The stories of musical hallucinations demonstrate the disruptive power of music. Do his explanations of the psychological and neurological components of these phenomena support his suggestion that people are more susceptible to brainworms today because of the pervasiveness of music in our lives? Does Anthony Storr’s theory that even unwanted music has a positive effect mitigate Sacks’s darker outlook? In chapter four (Music on the Brain: Imagery and Imagination) and chapter five (Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes), Sacks explores normal musical imagery, which almost everyone experiences, and the pathological version, when “music repeats itself incessantly, sometimes maddeningly, for days on end”. Is art by its very nature a “spiritual” endeavor? Does Sacks’s conclusion that “even the most exalted states of mind, the most astounding transformations, must have some physical basis or at least some physiological correlate in neural activity” belittle the value of artistic expression? had been transformed and given a special gift, a mission, to ‘tune in’ to the music that he called, half metaphorically, ‘the music from heaven'”. How does Sacks blend personal anecdotes, case histories, theories, and empirical research into an engaging narrative? How does he bring out the humanity of the patients he describes? What do the explanations of complex brain functions add to the portraits of each individual? On first reading, which explanation is the most persuasive? Did the book change or confirm your opinion?ĭiscuss the style and structure of Musicophilia. In the preface Sacks presents differing views on the origins and evolution of the music instinct.

Musicophilia book