Why Our Brains Respond Differently to Classical Music

Chinese researchers report even a few moments of opera produce a thoughtful, empathetic response.

Source: Why Our Brains Respond Differently to Classical Music

"'Music,' Ludwig van Beethoven argued, 'is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.' The assertion seems reasonable enough if you consider his late string quartets, but it’s absurd if your reference point is the collected works of Justin Bieber."

The study was small, and included only opera on the Classical side; it'd be interesting see it replicated on a larger scale, and incorporating other forms of Classical music, including Baroque instrumentals and Gregorian (liturgical) chant -- two of my personal favorites! But nonetheless, this does appear to give at least some empirical validity to my intuitive assertion that rap (among other things that masquerade as such) is not music, at all...