Effective Surprise (03:50)

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Solving a mental puzzle requires us to go outside real or imagined boundaries— something composers do to create a musical device that elicits an emotional reaction in listeners. Maestro George Marriner Maull demonstrates a deceptive cadence with "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Harmonization Exercise (03:58)

Maestro Maull plays a Slovakian folk melody. He then demonstrates two different harmonized versions that effectively surprise listeners. Listen again and see if you experience an emotional response.

Increasing Listening Flexibility (02:05)

The number of squares in a puzzle varies depending on viewer perception. Maestro Maull says we must have an open mind when listening to music, to hear all the musical elements. He plays a melody from a fugue in Handel's "Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No.7" containing a repetitive pitch.

Fugue Subject Exercise (04:06)

Maestro Maull provides a fugue definition. Listen to Handel's "Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No.7" and count how many times you hear the main melody.

Fugue Guided Listening Demonstration (03:54)

In "Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No.7," Handel presents the fugue subject four times each in high range, medium range, and low range. Contrapuntal texture makes it difficult to detect. Listen with a visual aid indicating the main melody.

Tension and Release (03:23)

Composers build and then release emotional tension in musical works. Maestro Maull demonstrates this idea in Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2."

"Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27" (02:01)

Hear an excerpt from Rachmaninoff's work demonstrating emotional tension and release. Flexibility in listening allows composers to enthrall us with effective surprise.

Credits: How Listening Affects Us: Episode 5—Fall in Love with Music (01:28)

Credits: How Listening Affects Us: Episode 5—Fall in Love with Music