(1) Verbal phenomenological description of the music.
(2) Auditory and visual analysis of the musical form, consulting the score.
(3) Mood analysis according to Kate Hevner’s mood wheel (p. 576)^34.
(4) Analysis of the image potential.
Emotion and narration
Two predecessors have inspired the design of intensity profiles, firstly Helen Bonny’s diagrams,
which roughly depict emotional effects of GIM programs as plateaus and peaks of a graphic curve
(pp. 242-243, Bonny 1978:42, 48). A second inspiration is the graphic curve of the “narrator’s model”,
utilized in narrative theory and journalism to illustrate the unfolding of a story’s plot. This curve de-
picts the psychological tension and release intended by the narrator and experienced by the reader
or listener (p. 51). Typical peaks in the curve are “attack”, “point of no return”, and “climax”.
Similar to the narrator’s model, the aim of a musical intensity profile is to provide a graphic
visualization of the listener’s experienced psychological tension and intensity. A GIM client’s mu-
sic-guided “journey” displays similarities with a narrative plot, and the plateaus and peaks of an in-
tensity curve are relevant for clarifying the course of a GIM journey.
Designing an intensity profile
Bonde’s prominent example is Brahms’ Violin concerto, 2nd movement, duration 9’34, included in
the BMGIM program “Mostly Bach”^35 (pp. 248-255). His basis for drawing the intensity profile is the
following:
1 - 2. Description and analysis
A detailed overview of the Brahms movement (pp. 563-564) combines phenomenological descrip-
tion, timing of the CD recording, and precise references to the notated score. The description
includes emotional expression, observations of motifs, instrumentation, tonality, sound quality and
interplay of the instruments. The overall musical form is described as a progression from initial
stability through a course of unpredictable changes, back to final stability.
- Mood
A mood analysis (p. 251) supports the formal analysis. In the first and last sections, Hevner’s moods
no. III: “dreamy, tender” and IV: lyrical, tranquil” prevail. In the contrasting middle section, moods no.
II: “pathetic, doleful” and VII: “dramatic, passionate” are prominent. - Image potential
The analysis of image potential includes intersubjective corroboration based on responses from a
group of music therapists in a workshop (p. 252).
The combination of attentive listening, verification by score analysis, and intersubjective cross-check-
ing underpin the reliability of Bonde’s approach.
The resulting intensity profile of the Brahms movement (p. 251) provides an overview of the music.
It facilitates identification of formal elements, themes, instruments and other musical features, and
estimation of the suggested moods. Importantly, the intensity curve identifies the potential emotional
peaks of the music.
The intensity profile serves as a guide for listening and for estimating the music’s therapeu-
tic potential. The present author’s listening experience is consistent with the intensity peaks of the
curve. However, individual listening experiences may be variable.
34 Hevner (1936:249, 1937:624)
35 Grocke has described the program ”Mostly Bach” (2002:115-117).