An Analysis of Therapeutic Elements in Music: An Example of Anti-Insomnia Music from Medical Resonance Therapy Music by Peter Hübner

Music and therapy are two different fields. However, due to its effect on humans’ body and spirit, music has a long history of improving or healing physical and mental conditions of humans, leading to the recent mergence of a new academic area — Music Therapy. This thesis focuses on one form of therapeutical music — music for treating insomnia from “Medical Resonance Therapy Music” (MRT-Music) composed by a German composer Peter Hübner. Through the aid of music analysis, the reasons of its therapeutical effects will be discussed in the paper as well.
Firstly, this paper has tried to find out the particulars of music that can cure insomnia by comparing CD numbered RRR106, the “basis CD” of “Sleep Disorders” series, with “basis CDs” of other three different-orientation series of CDs, respectively: RRR101 in “Vital Energy” series (Chapter 3), RRR128 in “Concentration / Memory” series (Chapter 4), and RRR935 in “Creativity” series (Chapter 5). The paper concludes some music characteristics in RRR106, such as: mild, continuous tone color without trembling, slow and unsteady tempo, neither apparent and nor fixed rhythm style, simple harmony, continuously shifting tonality, and the “primary note set” in melody, etc. Then there were detailed discussions on how these music factors may affect the insomnia as well as what may contribute to curing insomnia. Another two CDs from the same “basic programme” of “Sleep Disorders” series, RRR931 and RRR933, were analyzed to see whether they have the same attributes for insomnia cure (Chapter 6).
Through the comparison and careful examination, RRR106 distinguishes itself as possessing several musical features that may improve insomnia by “strengthening sense of security”, “distracting” and “conveying harmonious messages”. This analysis shows that RRR931 and RRR933 respectively hold partial musical characteristics as RRR106 in related to insomnia cure. As of today, no clinical research has been published regarding the effects of MRT-Music on insomnia. So, instead of discovering the real curative effect, this paper mainly focuses on the possible reasons for why this therapy may help insomnia patients.