SONORIDAD CROMÁTICA: UNA EXPLORACIÓN EXPERIMENTAL DE LA TEORÍA SINESTÉSICA DE OLIVIER MESSIAEN

Willian Marcelo  Campuzano Campos; Jennifer Gema  Cedeño Murillo; Sergio Benjamín  Carranza Mendoza

doi:10.56124/tj.v8i20.022

Authors

Willian Marcelo Campuzano Campos Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2523-6771
Jennifer Gema Cedeño Murillo Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7302-1353
Sergio Benjamín Carranza Mendoza Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56124/tj.v8i20.022

Keywords:

Olivier Messiaen, Auditory–Visual Synesthesia

Abstract

The present study addresses auditory-visual synesthesia, a phenomenon in which a sound stimulus evokes sensations of color, based on the theory of the French composer Olivier Messiaen. The main issue focuses on verifying whether such associations possess perceptual coherence in contemporary non-synesthetic listeners. The research is justified by its contribution to the dialogue between art, neuroscience, and music education, as it provides empirical evidence on the relationship between sound and color, with potential applications in artistic creation and sensory pedagogy. The general objective was to experimentally analyze the perceptual correspondence between sound stimuli and colors proposed by Messiaen in a group of Performing Arts students from the Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí. A quantitative methodology was used, with a descriptive level and a cross-sectional experimental design, involving an intentional sample of 30 students. The participants listened to five musical fragments, each associated with a specific color (violet, green, red, orange, and blue), and recorded their perceptions in a chromatic association questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the percentages of perceptual coincidence. The results showed a high level of group coherence, with coincidences above 80% for all fragments, confirming the correspondence between Messiaen’s chromatic proposals and the listeners’ perceptions. These findings support the aesthetic, perceptual, and educational validity of the synesthetic model, demonstrating that the association between sound and color can be experimentally reproduced and applied in interdisciplinary artistic contexts. This approach strengthens interdisciplinary research in contemporary artistic

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