Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks (English) Paperback B

Description: Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks From the legendary neurologist and bestselling author of "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" comes a powerful and compassionate ("New York Times") book that examines the power of music and how it affects the brain. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description NATIONAL BESTSELLER • With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition."Powerful and compassionate. . . . A book that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." —The New York Times In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls "musical misalignments." Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with "amusia," to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music. Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable. Author Biography Oliver Sacks was a physician, writer, and professor of neurology. Born in London in 1933, he moved to New York City in 1965, where he launched his medical career and began writing case studies of his patients. Called the "poet laureate of medicine" by The New York Times, Sacks is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Awakenings, which inspired an Oscar-nominated film and a play by Harold Pinter. He was the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees, and was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2008 for services to medicine. He died in 2015. Review "Powerful and compassionate. . . . A book that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." —The New York Times"Curious, cultured, caring. . . . Musicophilia allows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients." —The Washington Post Book World"Sacks has an expert bedside manner: informed but humble, self-questioning, literary without being self-conscious."—Los Angeles Times"Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up." —Newsweek"Sacks once again examines the many mysteries of a fascinating subject." —The Seattle Times Review Quote "Powerful and compassionate. . . . A book that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." The New York Times "Curious, cultured, caring. . . . Musicophilia allows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients." The Washington Post Book World "Sacks has an expert bedside manner: informed but humble, self-questioning, literary without being self-conscious." Los Angeles Times "Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up." Newsweek "Sacks once again examines the many mysteries of a fascinating subject." The Seattle Times From the Trade Paperback edition. Description for Reading Group Guide "Powerful and compassionate. . . . A book that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." -- The New York Times The introduction, questions, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to stimulate your groups discussion of Musicophilia , a book in which Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide 1. In the preface Sacks presents differing views on the origins and evolution of the music instinct [p. x]. On first reading, which explanation is the most persuasive? Did the book change or confirm your opinion? 2. Discuss the style and structure of Musicophilia . How does Sacks blend personal anecdotes, case histories, theories, and empirical research into an engaging narrative? How does he bring out the humanity of the patients he describes? What do the explanations of complex brain functions add to the portraits of each individual? 3. Tony Cicoria "grew to think [that he] . . . had been transformed and given a special gift, a mission, to tune in to the music that he called, half metaphorically, the music from heaven"[p. 7]. Is art by its very nature a "spiritual" endeavor? Does Sackss conclusion that "even the most exalted states of mind, the most astounding transformations, must have some physical basis or at least some physiological correlate in neural activity" [p. 12] belittle the value of artistic expression? 4. In chapter four (Music on the Brain: Imagery and Imagination) and chapter five (Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes), Sacks explores normal musical imagery, which almost everyone experiences, and the pathological version, when "music repeats itself incessantly, sometimes maddeningly, for days on end" [p. 44]. Do his explanations of the psychological and neurological components of these phenomena support his suggestion that people are more susceptible to brainworms today because of the pervasiveness of music in our lives [p. 53]? Does Anthony Storrs theory that even unwanted music has a positive effect [p. 42] mitigate Sackss darker outlook? 5. The stories of musical hallucinations demonstrate the disruptive power of music [pp. 54-92]. Using these stories as a starting point, discuss the distinction between the "brain" and the "mind." What accounts for the different ways people react to involuntary mental intrusions? What do the various coping mechanisms people employ reveal about biological determination and the exercise of choice and free will? 6. "Musicality comprises a great range of skills and receptivities, from the most elementary perceptions of pitch and tempo to the highest aspects of musical intelligence and sensibility..." [p. 104]. What do Sackss descriptions of extreme conditions like amusia and disharmonia show about the many factors--neurological, cultural, and experiential--that shape an individuals response to music? 7. Sacks also introduces people who represent the "highest aspects of musical intelligence and sensibility." What insights do these examples of extraordinary or unusual gifts offer into average musical sensibilities? What do his examinations of absolute pitch and synesthesia, as well as his stories about musical savants and the high level of musicality among blind people, reveal about the brains innate strengths and weaknesses? 8. The story of Clive Wearing is one of the most memorable tales in Musicophilia . While it illustrates the persistence of musical memory with clarity and precision, it is much more than a well-written "case history." How does Sacks capture the emotional impact of Wearings devastating amnesia without descending into melodrama or sentimentality? What details help create a sense of Wearing as a distinct and sympathetic individual? What is the significance of Deborahs description of Clives "at-homeness in music" and their continuing love for one another [p. 228]? 9. Music therapy is used to treat conditions ranging from Parkinsons and other movement disorders to Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. In what ways does music therapy represent the perfect intersection of scientific knowledge and deep-seated personality traits like intuition, creativity, and compassion? 10. The relationship between music and universal human activities is a central theme in Musicophilia . Sacks writes, for instance, "The embedding of words, skills, or sequences in melody and meter is uniquely human. The usefulness of such an ability to recall large amounts of information, particularly in preliterate culture, is surely one reason why musical abilities have flourished in our species" [p. 260]. Drawing on the stories and studies presented in Musicophilia and on your own experiences, discuss the roles music plays in human society. Talk about its importance in creating a sense of community, evoking spiritual or religious feelings, and stimulating sexual desire, for example. 11. In a review for The New York Review of Books [March 6, 2008] Colin McGinn noted "Sacks generally confines himself to classical music, saying little specifically about jazz and rock music." How do the emotional, psychological, and physical reactions to popular music differ from those elicited by classical music? Do you think a familiarity with or preference for certain kinds of music might influence a readers reaction to Musicophilia ? 12. What does Musicophilia show about sciences ability to resolve intriguing quirks and mysteries? What do the new technology Sacks describes portend for future discoveries about how the brain works? 13. Does Musicophilia offer a new way of understanding what makes us human? Which facts, theories, or speculations did you find particularly compelling? Excerpt from Book A Bolt from the Blue: Sudden Musicophilia Tony Cicoria was forty-two, very fit and robust, a former college football player who had become a well-regarded orthopedic surgeon in a small city in upstate New York. He was at a lakeside pavilion for a family gathering one fall afternoon. It was pleasant and breezy, but he noticed a few storm clouds in the distance; it looked like rain.He went to a pay phone outside the pavilion to make a quick call to his mother (this was in 1994, before the age of cell phones). He still remembers every single second of what happened next: "I was talking to my mother on the phone. There was a little bit of rain, thunder in the distance. My mother hung up. The phone was a foot away from where I was standing when I got struck. I remember a flash of light coming out of the phone. It hit me in the face. Next thing I remember, I was flying backwards."Then--he seemed to hesitate before telling me this--"I was flying forwards. Bewildered. I looked around. I saw my own body on the ground. I said to myself, Oh shit, Im dead. I saw people converging on the body. I saw a woman--she had been standing waiting to use the phone right behind me--position herself over my body, give it CPR. . . . I floated up the stairs--my consciousness came with me. I saw my kids, had the realization that they would be okay. Then I was surrounded by a bluish-white light . . . an enormous feeling of well-being and peace. The highest and lowest points of my life raced by me. No emotion associated with these . . . pure thought, pure ecstasy. I had the perception of accelerating, being drawn up . . . there was speed and direction. Then, as I was saying to myself, This is the most glorious feeling I have ever had--SLAM! I was back."Dr. Cicoria knew he was back in his own body because he had pain--pain from the burns on his face and his left foot, where the electrical charge had entered and exited his body--and, he realized, "only bodies have pain." He wanted to go back, he wanted to tell the woman to stop giving him CPR, to let him go; but it was too late--he was firmly back among the living. After a minute or two, when he could speak, he said, "Its okay--Im a doctor!" The woman (she turned out to be an intensive-care-unit nurse) replied, "A few minutes ago, you werent."The police came and wanted to call an ambulance, but Cicoria refused, delirious. They took him home instead ("it seemed to take hours"), where he called his own doctor, a cardiologist. The cardiologist, when he saw him, thought Cicoria must have had a brief cardiac arrest, but could find nothing amiss with examination or EKG. "With these things, youre alive or dead," the cardiologist remarked. He did not feel that Dr. Cicoria would suffer any further consequences of this bizarre accident.Cicoria also consulted a neurologist--he was feeling sluggish (most unusual for him) and having some difficulties with his memory. He found himself forgetting the names of people he knew well. He was examined neurologically, had an EEG and an MRI. Again, nothing seemed amiss.A couple of weeks later, when his energy returned, Dr. Cicoria went back to work. There were still some lingering memory problems--he occasionally forgot the names of rare diseases or surgical procedures--but all his surgical skills were unimpaired. In another two weeks, his memory problems disappeared, and that, he thought, was the end of the matter.What then happened still fills Cicoria with amazement, even now, a dozen years later. Life had returned to normal, seemingly, when "suddenly, over two or three days, there was this insatiable desire to listen to piano music." This was completely out of keeping with anything in his past. He had had a few piano lessons as a boy, he said, "but no real interest." He did not have a piano in his house. What music he did listen to tended to be rock music.With this sudden onset of craving for piano music, he began to buy recordings and became especially enamored of a Vladimir Ashkenazy recording of Chopin favorites--the Military Polonaise, the Winter Wind Details ISBN1400033535 Short Title MUSICOPHILIA REV/E Edition Description Revised, Expand Language English ISBN-10 1400033535 ISBN-13 9781400033539 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 781.1 Year 2008 Imprint Waterbrook Press Subtitle Tales of Music and the Brain Place of Publication Colorado Country of Publication United States Residence NY, US Series Vintage Books Birth 1933 DOI 10.1604/9781400033539 AU Release Date 2008-09-23 NZ Release Date 2008-09-23 US Release Date 2008-09-23 UK Release Date 2008-09-23 Author Oliver Sacks Pages 448 Publisher Waterbrook Press (A Division of Random House Inc) Publication Date 2008-09-23 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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