Music and the brain

Music is more than just entertainment. These leading brain research authors deep dive into the fascinating connection between music and neurological science. There are also interesting facts behind being tone deaf, ear worms, and other elements relevant to music. Whether you are a fan of music or science, you will find a new interesting book to enjoy!

Musicophilia : tales of music and the brain / Sacks, Oliver W
“Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can lift us from depression or 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. 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. Here, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people. Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The jazz of physics : the secret link between music and the structure of the universe / Alexander, Stephon
“More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane had put physics and geometry at the core of his music. Following the great minds that first drew the links between music and physics, a list including Pythagoras, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and Rakim, The Jazz of Physics revisits the ancient realm where music, physics, and the cosmos were one.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Bad singer : the surprising science of tone deafness and how we hear music / Falconer, Tim
“In the tradition of Daniel Levitin’s This Is Your Brain on Music and Oliver Sacks’ Musicophilia, Bad Singer follows the delightful journey of Tim Falconer as he tries to overcome tone deafness–and along the way discovers what we’re really hearing when we listen to music. A work of scientific discovery, musicology, and personal odyssey, Bad Singer is a fascinating, insightful, and highly entertaining account from an award-winning journalist and author.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Hearing Beethoven : a story of musical loss and discovery / Wallace, Robin
“We’re all familiar with the image of a fierce and scowling Beethoven, struggling doggedly to overcome his rapidly progressing deafness. Beethoven continued to play and compose for more than a decade after he lost his hearing. The author explored through his own experience of deafness, suggested that instead of overcoming deafness, creating music for Beethoven became a visual and physical process, emanating from visual cues and from instruments that moved and vibrated. His deafness may have slowed him down, but it also led to works of unsurpassed profundity.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)