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I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine
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About This Book
Neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author of This Is Your Brain on Music Daniel J. Levitin reveals the deep connections between music and healing. Music is one of humanity's oldest medicines. From the Far East to the Ottoman Empire, Europe to Africa and the pre-colonial Americas, many cultures have developed their own rich traditions for using sound and rhythm to ease suffering, promote healing, and calm the mind. In his latest work, neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin (This Is Your Brain on Music) explores the curative powers of music, showing us how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He brings together, for the first time, the results of numerous studies on music and the brain, demonstrating how music can contribute to the treatment of a host of ailments, from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, to cognitive injury, depression, and pain. Levitin is not your typical scientist—he is also an award-winning musician and composer, and through lively interviews with some of today's most celebrated musicians, from Sting to Kent Nagano and Mari Kodama, he shares their observations as to why music might be an effective therapy, in addition to plumbing scientific case studies, music theory, and music history. The result is a work of dazzling ideas, cutting-edge research, and jubilant celebration. I Heard There Was a Secret Chord highlights the critical role music has played in human biology, illuminating the neuroscience of music and its profound benefits for those both young and old.
Reviews
"With clear prose and illustrations, his own experiences and storytelling prowess, [Levitin] demonstrates the healing power of music ..."
"Levitin's book, it is to never underestimate music's sheer power to engage us in the myriad, mysterious chords that make up our existence."
"This fascinating and valuable title gives readers insight into the many neurological benefits of music."
"Informative and enjoyable, this book is for anyone interested in how the practice of medicine is expanding, and it's a must-read for fans of the author's previous books on music and the brain."
"Whether or not you enjoy it will depend largely on how you respond to the aforementioned questions Levitin poses near the outset."
"Levitin makes a persuasive case for music's therapeutic potential that gives due to its medical promise without undercutting its mysteries."
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