Baroque music (music composed during the Baroque era prox.1600 - 1750) has been shown to have a calming effect on the brain.
The rhythm of this music is around 60 beats per minute which is similar to a resting heart rate. The brain 'entrains' itself to rhythm. People have tendency to tap their foot when they hear certain type of music. This is the brain buying into the rhythm and going along with it.
Researchers have found that slow Baroque music entrains the brain into alpha waves. Studies have been done whereby such music, when played in the background during lessons in junior school classrooms, has a calming effect and enables children to concentrate on their lesson far better.
I have firsthand experience from my live concerts when I played for half year old babies. Incredible experience! They listened for 30 minutes completely immersed in music without any noise with an absolute concentration. And parents commented that day children slept much better. One mum described that her baby couldn’t sleep at night and playing some music from my Bach Cello Solo Suites CD helped her baby to get sleep. I also experienced one miracle! When playing for babies with special needs, half year old boy who never moved before, during my playing crawled across the room and then he sat front of me, staring at me and listening for full 20 minutes.
To feel the calming effect of this music you don't have to consciously listen to it but to allow it to play softly in the background as you do everyday tasks.
But real magic happens at live concerts! :-) (More about that next time)
Enjoy “Sarabande” from my CD – J.S.Bach Solo cello suites (live recording from concert)
(colorful window is from the church the recording was made)