TY - JOUR
T1 - Music and lyric characteristics of popular Dutch funeral songs
AU - Hanser, Waldie E
AU - Mark, Ruth E
AU - Vingerhoets, Ad J J M
N1 - The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This study compared the characteristics of 150 songs (Dutch lyrics, N = 47, English lyrics, N = 103), popular at Dutch funerals, to an equal number of non-funeral songs. The variables explored included those linked with the music (valence, energy, danceability, acousticness, key, and tempo); and lyrics, namely: linguistics-related (first-person singular/plural, second-person pronouns; past, present, future tense; expressed emotion (positive, negative words, and the discrete emotional categories anger, anxiety, sadness); and category words (those relating to family, friends, death, religion). Funeral music was lower in valence, energy, and danceability and higher in acousticness than non-funeral music. Furthermore, English funeral music lyrics contained more second-person pronouns and were more future-focused than comparison songs. Funeral lyrics were not particularly negative, but English texts contained more words relating to sadness. In conclusion, funeral music differs in severable notable respects from general popular songs that may reflect the special purpose of this music.
AB - This study compared the characteristics of 150 songs (Dutch lyrics, N = 47, English lyrics, N = 103), popular at Dutch funerals, to an equal number of non-funeral songs. The variables explored included those linked with the music (valence, energy, danceability, acousticness, key, and tempo); and lyrics, namely: linguistics-related (first-person singular/plural, second-person pronouns; past, present, future tense; expressed emotion (positive, negative words, and the discrete emotional categories anger, anxiety, sadness); and category words (those relating to family, friends, death, religion). Funeral music was lower in valence, energy, and danceability and higher in acousticness than non-funeral music. Furthermore, English funeral music lyrics contained more second-person pronouns and were more future-focused than comparison songs. Funeral lyrics were not particularly negative, but English texts contained more words relating to sadness. In conclusion, funeral music differs in severable notable respects from general popular songs that may reflect the special purpose of this music.
KW - CONSOLATION
KW - LIWC
KW - SAD
KW - funeral music
KW - linguistic analysis
KW - linguistic inquiry and word count
KW - lyrics
KW - music characteristics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125901211&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00302228221075471
DO - 10.1177/00302228221075471
M3 - Article
C2 - 35196911
SN - 0030-2228
JO - Omega: Journal of Death and Dying
JF - Omega: Journal of Death and Dying
ER -