“Frisson and Fire: The Power of Music to Move Us”
Thank you for the musicI recently came across the word ‘Frisson’ in the context of music. It refers to the physical sensation of a shiver or goosebumps accompanied by a strong emotional response, triggered by a particularly moving or captivating musical passage. I hadn’t realized that this feeling required a distinction apart from being human; that everyone didn’t get teary eyed at the sound of specific chord progressions or deeply personal lyrics. Google to the rescue and I am informed that only a percentage of people respond physiologically to the stimulus of music. On 17th May, in Mahalaxmi Racecourse, twenty-six thousand people experienced collective frisson in sweaty, nostalgic abandon at the Guns n Roses concert. It had rained earlier that day, offering some respite from Mumbai’s opp...










