["Heavy mental" psychopathology in classical music]

Depending on affinity, attitude, preference, understanding, and mental state, music can influence emotions, mood, motivation, psychomotor, cognitive, and spiritual functions in the receptive person. It is presumed that a given music may reflect the actual psychic condition of the composer and, if applicable, the nature of the chosen topic to be characterized. However, extreme situations may emerge from these components i.e. the music might overshoot the frontiers of normal psychological phenomena and 'heavy mental' psychopathological symptoms or syndromes may appear in it. Present search restricts the wide range of music categories to the classical one (instrumental and vocal, opera included) and attempts to screen for such 'heavy mental' psychopathological signs beside mentioning the slighter symptoms. Phenomena of amnesia, dementia/delirium, mental retardation, biased perception, chemical/behavioural addiction, delusion, misidentification, mania, depression, suicide, anxiety, obsession-compulsion, conversion, disso - ciation, para/hyper/insomnia, sexual and personality disorders are listed as examples from the wide repertoire. The figure of the 'fool' and the topic of 'madness' (in general, and folia, tarantella) are mentioned as well as the appearance of some behavioural traits ('seven deadly sins'), feigning psychic/somatic states, pathological lying, mutism, stutterism, famous oracles, mesmerism, and employing magic or various potions. Mad scenes as psychotic conditions (often tran - sient if due to psychotrauma from romantic love) occur in many operas. However, quite a few of them have been written by Donizetti. Considering his life, behaviour and composing features, the question arises about Donizetti's ailment: was it mood disorder, Barbaja, or luetic derailment?