Karl, followed by Deryk:

>> Yet why do we see a minor key as being potentially sad
>> versus a major key being happy.
>
>This is exceedingly culture-specific and I think this is where any
>attempt to 'standardise' a 'language of music' falls to the ground.

Case in point: Hearing to 'Taps' today reminded me that I find it to be
about the saddest bit of music I can think of.  And it is entirely a C
major chord.

Nevertheless, I do think there is something that transcends culture when
it comes to emotions in music, even if some influences are cultural.  I
don't believe, for example, that this major/minor effect is coincidental.

As a thought experiment, does anyone believe that we could, by force
of culture, reverse this?  If a person were raised in an environment
in which (our) sad tunes were played for happy occasions and vice versa,
would that work without drugs, beatings, etc?  (The movie "A Clockwork
Orange" springs to mind.) We should test this hypothesis when we someday
send a colony of people into outer space.  In the meantime, maybe I can
try to get my daughter to use my new grandson as a guinea pig.  It could
be expensive, however, and I may need your financial support for all the
actors I'll need to hire and train.  (Now I am reminded of "The Truman
Show".) Or maybe it will now be easier to get federal funding for arts
projects such as this.

Rick Mabry
Shreveport, LA