What does a poet know about blood pressure? About 300 years ago, William Congreve wrote, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast / To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”

I’m not sure what music Bill was listening to that could soften rocks or bend an oak (were there heavy metal bands in 1697?), but it turns out he may have been on the right track about soothing the savage breast.

Late last month at a meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, researchers from Italy’s University of Florence reported on a pleasant, non-drug treatment for high blood pressure. Nearly 50 subjects over the age of 45, who were all taking prescription drugs to treat mild hypertension, were divided into two groups. One group listened to 30 minutes of rhythmic classical, raga, or Celtic music for half an hour each day.

These subjects were taught to practice slow abdominal breathing exercises while listening to their assigned music. The rest of the subjects went about their normal routines with no music assignment or breathing exercises. Blood pressure tests taken in the first and fourth weeks of the study period showed a significant drop in systolic blood pressure among subjects in the music group compared to the control group.