THE music of classical composers Beethoven and Bach is being used by an Oxford professor in a bid to control blood pressure.

Peter Sleight, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, has been playing classic concertos to people to see whether the music affects heart rate and blood pressure.

The 80-year-old has been working with a team of Italian experts on the project and tested people’s heart rate as they listened to various pieces.

Music with faster tempos increased breathing, blood pressure and heart rate, while slower music had the opposite affect.

But Prof Sleight, from Wheatley, then discovered it would be possible to control the cardiovascular system by combining the two styles of music.

He said: “This has the effect of exaggerating the regular small swings in blood pressure, which then slows the heart. We tested these effects of music in normal young people, 12 musicians and 12 normally educated people.”

The scientists, who carried out the tests in Pavia, Italy, found music – particular arias written by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi – had the power to reduce heart rates.

The people tested were aged about 25 and lay down to listen to a random playlist of five different samples of music, followed by a two-minute recording of silence with their eyes closed.

The team found the music had the same effect on all participants in the test – regardless of their musical tastes. The scientists then monitored their subjects’ heart rates, blood pressure, breathing and blood flow as they listened to another six songs.

Prof Sleight now believes the method could potentially be used to treat patients with high blood pressure and could offer scientific reasons as to why music can calm people down.

He said: “This uniform effect in all people tested was unexpected, and greatly increases the probability of using music therapy effectively.

“Music therapy has been used for ages, with people just putting on whatever they feel like and not considering the science behind it.”

“This research proves this method and type of music works the same, no matter what a person’s individual musical tastes.”