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Authors: Daniel J. Levitin
The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature (38 page)
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p. 23
“Traditionally poetry has been discussed in terms of these forms (rhyming patterns, metrical patterns, number of lines).”
In 2008, Helen Vendler adopted a more flexible attitude toward form—form with her is virtually synonymous with style:
Vendler, H. (2008, January-February). Poems are not position papers.
Harvard Magazine
25.
“Traditionally poetry has been discussed in terms of these forms (rhyming patterns, metrical patterns, number of lines).”
In 2008, Helen Vendler adopted a more flexible attitude toward form—form with her is virtually synonymous with style:
Each poem is a new personal venture made functional by technical expertise; the poet’s moral urgency in writing is as real, needless to say, as his technical skill, but moral urgency alone never made a poem. On the other hand, technical expertise alone does not suffice, either. Form is the necessary and skilled embodiment of the poet’s moral urgency, the poet’s method of self-revelation.
Harvard Magazine
25.
p. 24
“In defending poetry not of the ivory tower sort, he [John Barr] writes: . . .”
Barr, J. (2007). Is it poetry or is it verse? Poetry Foundation. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/feature.html
?id=178645, chap. 1.
“In defending poetry not of the ivory tower sort, he [John Barr] writes: . . .”
Barr, J. (2007). Is it poetry or is it verse? Poetry Foundation. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/feature.html
?id=178645, chap. 1.
p. 26
“ ‘Poems are hypothetical sites of speculation, not position papers.’ ”
Vendler, H. (2008, January-February). Poems are not position papers.
Harvard Magazine
25.
“ ‘Poems are hypothetical sites of speculation, not position papers.’ ”
Vendler, H. (2008, January-February). Poems are not position papers.
Harvard Magazine
25.
p. 34
“. . . a Lakoffian metaphor . . .”
Lakoff, G. (1987).
Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
“. . . a Lakoffian metaphor . . .”
Lakoff, G. (1987).
Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
p. 38
“ ‘Art, in my opinion, has remained a key to survival.’ ”
Read, H. (1955).
Icon and Idea
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
“Drawings, paintings, sculpture, poems, and song allow the creator to represent an object in its absence . . .”
Here I am borrowing liberally from: Storr, A. (1992).
Music and the Mind
. New York: Ballantine Books, p. 2.
“ ‘Art, in my opinion, has remained a key to survival.’ ”
Read, H. (1955).
Icon and Idea
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
“Drawings, paintings, sculpture, poems, and song allow the creator to represent an object in its absence . . .”
Here I am borrowing liberally from: Storr, A. (1992).
Music and the Mind
. New York: Ballantine Books, p. 2.
CHAPTER 2
p. 45
“The surprise, predawn attack was a gruesome innovation in prehistoric warfare.”
I don’t mean to imply that all invasions were motivated by unbridled aggression—they were often the result of the same sorts of forces that cause conflict today, such as unequal distribution of resources. Two tribes may have coexisted peacefully for centuries, when one loses its source of water—a stream could dry up. They will die without water, and the neighboring tribe is unwilling to share theirs. The waterless tribe has to choose between dying and attacking the selfish neighbors.
“The surprise, predawn attack was a gruesome innovation in prehistoric warfare.”
I don’t mean to imply that all invasions were motivated by unbridled aggression—they were often the result of the same sorts of forces that cause conflict today, such as unequal distribution of resources. Two tribes may have coexisted peacefully for centuries, when one loses its source of water—a stream could dry up. They will die without water, and the neighboring tribe is unwilling to share theirs. The waterless tribe has to choose between dying and attacking the selfish neighbors.
p. 50
“Rhythm in music provides the input to the human perceptual system that allows for the prediction and synchronization of different individuals’ behaviors.”
Condon, W. S. (1982). Cultural microrhythms. In
Interaction Rhythms,
edited by M. Davis. New York: Human Sciences Press, pp. 53-77.
“Rhythm in music provides the input to the human perceptual system that allows for the prediction and synchronization of different individuals’ behaviors.”
Condon, W. S. (1982). Cultural microrhythms. In
Interaction Rhythms,
edited by M. Davis. New York: Human Sciences Press, pp. 53-77.
pp. 50
“Singing together releases oxytocin, a neurochemical now known
-51
to be involved in establishing bonds of trust between people.”
Kosfeld, M., M. Heinrichs, P. Zak, U. Fischbacher, and E. Fehr (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans.
Nature
435: 673- 676.
“Singing together releases oxytocin, a neurochemical now known
-51
to be involved in establishing bonds of trust between people.”
Kosfeld, M., M. Heinrichs, P. Zak, U. Fischbacher, and E. Fehr (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans.
Nature
435: 673- 676.
pp. 51
“ ‘Without rhythmical coordination of the muscular effort . . .
-52
famous monuments could not have been built.’ ”
McNeill, W. (1995).
Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 55.
“ ‘Without rhythmical coordination of the muscular effort . . .
-52
famous monuments could not have been built.’ ”
McNeill, W. (1995).
Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 55.
p. 53
“Track lining songs . . .”
I thank Dennis Drayna for this example and its wording.
“Track lining songs . . .”
I thank Dennis Drayna for this example and its wording.
p. 54
“. . . psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.”
Pronounced Mee-high Cheek-sent-mee-high-yee.
“. . . psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.”
Pronounced Mee-high Cheek-sent-mee-high-yee.
p. 55
“What I remember now, years afterwards, is that I rather liked strutting around . . .”
McNeill, W. (1995).
Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 2.
“. . . some people . . . enjoy eating dirt.”
This practice is known as
geophagy,
but the benefits described here are made up.
“What I remember now, years afterwards, is that I rather liked strutting around . . .”
McNeill, W. (1995).
Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 2.
“. . . some people . . . enjoy eating dirt.”
This practice is known as
geophagy,
but the benefits described here are made up.
p. 56
“The cats with this mutation were less likely to get sick or to spread disease to their offspring, facilitating this mutation’s rapid spread through the genome.”
This example and much of its wording comes from my colleague Jim Plamandon, to whom I am grateful.
“. . . those who enjoyed singing, dancing, and marching together so much that they were drawn to it, attracted to it, and practiced it for thousands of hours were those who were the victors in any battles in which such drill conferred an advantage.”
Of course in many cases, people were conscripted to service and forced to march. But the example still works; those who derived no enjoyment from such drill were not likely to practice on their own time, and so didn’t become as expert. Further, those who enjoyed it were more likely to be good at it, and to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm on the battlefield. In fact, it has been noted that natural selection could conceivably, in the long run, tend to favor aggressive murderous psychopaths to the extent that they are able to wipe out passive, peace-loving peoples.
“The cats with this mutation were less likely to get sick or to spread disease to their offspring, facilitating this mutation’s rapid spread through the genome.”
This example and much of its wording comes from my colleague Jim Plamandon, to whom I am grateful.
“. . . those who enjoyed singing, dancing, and marching together so much that they were drawn to it, attracted to it, and practiced it for thousands of hours were those who were the victors in any battles in which such drill conferred an advantage.”
Of course in many cases, people were conscripted to service and forced to march. But the example still works; those who derived no enjoyment from such drill were not likely to practice on their own time, and so didn’t become as expert. Further, those who enjoyed it were more likely to be good at it, and to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm on the battlefield. In fact, it has been noted that natural selection could conceivably, in the long run, tend to favor aggressive murderous psychopaths to the extent that they are able to wipe out passive, peace-loving peoples.
p. 57
“ ‘Away from the cover of trees, safety can only be found in numbers. . . .”
Mithen, S. (2005).
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 126.
“ ‘Away from the cover of trees, safety can only be found in numbers. . . .”
Mithen, S. (2005).
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 126.
p. 59
“Those individuals who were better able to predict the behavior of others because they could ‘read their minds’ would have had a competitive advantage within the group.”
A point made by Mithen using similar wording. Mithen, S. (2005).
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 128.
“Those individuals who were better able to predict the behavior of others because they could ‘read their minds’ would have had a competitive advantage within the group.”
A point made by Mithen using similar wording. Mithen, S. (2005).
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 128.
p. 62
“The rappers . . . ‘interpret and articulate the fears, pleasures, and promises of young black women whose voices have been relegated to the margins of public discourse.’ ”
Rose, Tricia. (1994).
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, p. 146.
“The rappers . . . ‘interpret and articulate the fears, pleasures, and promises of young black women whose voices have been relegated to the margins of public discourse.’ ”
Rose, Tricia. (1994).
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, p. 146.
p. 63
“One band, the Plastic People of the Universe (PPU), . . . is widely regarded as having spurred a revolution in Czechoslovakia.”
This story and the quotes from Ivan Bierhanzl come from the review of Tom Stoppard’s play
Rock ’n Roll
appearing in
The New York Times
. Parales, J. (November 11, 2007). Rock ’n Revolution.
The New York Times
.
“One band, the Plastic People of the Universe (PPU), . . . is widely regarded as having spurred a revolution in Czechoslovakia.”
This story and the quotes from Ivan Bierhanzl come from the review of Tom Stoppard’s play
Rock ’n Roll
appearing in
The New York Times
. Parales, J. (November 11, 2007). Rock ’n Revolution.
The New York Times
.
p. 69
“. . . the protests, women’s lib, and improved race relations were all bound up into one big cause, into us against them.”
And it seemed so simple: if you had long hair, you were for these things. If you had short hair, many long-haired people assumed you were in favor of napalming innocent babies in a country that we weren’t even at war with (Cambodia), you believed the white race to be superior to others, and you hated rock music.
“. . . the protests, women’s lib, and improved race relations were all bound up into one big cause, into us against them.”
And it seemed so simple: if you had long hair, you were for these things. If you had short hair, many long-haired people assumed you were in favor of napalming innocent babies in a country that we weren’t even at war with (Cambodia), you believed the white race to be superior to others, and you hated rock music.
p. 72
“ ‘As I said earlier, good music can leap over language boundaries, over barriers of religion and politics and hit someone’s heartstrings somehow.’ ”
See Chapter 1.
“Bruce Cockburn wrote an antiwar song, ‘If I Had a Rocket Launcher.’ ”
The quotes from Cockburn come from an article appearing in the
Washington Post.
Harrington, R. (October 19, 1984). The Long March of Bruce Cockburn: From Folkie to Rocker, Singing About Injustice.
Washington Post
.
“ ‘As I said earlier, good music can leap over language boundaries, over barriers of religion and politics and hit someone’s heartstrings somehow.’ ”
See Chapter 1.
“Bruce Cockburn wrote an antiwar song, ‘If I Had a Rocket Launcher.’ ”
The quotes from Cockburn come from an article appearing in the
Washington Post.
Harrington, R. (October 19, 1984). The Long March of Bruce Cockburn: From Folkie to Rocker, Singing About Injustice.
Washington Post
.
CHAPTER 3
p. 87
“. . . Log Blues.”
Another famous Ren and Stimpy song is the “Happy Happy Joy Joy Song.” It is just as ebullient, but I reprinted the Log song because it’s sillier and connects to the Slinky song a few lines down.
“. . . Log Blues.”
Another famous Ren and Stimpy song is the “Happy Happy Joy Joy Song.” It is just as ebullient, but I reprinted the Log song because it’s sillier and connects to the Slinky song a few lines down.
pp. 88
“. . . the ancient Greeks . . . used harp music to ease the outbursts
-89
of people with mental illnesses.”
Shapiro, A. (1969). A pilot program in music therapy with residents of a home for the aged.
The Gerontologist
9(2): 128-133.
“. . . the ancient Greeks . . . used harp music to ease the outbursts
-89
of people with mental illnesses.”
Shapiro, A. (1969). A pilot program in music therapy with residents of a home for the aged.
The Gerontologist
9(2): 128-133.
p. 89
“. . . the brain has been shaped by evolution and adaptations that arose independently of one another to solve specific problems.”
Marcus, G. (2008).
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
. New York: Houghton-Mifflin.
“. . . adaptations such as the ability to anticipate the future, solve puzzles, distinguish animate from inanimate objects, identify friends and enemies, and avoid being manipulated or deceived.”
Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music. In
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference,
edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, pp. 1-13.
“. . . the brain has been shaped by evolution and adaptations that arose independently of one another to solve specific problems.”
Marcus, G. (2008).
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
. New York: Houghton-Mifflin.
“. . . adaptations such as the ability to anticipate the future, solve puzzles, distinguish animate from inanimate objects, identify friends and enemies, and avoid being manipulated or deceived.”
Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music. In
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference,
edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, pp. 1-13.
p. 90
“Recall Daniel Dennett’s argument that we don’t find babies cute because they are
intrinsically
cute . . .”
See Chapter 1.
“When we find something pleasurable or displeasurable, it is often because tens of thousands of years of brain evolution have
selected
for those emotions. . . .”
Jamshed Bharucha, a music cognition professor at Tufts University and former editor of the journal
Music Perception,
adds: “Many experiences of pleasure and displeasure, including disgust, outrage, liking, pleasantness, are the result of cultural familiarity or violation thereof. In some cultures, grasshoppers and dogs are considered delicious; in other cultures, the idea of eating them would be considered revolting. People familiar with the operatic voice love it. Others hate it. I have come across teachers of Western classical voice who find the Karnatic classical voice to be nasal and ugly—it goes against everything they teach. Many highly trained classical musicians have a hard time appreciating the classical musics of other cultures. I have found some of the most skilled Indian classical musicians (of older generations, who have not had early exposure to Western music) just don’t get the big deal about Beethoven. Ditto in reverse. I always have been amazed at how indifferent so many skilled musicians are to other forms of music. This is not true of all musicians, but certainly of many.”
“Recall Daniel Dennett’s argument that we don’t find babies cute because they are
intrinsically
cute . . .”
See Chapter 1.
“When we find something pleasurable or displeasurable, it is often because tens of thousands of years of brain evolution have
selected
for those emotions. . . .”
Jamshed Bharucha, a music cognition professor at Tufts University and former editor of the journal
Music Perception,
adds: “Many experiences of pleasure and displeasure, including disgust, outrage, liking, pleasantness, are the result of cultural familiarity or violation thereof. In some cultures, grasshoppers and dogs are considered delicious; in other cultures, the idea of eating them would be considered revolting. People familiar with the operatic voice love it. Others hate it. I have come across teachers of Western classical voice who find the Karnatic classical voice to be nasal and ugly—it goes against everything they teach. Many highly trained classical musicians have a hard time appreciating the classical musics of other cultures. I have found some of the most skilled Indian classical musicians (of older generations, who have not had early exposure to Western music) just don’t get the big deal about Beethoven. Ditto in reverse. I always have been amazed at how indifferent so many skilled musicians are to other forms of music. This is not true of all musicians, but certainly of many.”
p. 91
“ . . .‘Suspicious Minds’. . .”
James, M. (1956). Suspicious minds [Recorded by Elvis Presley]. On
Suspicious Minds
[45rpm record]. RCA. (1969). “Suspicious Minds” has also been recorded by Fine Young Cannibals, Dwight Yoakam, Robbie Williams, the punk band Avail, and many others.
“ . . .‘Suspicious Minds’. . .”
James, M. (1956). Suspicious minds [Recorded by Elvis Presley]. On
Suspicious Minds
[45rpm record]. RCA. (1969). “Suspicious Minds” has also been recorded by Fine Young Cannibals, Dwight Yoakam, Robbie Williams, the punk band Avail, and many others.
p. 91
“Nature doesn’t build mental devices whose purpose isn’t related
-92
to adaptive fitness.”
Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music.
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference
, edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, p. 2.
“Nature doesn’t build mental devices whose purpose isn’t related
-92
to adaptive fitness.”
Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music.
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference
, edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, p. 2.
p. 92
“Although there do exist discrete ‘pleasure centers’ in the brain, dozens of neurotransmitters and brain regions contribute to feelings of pleasure.”
These two sentences are nearly direct quotes from: Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music.
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference,
edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, p. 2.
“Although there do exist discrete ‘pleasure centers’ in the brain, dozens of neurotransmitters and brain regions contribute to feelings of pleasure.”
These two sentences are nearly direct quotes from: Huron, D. (2005). The plural pleasures of music.
Proceedings of the 2004 Music and Music Science Conference,
edited by J. Sundberg and W. Brunson. Stockholm: Kungliga Musikhögskolan & KTH, p. 2.
p. 94
“In one published study on music therapy, a group of Korean researchers took stroke survivors and gave them an eight-week program of physical therapy that involved synchronized movements to music.”
Jeong, S. and M. T. Kim. (2007). Effects of a theory-driven music and movement program for stroke survivors in a community setting.
Applied Nursing Research
20(3): 125-31.
“In one published study on music therapy, a group of Korean researchers took stroke survivors and gave them an eight-week program of physical therapy that involved synchronized movements to music.”
Jeong, S. and M. T. Kim. (2007). Effects of a theory-driven music and movement program for stroke survivors in a community setting.
Applied Nursing Research
20(3): 125-31.
p. 95
“In fact, in the long run, she will tend to get 25 percent of them [the cards] right.”
This is because for any given “trial” (that is, each time your friend tries to guess the suit of a card) there are four possibilities: hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. On Trial 1 you might be looking at a spade and your friend might guess heart. On Trial 2 you might be looking at a heart and your friend might guess diamond. But on the average, your friend’s guesses will align with yours one out of four times; if she is truly guessing at random, that is, if she has no idea. For that matter, if you friend tries to be stubborn and just says “hearts” on
every single trial,
even though they can’t
all
be hearts, she will still be right on 25 percent of the trials.
“In fact, in the long run, she will tend to get 25 percent of them [the cards] right.”
This is because for any given “trial” (that is, each time your friend tries to guess the suit of a card) there are four possibilities: hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. On Trial 1 you might be looking at a spade and your friend might guess heart. On Trial 2 you might be looking at a heart and your friend might guess diamond. But on the average, your friend’s guesses will align with yours one out of four times; if she is truly guessing at random, that is, if she has no idea. For that matter, if you friend tries to be stubborn and just says “hearts” on
every single trial,
even though they can’t
all
be hearts, she will still be right on 25 percent of the trials.
p. 98
“. . . oxytocin . . .”
C
43
H
66
N
12
O
12
S
2
. It is produced in the hypothalamus.
“Serum concentrations of oxytocin increased significantly [in people who had been given singing lessons].”
Grape, C., M. Sandgren, L. O. Hansson, M. Ericson, and T. Theorell. (2003). Does singing promote well-being?
Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science
38(1): 65-74.
“. . . oxytocin has just been found to increase trust between people.”
Kosfeld M., M. Heinrichs, P. Zak, U. Fischbacher, and E. Fehr. (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans.
Nature
435: 673- 676.
“Why oxytocin is released when people sing together is probably related evolutionarily to the social bonding function of music . . .”
Freeman, W. J. (1995).
Societies of Brains: A Study in the Neuroscience of Love and Hate
. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
“. . . oxytocin . . .”
C
43
H
66
N
12
O
12
S
2
. It is produced in the hypothalamus.
“Serum concentrations of oxytocin increased significantly [in people who had been given singing lessons].”
Grape, C., M. Sandgren, L. O. Hansson, M. Ericson, and T. Theorell. (2003). Does singing promote well-being?
Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science
38(1): 65-74.
“. . . oxytocin has just been found to increase trust between people.”
Kosfeld M., M. Heinrichs, P. Zak, U. Fischbacher, and E. Fehr. (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans.
Nature
435: 673- 676.
“Why oxytocin is released when people sing together is probably related evolutionarily to the social bonding function of music . . .”
Freeman, W. J. (1995).
Societies of Brains: A Study in the Neuroscience of Love and Hate
. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
BOOK: The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
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