Musicophelia

[creekster]

I am just finsihing a book by Oliver Sacks (the guy whose work was the basis for his book "Awakenings" which was made into a so-so film with Robin WIlliams playing Sacks) called Musicophelia whic is about the brain and music. Fascinating stuff. The book offers interesting insight into perfect pitch and the way it may influence how the person with it relates to music (and it's not always positive, interestignly enough), and also describes the various type of synesthesias (the quality of assocaiting and 'seeing' colors when hearing certain tones or keys).

THe book is good, esepcially if you like music (and are somewhat trained in). For a non-music lover, however, I would suggest his earlier book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", which is also very good, or Awakenings. THe brain is an absolutely amazing thing.


I am curious if anyone on the board has either absolute perfect pitch or expoereinces synesthesia? If so, I owuld love to hear about your experiences with either or both.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Sounds like a book I'd like and will go get soon.

In The Farnsworth Invention, Crocker (son of the robber baron) invests in Farnsworth after he learns Philo is an excellent musician, noting that geniuses tend to be gifted in the field of music. One of the characters (it may have been Farnsworth) says "Music is what mathematics does on a Saturday night."

[creekster]

Originally Posted by PaloAltoCougar

Sounds like a book I'd like and will go get soon.

In The Farnsworth Invention, Crocker (son of the robber baron) invests in Farnsworth after he learns Philo is an excellent musician, noting that geniuses tend to be gifted in the field of music. One of the characters (it may have been Farnsworth) says "Music is what mathematics does on a Saturday night."

This is one of the things that Sacks directly and indirectly deals with in his book. What is music and why are we so attracted to it? One comes away with the idea that music is alot of different things to different people but it is almost universal.

I misrepresented the book a little in my original polst, btw. It deals with much more than perfect pitch and synesthesia, but those were a couple of the topics that I found particualarly intriguing.

[MikeWaters]

I once had a dream of an island choir singing in polyphony. That is, I could hear every part simultaneously in this dream.

In awake life, I can't. It was a cool dream.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by creekster

For a non-music lover, however, I would suggest his earlier book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", which is also very good,

My neuroanatomy professor in grad school was a huge fan of this book. I never had time to read it back then and had forgotten about it until your post. I think I'll go pick it up.

[FarrahWaters]

That's really interesting. Did the book mention Olivier Messiaen? I recall that he had a form of synaesthesia. I remember reading some New Yorker articles by Sacks that dealt with music and neurology. All really fascinating stuff.

Also, did the book discuss why a lot of autistic people seem to have perfect pitch? I've had one mildly autistic student that was amazingly gifted.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by creekster

I am just finsihing a book by Oliver Sacks (the guy whose work was the basis for his book "Awakenings" which was made into a so-so film with Robin WIlliams playing Sacks) called Musicophelia whic is about the brain and music. Fascinating stuff. The book offers interesting insight into perfect pitch and the way it may influence how the person with it relates to music (and it's not always positive, interestignly enough), and also describes the various type of synesthesias (the quality of assocaiting and 'seeing' colors when hearing certain tones or keys).

THe book is good, esepcially if you like music (and are somewhat trained in). For a non-music lover, however, I would suggest his earlier book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", which is also very good, or Awakenings. THe brain is an absolutely amazing thing.


I am curious if anyone on the board has either absolute perfect pitch or expoereinces synesthesia? If so, I owuld love to hear about your experiences with either or both.

When I was young and took piano lessons, my teacher (who my parents paid a lot of money) told my parents that I had perfect pitch. I don't know if I believe that I do, but I know what each note sounds like and can name it as it is played. I can tell my son when his guitar is out of tune and can tune it without a tuner.

I stopped playing piano at 14 when I decided that baseball was my future and not music and it really irritated my teacher. She had hoped I would continue. To be honest, piano came easier to me than did baseball, but I was under the impression that it wasn't as cool to play the piano as it was to be involved in athletics.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by FarrahWaters

That's really interesting. Did the book mention Olivier Messiaen? I recall that he had a form of synaesthesia. I remember reading some New Yorker articles by Sacks that dealt with music and neurology. All really fascinating stuff.

Also, did the book discuss why a lot of autistic people seem to have perfect pitch? I've had one mildly autistic student that was amazingly gifted.

I don't recall the name, but I am bad with names and he someotimes uses initlas instead of names, so he might have discussed O.M.

I think that some of the book comes from stuf he had already ptu in the NYT, so it might be redundant for you a bit.

I don't recall him talking about autism per se, but he did talk about the idea that perfect pitch is mcuh mroe common in youth and adolescents and many people seem to lose it at puberty or suring adulthood (although whether this is due to growing older or just failing to use it is not clear). He also repsented some evidence for the idea that we all have perfect pitch to some degree and that it is inihibited as out brain develops. You should read the book, Farrah, I think you would like it.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

When I was young and took piano lessons, my teacher (who my parents paid a lot of money) told my parents that I had perfect pitch. I don't know if I believe that I do, but I know what each note sounds like and can name it as it is played. I can tell my son when his guitar is out of tune and can tune it without a tuner.

I stopped playing piano at 14 when I decided that baseball was my future and not music and it really irritated my teacher. She had hoped I would continue. To be honest, piano came easier to me than did baseball, but I was under the impression that it wasn't as cool to play the piano as it was to be involved in athletics.

IPU do you have aboslute pitch or relative pitch? Can you hear a single note, isolated from any other aural refernce point and tell what it is by nmae or do you need to hear some thing to set the reference?

I recall we once talked about tuning guitars. If you have perfect pitch, you would be better than any tuner! You should have stuck with piano. DO you play now? DO you find that your ability to discern pitch is differnt over time or has it remained the same? Can you tell keys or just single pitches? I have to say that this ability is fascinating and something that makes me a bit jealous.

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by creekster

I don't recall him talking about autism per se, but he did talk about the idea that perfect pitch is mcuh mroe common in youth and adolescents and many people seem to lose it at puberty or suring adulthood (although whether this is due to growing older or just failing to use it is not clear). He also repsented some evidence for the idea that we all have perfect pitch to some degree and that it is inihibited as out brain develops. You should read the book, Farrah, I think you would like it.

Great topic...

Joint research by musicologists and physicians has produced some remarkable findings in regards to music and the brain. In my archives I have a fairly recent article from the Journal of New Music Research that addresses musical function in temporal lobe structures and its effect on brain lesions.

I will look up the article in greater detail; however, I recall that included in their findings was evidence supporting the fact that both temporal lobes contribute to our higher levels of melodic processing function. Short term pitch retention is primarily a function of the anterior right temporal lobe.

The most fascinating evidence cited involved the discovery that some patients with hippocampal damage (heart attack, Azheimers, etc.) actually have long term retention of both familiar and unfamiliar musical melodies.

Robynn Stilwell, a brilliant Georgetown musicologist, has also completed some interesting papers on the relationships between music and brain function. I will look them up tonight when I have the time.