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Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939

"Sexual Selection In Man"

The same music
always evoked the same gestures, as was shown by instantaneous
photographs. This subject, stated to be a chaste and well-behaved
girl, exhibited no indications of definite sexual emotion under
the influence of any kind of music. Some account is given in the
same volume of other hypnotic experiments with music which were
also negative as regards specific sexual phenomena.
It must be noted that, as a physiological stimulus, a single musical note
is effective, even apart from rhythm, as is well shown by Fere's
experiments with the dynamometer and the ergograph.[94] It is, however,
the influence of music on muscular work which has been most frequently
investigated, and both on brief efforts with the dynamometer and prolonged
work with the ergograph it has been found to exert a stimulating
influence. Thus, Scripture found that, while his own maximum thumb and
finger grip with the dynamometer is 8 pounds, when the giant's motive from
Wagner's _Rheingold_ is played it rises to 83/4 pounds.[95] With the
ergograph Tarchanoff found that lively music, in nervously sensitive
persons, will temporarily cause the disappearance of fatigue, though slow
music in a minor key had an opposite effect.


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