Emotional and psychological analysis of Doria by Olafur Arnalds.

Ólafur Arnalds – “Doria” (2016)

A Psychological and Emotional Analysis through the Theory of Musical Equilibration

Since I first came across the psychological studies on music and emotion by Bernd and Daniela Willimek, I haven’t been able to stop analysing how certain pieces communicate emotion so precisely. Their theory feels, to me, like an opening into a hidden world — the unconscious world that music seems to inhabit so naturally.

That world, abstract and poetic, has always fascinated me: it’s the space where logic and feeling merge, where something wordless becomes completely understood. Thanks to these theories, we can start to listen to that inner language with new ears.

In this essay, I focus on Ólafur Arnalds’s “Doria” (from Island Songs, 2016), observing it through the lens of what I call cognitive–emotional logic — the meeting point between harmonic structure and human will.

1. Tonal and Emotional Foundation

Doria is written in D Dorian mode, a scale that hovers beautifully between major and minor. It’s a tonal space that never fully commits to light or darkness — instead, it balances both.

Tonal Feature	Emotional Logic	Interpretation (Equilibration View)
D Dorian (D–E–F–G–A–B–C)	Between acceptance (major 6th = B) and introspection (minor 3rd = F).	Represents an inner dialogue: a self torn between hope and resignation.
Absence of strong V–I cadence	Avoids resolution of will.	The emotion remains open, contemplative — suspended rather than concluded.
Pedal point D	Constant grounding, “holding breath.”	Suggests a steady inner center, a kind of self-observation.

The tonality itself embodies what Willimek describes as gentle self-reflection — neither sadness nor joy, but a balanced state of inner suspension. It feels like a conversation between two emotional forces that have decided not to fight, only to coexist.

2. Harmony and Progression

Arnalds builds the piece with slow, open chords — often quartal or add9 structures that breathe rather than progress. Every chord feels like a thought suspended in air.

Harmonic Event	Emotional Meaning (Equilibration)	Description
Dm(add9)	Purity, innocent longing.	The “add9” interval adds an unattainable ideal — a dream hovering above melancholy.
Cmaj7 → Dm9	Transition from acceptance to introspection.	The warmth of Cmaj7 feels like memory; Dm9 is the return to inwardness.
Modal shifts (C → F → D)	Circular time, emotional breathing.	The lack of direction keeps the listener in a state of “now” — a musical present.

Arnalds’s harmonic language expresses non-striving emotion — what Willimek might call meditative will: tones that don’t demand fulfilment but invite contemplation.

3. Melody and Motion

The melodic line moves stepwise, with very few leaps. According to the Willimeks, stepwise motion evokes rational reflection — emotion that thinks before it speaks.

Most phrases descend, symbolising yielding or emotional humility.

Occasionally, a small ascending sigh appears near a phrase ending — a breath of hope that momentarily lifts the melancholy before returning to stillness.

Together, these gestures form a kind of emotional respiration: the music seems to breathe with us, in and out, calm and human.

4. Rhythm and Texture

Element	Emotional Translation
Slow tempo (~60 BPM)	Low arousal, introspective calm.
Sparse piano texture + soft strings	Symbolic dialogue between thought (piano) and feeling (strings).
Sustained notes, long decay	The mind lingering on emotion — a contemplative echo.

Arnalds often wraps the piano in a soft ambient reverb. Psychologically, that reverb feels like distance — the sound of memory itself, fading gently but never gone.

5. Cognitive–Emotional Mechanism

From the perspective of Musical Equilibration, Doria sustains a delicate equilibrium:

minimal tension, continuous expectation, emotion without resolution.

The listener isn’t driven forward but invited inward.

The will ceases to strive, yet it remains aware — an attentive stillness.

As Li et al. (2019) observed in their study of affective imagery and music, this type of sound structure can transform the listener’s emotional equilibrium into an audible form: a will that rests, but does not sleep.

6. Conclusions

Doria could represent what I would call the archetype of suspended equilibrium — a sound world where emotion lives between action and rest.

Musical Parameter	Feature	Emotional Label	Equilibration Interpretation
Mode	D Dorian	Calm introspection	Between affirmation and withdrawal.
Harmony	add9, maj7	Tender longing	Emotional openness.
Melody	Stepwise, descending	Gentle reflection	Yielding of the will.
Tempo	~60 BPM	Serenity	Slowed emotional metabolism.
Texture	Sparse piano + reverb	Distance, purity	Inner self-awareness.

In Doria, Arnalds writes a kind of emotional mirror: still water that reflects both hope and loss. The piece doesn’t seek catharsis — it lets us dwell inside feeling itself.

It’s music that reminds us the deepest emotions are often the quietest ones.