Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Vintage)

by Oliver W. Sacks

book data

1,703 ratings, 3.64 average rating, 521 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		18%
4		38%
3		32%
2		9%
1		1%

edit

published

September 23rd 2008 (first published 2007) by Vintage

binding

Paperback, 400 pages

isbn

1400033535 (isbn13: 9781400033539)

description

Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oli...more

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | compare prices ($6.46)…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
50 Books A Year: Emily B's 50 for 2009	44	125	21 days ago, 12:01PM
SciFi and Fantasy...: What I'm Also Reading in January 2009	58	317	01/31/2009 12:54PM

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 4,348)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

01/06/08

Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in January, 2008

Sacks is, for me, a perfect meeting of a science writer and a writer of creative non-fiction. He has an equal interest in telling an affecting, human story and with exploring how (and why) the brain works. While lots of science writing is dry and objective (as it should be) and while mainstream feature writing often ignores the more complicated science stuff, Sacks is a rare talent who has a penchant for story telling and for explaining the newest research on the brain. He doesn’t condescend, ...more Sacks is, for me, a perfect meeting of a science writer and a writer of creative non-fiction. He has an equal interest in telling an affecting, human story and with exploring how (and why) the brain works. While lots of science writing is dry and objective (as it should be) and while mainstream feature writing often ignores the more complicated science stuff, Sacks is a rare talent who has a penchant for story telling and for explaining the newest research on the brain. He doesn’t condescend, and he doesn’t mind forming personal relationships with his subjects.

In Musicophilia, Sacks focuses on the mysterious and fascinating connection between music and the brain. Through studying musical oddities in patients, he hopes, we can hope to better understand our greater relationship with music - something that, although it is universal among cultures, doesn’t seem to have a clear function or origin.

For example, the book opens with a middle-aged man who is struck by lightening. He isn’t badly hurt, but since the accident, he’s been obsessed with the urge to play the piano. He’s never really played before or had an interest in music, but suddenly he’s up all night composing and trying to get better. Why has this happened? Why is unaffected except for this urge, which takes over his life? Brain scans show that his left frontal lobe has been damaged and Sacks hypothesizes that the left hemisphere of the brain might actually inhibit the more creative and musical right side of the brain. Left brain damage might lead to more “freedom” in the right brain.

The book moves on from there to cover a huge spectrum of diseases, phenomenones, and rarities - spanning from music therapy for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s, to people who suffer from musical hallucinations, to people with perfect pitch, to people with amusica (to them, music sounds like noise - Nabokov suffered from it), to musical savants. The structures of the chapters are very satisfying to me: they start with a story of an individual and then, by the end of the segment, lead to a more general description of the science behind the patient’s symptoms.

One of the more fascinating chapters covers children with William’s Syndrome, which affects about one out of 10,000 people. These people, who all have strangely elfin features, suffer from severe mental disabilities: they can’t ad 5 + 3, they can’t draw a square, they can’t tie their shoes. They have IQs around 60. However, they also tend to be very verbal, very social, and exceptionally musical. Most have perfect pitch and start composing as toddlers. Unlike some cases of severe autism who show a more mechanical and isolated musical talent, patients with William’s Syndrome love to play music in groups - within a community. Sacks visits a camp for children with William’s Syndrome - which is a constant drum circle, sing-along, and musical wrapped up in one.

As in all of his tales, Sacks is sure to find the hope and humanity in even the most difficult patients. One man, an amnesiac who has a short-term memory of only a few seconds, can only stay present within himself while he plays the piano.

More importantly, Sacks doesn’t see his patients as freaks or abnormalities who are simply interesting to read about, but rather as windows into how we can collectively understand how we function. In Musicophilia, I was truly moved by what I read - both by the humanity of the patients and by the awesomeness of the science.
(less)

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

2 comments

03/11/08

Mike rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

bookshelves: 50-books-2008

Read in March, 2008

Dr. Sacks' Musicophilia covers a wide range of tremendously interesting instances of musics odd effects on the mind, however it's anecdotal nature is both its greatest strength and greatest weakness. Because the stories fly by quickly it is easy to tear through a number of them and find your self saying, "Huh. Weird." But because it lacks a thorough exploration of many of the stories, the anecdotes often remain nothing greater than anecdotes. Most tend to involve Dr. Sacks stating the ...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

add a comment

06/08/08

Jafar rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

This book was interesting, I guess. Lots of anecdotes about the effect of music on behavior and personality, but not enough analysis. Sacks usually is more of a story teller than a hardcore neuroscientist in his popular book – at least in the other two that I’ve read by him – but in this book he fails to be a good story teller too. Too many tidbits and little stories. I definitely recommend This Is Your Brain on Music over this book if you’re interested in a real scientific analysis of m...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

03/02/08

Matt rated it:

(review of isbn 1400040817)

Read in February, 2008

Oliver Sacks has been one of my favorite authors ever since I first read The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. I still completely amazed, and a little bit disturbed, when I think back to his account of the woman who lost her sense of proprioception - the internal body sense that lets you know your body is there, even when you have your eyes closed. No other author (since Proust) has explored the nuances of consciousness so carefully, nor pointed out how tenuous the our grip on reality can ...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

02/26/08

brian tanabe rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

This is my first oliver sacks -- I always meant to read the Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat but alas never got around to it.

I love mr. sacks' delightful anecdotal storytelling and his intellect that makes fresh and accessible the study of the brain. It *almost* makes the issues dealt with in the book pleasant.

In a nutshell, this book is about the power of music, backed by many accounts from the medical perspective of the interaction between music and the brain. It's ha...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

6 comments

03/05/08

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Erin by: A geneticist with whom I work
recommends it for: anyone

This book was fantastic. To think about the brain and music's power over us is incredible. Music plays a focal role in my life, and always has--I have played piano from the age of 5 years and also studied flute, performing in college. I would not have met the love of my life were it not for my connection to music and musicians who are friends.

My personal brain "jukebox" enhanced my interest in the patient stories shared by Dr. Sacks. I have songs in my head at all times, so...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

01/06/08

liz rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2008

I wasn't hugely impressed with this. Sacks's writing sometimes gets extremely dry as he goes into the technicalities of how the brain functions. I found his other books, with chapters each covering a variety of conditions ("Anthropologist on Mars," "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat"), to be much stronger, even though they were less consistent thematically. It seemed that at times Sacks had to stretch to find patients with some of the musical conditions he described -...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

12/20/07

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in November, 2007

Musicophelia is an enchanting read, though one is struck more by the phenomena depicted—amusias, musical hallucinations, comatose patients suddenly "awakened" by nothing more than a familiar melody—than the manner of their depiction. Sacks has always been lauded for his fluid, personable style, and for good reason, but in the wake of classics such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Uncle Tungsten, his writing seems excessively florid and repetitive—neither tight enoug...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

10/04/07

Pamela rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in November, 2007

I've never read any of Sacks's other collections, so perhaps Musicophilia rates so highly with me because I've never read The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat. Despite Sacks's overwhelming bias towards classical music as the only kind of music worth discussing as well as his suspicious extensive personal history of music-related neurological phenomena, I found this collection to be an interesting and diverse set of case studies. I'm kind of a sucker for psychological and neurological odditie...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

11/21/08

Aaron rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction, science

Read in February, 2009

Starts off with a fairly unsatisfying collection of anecdotes around loss or gain of musical ability. The real heft arrives halfway as Sacks starts pulling together the real research and making implications.

The message here is that music is not some frivolous side effect of our neurology. Rather, music is processed by dedicated machinery in our brains and can affect us in profound and surprising ways.

There are tantalising implications that humans have the capacity for muc...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

8 comments

11/21/07

Bobby rated it:

(review of isbn 1400040817)

bookshelves: did-not-finish

Read in November, 2007

I really tried to perservere with this book, but after 100 pages I had to put it down. First, although marketed to a popular audience (even making it to the best sellers list), there are massive amounts of musical jargon and a background of musical knowledge would be extrememly helpful. Second, the books seemed to lack cohesive threads or narritive. I found it extremely disjointed with every few paragraphs changing to a different patient with very few being fully developed or resolved. Third...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

11/19/07

Richard rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in January, 2008

I'm reading this slowly and between other books. I have it on my electronic reader and so usually focus on it when I'm traveling. I always feel I learn something from Sacks, and this book is no different in that respect.

Now finished. I love Sacks. I always learn something. His 'stories' or examples are terrific. And there is an underlying humanity to him that always seems to understand what is good about someone, no matter how serious the neurologic, etc. defect. In this book, he ex...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

12/08/07

Jim is currently reading it (review of isbn 0676979785)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: People interested in what makes us human; music lovers; Sacks fans

Have just dipped in to this, another excellent entry from humanist neurologist Oliver Sacks. This book deals with music and its effect on the brain and by extension on our lives as humans. Sacks has the ability to take you inside states of mind that you might not have been able to imagine before. What puts him a cut above is his passionate humanism. He is always interested in the people he treats, not as clinical subjects, but as complicated and beautiful people with long histories, loves, h...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

02/27/09

Keith Putnam rated it:

(review of isbn 1400040817)

I am a huge sucker for pop science about human consciousness. Sacks, unfortunately, has the habit of boring me with far too many anecdotes which he fails to link in any progression of Greater Understanding.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

2 comments

02/15/08

jeremy rated it:

(review of isbn 1400040817)

Read in February, 2008

this book left me somewhat disappointed. as one with a deep affection for music, i was rather eager to delve into musicophilia. very quickly, and much to my chagrin, i found myself wearied by repetitive prose and dull analysis. while most of the cases sacks describes are indeed fascinating and remarkable, there is little substance from which a reader can glean any real knowledge. the book's narrative drive is completely anecdotal, and i guess i expected a bit more scientific insight and dept...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

2 comments

02/06/09

Mike added it (review of isbn 0330418386)

Nah, don't bother. 100 pages in and it still hasn't taken me to the bridge let alone kicked in with a chorus. Case study vignettes follow each other with no depth, explanation or overview. One note. (are the music metaphors a bit overdone you reckon?)

What I'd really like to know is why, neurologically, certain progressions of notes trigger a melancholy response (Gavin Bryar's "Jesus Blood..", Arvo Part's "Spiegel im Spiegel"), a sense of utter beauty (Goldberg Var...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

3 comments

01/01/09

Racquel rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in January, 2009

It's interesting to read through the reviews from other readers on these pages: such a wide range of responses to this book. Some felt it was too technical, others not technical enough; some see the author as a scientist, others as a popular writer pandering to the audience. Many had an expectation that there should have been more substantive analyses of the issues raised, while a few felt it was too analytical. Having read "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" many years ago, Mu...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/08/08

Paula rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in December, 2008

I don't know why I keep trying to read books about music. I've finally come to the conclusion that music is never going to be important to me and that I shouldn't bother trying. Which, ironically, is why I picked up this book.

"Musicophilia" is a bunch of case studies about how the brain functions in relation to music. And when I say case studies, it really is a series of case studies. The author, who's written several books in a similar vein, often says "A patient I on...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/01/09

Aveina Mummy rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

bookshelves: books-that-changed-me

Read in June, 2009

I picked this book up in Borders one day and promptly went to the library and checked it out on CD

Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks, narrated by John Lee:

In Musicophilia, Sacks talks about the music and the effects it has on the brain. I was reading this as research project for myself. I was hoping to find the place where music can become an emotional healer and how I can use it as such..

The book opens with a middle-aged man who is struck by lightening. Since the...more I picked this book up in Borders one day and promptly went to the library and checked it out on CD

Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks, narrated by John Lee:

In Musicophilia, Sacks talks about the music and the effects it has on the brain. I was reading this as research project for myself. I was hoping to find the place where music can become an emotional healer and how I can use it as such..

The book opens with a middle-aged man who is struck by lightening. Since then, he has been obsessed with piano composition and playing. He hears sonatas and overtures in his head and he somehow manages to get it on paper without any type of training at all!!! Really fascinating. I was hooked on the book by the time...

I have always known intrinsically the power of music, but to hear it described scientifically and have real evidence through case studies was just thrilling! I am thoroughly convinced to continue my training on the piano. I won’t pursue it as a random hobby anymore. I don’t think I need a teacher. I’ve never done well with music instruction. I’ve always somehow figured it out on my own and no teacher really had an understanding of the creative process it took for me to grasp certain concepts each piece provided.

I was so surprised to read about people who really can’t enjoy music because it sounds like cling clangs of pots and pans or like the nails on a chalkboard. How terrible! How sad! Music in my life has been my joy, my refuge, my escape. I couldn’t imagine life without it.

It seems to me the brain and music are superbly complex to study and we’re not even scratching the surface. The book really gave me an understanding which I think I already had. This all seems so familiar somehow. I didn’t get a lot of “meat” when it came to research I was doing, but I found confirmation that I was on the right path.

Now, when I sit down to practice a piece of music, I’ll let the instrument play and speak to me. I’ve always tried to force the note, the music, the timing, etc.. Now I realize the music has it’s own life and I need to just open up the gates and let it flow easily and freely. My fingers are the keys, the piano is the gate and the music is imprisoned and resonates out of my soul… This new vision is bound to take me to amazing uncharted paths to my hidden strength within.
(less)

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/25/09

Jonathan rated it:

(review of isbn 0676979785)

Read in August, 2008

A friend gave me this book as a gift. It's a collection of slightly-related anecdotes and current research about different neurological conditions (some benign) that are related to music and our sensation of sound. Sacks has them roughly organized into categories, although for the most part, each chapter stands alone.

I enjoyed the book, but after a while found it somewhat unsatisfying because most of the topics either are anecdotal or have inconclusive endings. Hey, there was a mu...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment