Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

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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... read more

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Musicophilia: Interesting book on music and the brain.

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What an odd thing it is to see an entire species - billions of people - playing with, listening to, meaningless tonal patterns, occupied and preoccupied for much of their time by what they call "music."

Table of Contents edit see section history

Preface

Part I: Haunted By Music

1. A Bolt from the Blue: Sudden Musicophilia
2. A Strangely Familiar Feeling: Musical Seizures
3. Fear of Music: Musicogenic Epilepsy
4. Music on the Brain: Imagery and Imagination
5. Brainworms, Sticky Music and Catchy Tunes
6. Musical Hallucinations

Part II: A Range of Musicality

7. Sense and Sensibility: A Range of Musicality
8. Things Fall Apart: Amusia and Dysharmonia
9. Papa Blows His Nose in G: Absolute Pitch
10. Pitch Imperfect: Cochlear Amusia
11. In Living Stereo: Why We Have Two Ears
12. Two Thousand Operas: Musical Savants
13. An Auditory World: Music and Blindness
14. The Key of Clear Green: Synesthesia and Music

Part III: Memory, Movement and Music

15. In the Moment: Music and Amnesia
16. Speech and Song: Aphasia and Music Therapy
17. Accidental Davening: Dyskinesia and Cantillation
18. Come Together: Music and Tourette's Syndrome
19. Keeping Time: Rhythm and Movement
20. Kinetic Melody: Parkinson's Disease and Music Therapy
21. Phantom Fingers: The Case of the One-Armed Pianist
22. Athletes of the Small Muscles: Musician's Dystonia

Part IV: Emotion, Identity and Music

23. Awake and Asleep: Musical Dreams
24. Seduction and Indifference
25. Lamentations: Music and Depression
26. The Case of Harry S.: Music and Emotion
27. Irrepressible: Music and the Temporal Lobes
28. A Hypermusical Species: William Syndrome
29. Music and identity: Dementia and Music Therapy

Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index

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This book is in Words and Music: Our Favorite 60 Music Books (Pitchfork). (authoritative list)

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Oliver Sacks (Author)

Other Contributors:

Han Visserman (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Knopf
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: October 22, 2007
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Page Count: 400

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Dewey: 781.11

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Professional & Technical › Medical › Medicine › Internal Medicine › Neurology
Books › Entertainment › Music › Theory, Composition & Performance › Appreciation
Books › Medicine › Internal Medicine › Neurology
Books › Health, Mind & Body › Psychology & Counseling › Neuropsychology
Books › Health, Mind & Body › Psychology & Counseling › Creativity & Genius

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Musicophilia (2007) (edit title/settings)

Tales of Music and the Brain

by Oliver Sacks (Author) (edit contributors)