Musical Shape Cognition

Abstract

Rolf Inge Godøy focuses on how notions of shape, understood as geometric figures and images stemming from body-motion, metaphors, graphic representation, and so forth, can be associated with the production and perception of music. Central to the chapter is the understanding that shape cognition is not only deeply rooted in the human experience of music and in specific musical imagery but also that it has the potential to enhance our understanding of music as a phenomenon in general. Godøy also discusses how musical shape cognition, given that it is becoming increasingly more feasible to analyze with new technology, can contribute to various domains of music-related research, and, further, that it can be highly valuable to practical applications in musical and multimedia artistic creation.