Anempathetic Music or Sound
Definition
Anempathetic is the opposite of empathetic (which means showing very little emotional understanding for a situation).
"the anempathetic effect is employed when, for example, in a very violent scene after the death of a character some sonic process continues, like the noise of a machine, the hum of a fan, a shower running, as if nothing happened." Michael Chion
Example
One of the most famous uses of this effect is the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. There is also a scene in Antonioni's The Passenger using an electric fan.
In this scene, a horrific murder is followed by the familiar sound of running water in a shower, contrasting the preceding horror with a simplistic and well-known sound.
How Do I Know if a Sound is Anempathetic?
Ask yourself if the sound is indifferent to the scene that precedes it? So, if a tragedy has occurred ... is the next sound normal? If so, then it is an-empathetic.
What is the effect on the audience of the anempathetic sound?
The normality of the sound trivialises what has gone before, making the murder or death seem insignificant.