Twenty years ago, the British psychologist John Sloboda conducted a simple experiment. He asked music lovers to identify passages of songs that reliably set off a physical reaction, such as tears or goose bumps. Participants identified 20 tear-triggering passages, and when Dr. Sloboda analyzed their properties, a trend emerged: 18 contained a musical device called an "appoggiatura."
The Wall Street Journal (illustration) Associated Press (photo); Universal Music Publishing (score)
Adele slightly modulates her pitch at the end of some long notes, adding to the tension.
An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental
note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant
sound. "This generates tension in the listener," said Martin Guhn, a
psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007
study on the subject. "When the notes return to the anticipated melody,
the tension resolves, and it feels good."
Chills often descend on listeners at these moments of resolution.
When several appoggiaturas occur next to each other in a melody, it
generates a cycle of tension and release. This provokes an even stronger
reaction, and that is when the tears start to flow.
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