Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
by: Oliver Sacks
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Amazon.com Review:
Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies. With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical species." --Dave Callanan
Product Description:
Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.
Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people—from a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; from people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans, to a man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.
Our exquisite sensitivity to music can sometimes go wrong: Sacks explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.
Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks tells us why.
Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies. With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical species." --Dave Callanan
Product Description:
Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.
Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people—from a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; from people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans, to a man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.
Our exquisite sensitivity to music can sometimes go wrong: Sacks explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.
Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks tells us why.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Sounds good!
Really interesting book. I work on music with relation to science so this book is really interesting for me. It has actually been recommended by one of my professors that Sacks actually referred to in the book. Besides, the stories Sacks is telling are really fascinating. I do recommend this book, for everybody who loves music. I have actually sent a french version to one of my friends in France.
Rating: 
- Musicophillia
I loved this book. It gives multiple examples of an area that is not generally covered in neuropsychology.It provides multiple examples of various types of neurological disorder having to do with music.If you've ever experienced musical hallucinations, a deterioration in he appreciation of music or any of the other conditions noted it will help with diagnostic clarification.Since I do evaluations of people I find it a handy reference.
Rating: 
- Painful to read unfortunately
This book is so poorly written as to make it's fascinating subject matter almost uninteresting.Oliver Sacks is so narcissistic, self absorbed and self referential that is it a distraction.Keep looking for the ultimate book on music and the brain.
Rating: - brilliant book
This book is a brilliant discussion of the neurology of music.It discusses the 'musical brain' and how the brain is connected to musical perception and expression. Oliver Sachs is a wonderful writer.If you have any interest in music,this book will captivate you.
Rating: - Terrific for musicians
As a retired professional musician (orchestra, professorship, teacher of youngsters, and a jazzer too), I certainly wish I had read this book earlier! Very enlightening. Sachs as usual employs slightly abnormal or above-normal patients to introduce important issues about musical perception, learning, memory, memorization and practice, and more. I have learned so much here! A great gift to anyone in the music business. Might be a bit difficult for a junior reader.
- Sounds good!Really interesting book. I work on music with relation to science so this book is really interesting for me. It has actually been recommended by one of my professors that Sacks actually referred to in the book. Besides, the stories Sacks is telling are really fascinating. I do recommend this book, for everybody who loves music. I have actually sent a french version to one of my friends in France.
- MusicophilliaI loved this book. It gives multiple examples of an area that is not generally covered in neuropsychology.It provides multiple examples of various types of neurological disorder having to do with music.If you've ever experienced musical hallucinations, a deterioration in he appreciation of music or any of the other conditions noted it will help with diagnostic clarification.Since I do evaluations of people I find it a handy reference.
- Painful to read unfortunatelyThis book is so poorly written as to make it's fascinating subject matter almost uninteresting.Oliver Sacks is so narcissistic, self absorbed and self referential that is it a distraction.Keep looking for the ultimate book on music and the brain.
- brilliant bookThis book is a brilliant discussion of the neurology of music.It discusses the 'musical brain' and how the brain is connected to musical perception and expression. Oliver Sachs is a wonderful writer.If you have any interest in music,this book will captivate you.
- Terrific for musiciansAs a retired professional musician (orchestra, professorship, teacher of youngsters, and a jazzer too), I certainly wish I had read this book earlier! Very enlightening. Sachs as usual employs slightly abnormal or above-normal patients to introduce important issues about musical perception, learning, memory, memorization and practice, and more. I have learned so much here! A great gift to anyone in the music business. Might be a bit difficult for a junior reader.
