The Information Theory of Emotions of Musical Chords (0909.3976v2)

Abstract: The paper offers a solution to the centuries-old puzzle - why the major chords are perceived as happy and the minor chords as sad - based on the information theory of emotions. A theory and a formula of musical emotions were created. They define the sign and the amplitude of the utilitarian emotional coloration of separate major and minor chords through relative pitches of constituent sounds. Keywords: chord, major, minor, the formula of musical emotions, the information theory of emotions.