes into account Russian and Western (European and American) trends and assessments. The article captures the methodology of Theodor Adorno’s position, his political and musicological views. Attention is paid to the mechanisms of development of spiritual culture in a post-industrial society. The author substantiates the hypothesis and elaborates the idea of the great potential of jazz as a productive form of development and improvement of culture. The musical trends of the mid-twentieth century demonstrated radical transformations of jazz and rock music under the influence of commercialization, which demanded the simplification of the figurative system and language, active use of technical achievements, and mediation of musical space. The transformation of music and musical space contributed to the restructuring of society’s existence and consciousness, which in turn influenced the change of musical aesthetics and consumerized it.

“Wild Years”: Rock Music, Problem Behaviors and Mental Well-being in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Adolescent preferences for non-mainstream types of rock music can be markers of adolescent problem behaviors, but no study has ever investigated whether this relationship continues into adulthood. In a six-wave study, 900 Dutch adolescents were followed from ages 12 to 21 (Mage T1 12.4, 51.1% girls), while reporting on depressive symptoms, mental well-being, aggression and drug use. A latent class growth analysis on their preferences for specific types of rock music revealed four fan groups. When these fan groups were compared to one another, in adolescence, the all-out rock fans displayed the highest peak in depressive symptoms and the lowest dip in well-being and the rock/metal fans reported the most aggression. And for both these groups, drug use increased at the onset of adulthood. Pop fans displayed a profile characterized by low depressive symptoms and aggression, and high in mental well-being. Finally, the popular rock fans held an in-between position between pop fans, on one side, and the all-out rock fans and rock/metal fans, on the other side. Thus, music preferences can be markers of problems, not only in adolescence but also in young adulthood. Still, music can enhance mood, helps to cope with problems, and peers in fan groups can provide support. This research focuses on the relationship between music and problem behaviors, specifically among members of the all-out rock fans and rock/metal fans, but many of these young people might have had more personal problems if they had not had their music and their fan-group peers.