Musical emotions as aesthetic emotions. The relationship between emotions and music on the example of selected concepts

The main aim of this article is to establish the ontological status of musical emotions. Referring to the concepts of the psychology of music, the sociology of music, as well as cultural studies and philosophy, the author discusses affective reactions related to the reception of music. A significant distinction is made between the emotive reception and the cognitive reception. While musicality itself is largely shaped by brain structures, emotional sensitivity to music is a much more complex construct that includes not only neurological factors but also the listener’s personality. Based on her findings, the author concludes that one cannot speak of any fixed dispositions in this regard as the reception of music can depend on the listener’s current mood, experiences, and the context in which the music is listened to. The article discusses also methodological dilemmas that may emerge in the course of research on musical emotions