Musical Awe: Social, Spatial and Sensory Perspectives

Awe is a complex emotional experience characterised by a sense of wonder from the encounter with something vast. The physical dimensions of certain music venues can alter or enhance sonic characteristics to augment this perception of size. Listening environments can also afford meaningful communal experiences, poignant acts of self-reflection, and reconfigured forms of consciousness. Large acoustic environments were once thought to be the only spaces in which people might experience musical awe, yet we present data from an exploratory questionnaire (N = 70) in which musical awe was reported in a wide variety of settings. The findings highlight the importance of ‘virtual size’. Awe can arise from the perception of feeling small in comparison to the performer or as part of a large audience, from extensive personal connections with the music, as well as from massively plenisentient musical experiences. In the second part of the presentation, we explore the relationship between musical awe and ‘sensory overload’ through a case study of bass music at North American music festivals. Findings from participant observation and qualitative data elicitation are discussed.Musical awe has been experienced in a multitude of environments: spatial, social, and sensory perspectives on the phenomenon are needed.