Theory of Musical Equilibration: A Music-Psychological Model of Emotional Meaning in Harmonic Perception

The Theory of Musical Equilibration (Strebetendenz-Theorie) is a music-psychological model proposing that emotional responses to music arise through listeners’ identification with volitional tendencies associated with harmonic structures. In contrast to theories assuming that music directly expresses emotions, the present model interprets musical emotion as a process of identification with implicit states of will represented by tonal relationships. The theory particularly focuses on the emotional significance of harmonic functions, leading tones, and tonal stability. According to the model, the listener does not perceive emotions themselves in music, but rather identifies with tendencies of volition symbolically represented by harmonic structures. The paper outlines the conceptual foundations of the theory, discusses examples of harmonic-emotional associations, and situates the approach within contemporary music psychology.