Study Links Major and Minor Musical Keys to Different Aesthetic Feelings

A study has found that major and minor musical keys are associated with different aesthetic responses, linking major keys to feelings of beauty and minor keys to a sense of the sublime.

The findings suggest that the way listeners experience music goes beyond whether a piece sounds pleasant. Its musical key may also be associated with the kind of aesthetic feeling it evokes.

Major keys were linked to beauty, while minor keys were associated with sublimity — a sense of awe or grandeur distinct from beauty alone.

The study also compared responses to music and images, finding that images had a stronger influence on aesthetic responses than music.

Together, the findings highlight differences not only between musical keys, but also between visual and auditory experiences in shaping how people perceive beauty and the sublime.