Cover of Musicophilia
No users ratings yet

Musicophilia

by Oliver Sacks

First Published

2007

Subjects

psychology
Alzheimer’s disese
amnesia
Parkinson’s disease
amusia
Williams syndrome
Musicophilia
the brain
the human experience
medical
neurology
psychiatry
neuropsychology
music philosophy
self-help
personal growth
Physiological aspects of Music
Psychological aspects of Music
Nonfiction
Psychological aspects
Music
Physiological aspects
Neurologische aspecten
Muziekpsychologie
Aspect physiologique
Aspect psychologique
Music Therapy
Musique
Music, psychological aspects
Music, physiological aspects
Brain
Physiology
Auditory Perception
Musikpsychologie
Musik
Physiologie
nyt:paperback-nonfiction=2008-10-19
New York Times bestseller
New York Times reviewed
Psychology
Williams Syndrome
Parkinson Disease
Alzheimer Disease

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. ([source][1]) [1]: https://www.oliversacks.com/books-by-oliver-sacks/musicophilia/

Reviews

Write a Review

Please sign in to write a review for Musicophilia