The basic idea for the original concept with development of specially composed music for the treatment of hospital patients was founded by Chief Physician, Prof. dr. Lars Heslet and musicians Niels Eje and Inge Mulvad Eje during the 1990s, and in 1998 the Egmont Foundation donated substantial financial support for launching the project "Music Program for intensive care and recovery patients" (later renamed the "Musica Humana").
It was first and foremost the idea of an interdisciplinary collaboration between art and medical research that was the basis for the Musica Humana project, an idea which also distinguishes this project from other research projects worldwide.
The Egmont Foundation's donations (1998-2003) was primarily aimed to support the production of a specially composed original music program with the specific aim to improve the sound environment in hospital wards, particular intensive care and recovery units at a number of hospitals in Denmark. This specially designed music program was to be created from scratch by composer Niels Eje and, according to the original project paper, simultaneously be implemented in hospitals and documented scientifically by a research team (doctors, nurses, music therapists, etc.) associated with the project. During this period, several patient groups and representatives from Danish hospitals was attached to the project, and in 2000 the project was officially named "Musica Humana" whereby, in the following years to 2006 regularly held a series of group sessions led by Dr. Per Thorgaard, Aalborg University Hospital.
In 2003 a comprehensive report was prepared for the Egmont Foundation - a report which showed significant success in the implementation of this specially designed music for hospital patients. The music was also at this time made available for the public through the composer's own record label and is now sold exclusively in pharmacies as CD series "MusiCure - music as medicine".
Since the launch of the project Musica Humana done extensive work with outgoing publicity and publication of research and music, in particular through articles in newspapers, scientific journals and TV and radio performances as well as presentations at conferences, congresses and symposia worldwide.
Documentary Radio Netherlands International
Examples of documentation and articles can be found under the menu: Publications & Articles