It was William Congreve who wrote in 1697 “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,” but what is the mechanism for this? A new study from Greece offers some insight.
The study focused on aortic stiffness and pulse wave reflections, two important indicators of cardiovascular risk. The subjects’ baseline measurements were taken at the start of each session. Then participants listened to either a half hour of classical music (such as Bach’s Orchestral Suites) or a half hour of rock (tracks from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Green Day) or experienced a half hour of silence.
Measurements were taken at the end of these half hour periods, and then again after 30 more minutes. The numbers were lower for all participants who had listened to music, whether it be classical or rock. Though the study involved just a small number of participants over a limited period of time it does suggest that listening to music positively impacts heart health.
It was also Congreve who wrote “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned,” in his 1697 The Mourning Bride. He also coined the phrase “You must not kiss and tell” in his 1695 Love for Love. For the moment, however, we’ll refrain from a more clinical review of these notions.
i believe you meant savage beast and not breast?
Thanks for noticing – the original quote is “breast” but the common phrase we hear now is “beast” so we used them both!