23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

enhancing thoughts and images for the child within the
mother through the stimulation of imagination and
memory.
2.1.3. Our choice of music has taken into account
the indications coming from interviews we had with the
mothers in which their preferences would emerge:
classical or popular music. To this purpose, we
proposed passages with specific st characteristics:
regular rhythm (which is containing and soothing),
timbre of strings, (particularly rich in frequencies) and
rather grave and warm sounds (for example horns,
which mothers found reassuring and embracing). Our
preference has fallen on the music of the Barocque
period (especially on the Branderburgische Concerts of
Bach). A second series of music we have selected
includes musics that evoke water and air sounds, and
that can recall the sounds of the amniotic liquid within
the womb. We have chosen, again on the bases of the
preferences indicated by the mothers with regard to
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this selection, also "The Pearl" (Brian Eno), "Down the
moon" (Andreas Vollenweider), "Music Relax" (Franco
Loi)."Radici" (Antonio Grande)
2.2. Through a number of experiences of more
conscious vocality, we proposed to the mothers the
possibility of using their voice as a musical structure and
not only as an instrument of the spoken language. The
importance of such structure for the motherchild
communication during the prenatal period and during
the first months of life, is self evident. In fact it is
essentially a communication based upon expressive
language. Besides the maternal voice is the sound
which is mostly present among the exogenous and
endogenous sounds and the one which is most rich in
frequences; theréfore it is also the sound which is most
stimulating and expressive of affective tonalities.
Furthermore, since voice is strictly connected to
breathing, the consciuos use of voice must entail deep
and relaxed breathing - or respiration - which is a