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Definition of Color hearing
Medically reviewed by Dr. Otari Nergadze, Neurosurgeon | Updated: January 2026
Color hearing: A form of chromesthesia in which hearing a musical tone elicits the perception of a color. In one case, an art teacher had a broad range of consistent linkages between tone and color. For her, high octaves tended to evoke lighter color values, while lower octaves elicited darker ones. And rapid major chord tone sequences elicited rapid flashes of colors, "somewhat like fireworks exploding."
Ref.: Haack, P. A., & Radocy, R. E. (1981). A case study of a chromesthetic. Journal of Research in Music Education, 29, 85-90.