SKU: 8615161781

Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination

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Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our ImaginationWhat makes a distant oboe's wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful

What makes a distant oboe's wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it. In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdian's narrative to vivid life: idiots savants who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.What makes a distant oboes wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it.

In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdians narrative to vivid life: idiots savants who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Published: 04/01/2008
ISBN: 9780380782093
Pages: 400
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.02h x 5.28w x 0.94d

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SKU: 8615161781

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Really nice wallet really nice
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Well-made, nice real Leather holds all my cards. It’s perfect.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2026
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Elegant , lots of space
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Best wallet ever, I love it !!!!
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Very large
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The quality is good but very large: wide and thick. Returned.
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Bozeman, US
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Wallet This Wallet That
Color: Light Brown
I bought this wallet to replace my old wallet that was falling apart, and probably 10 years old and so I was due for one! This one looks great and is very functional with many compartments for credit cards and a special compartment for the my ID, and it also provides a protection thing that keeps people from stealing my credit card information and also has room for pictures and there are two large compartments for cash and other miscellaneous paper items. I love the light brown, real soft leather look of it and so far it is really durable and I love it. It was a good buy and priced really well!
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Good material, enough card slots. Looks elegant. Great quality.
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