| Beethoven's Anvil: Music in Mind and Culture Revised Edition Contributor(s): Benzon, William (Author) |
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ISBN: 0465015441 ISBN-13: 9780465015443 Publisher: Basic Books OUR PRICE: $23.74 Product Type: Paperback Published: October 2002 Annotation: Why does the brain create music? In Beethoven's Anvil, cognitive scientist and jazz musician William Benzon finds the key to music's function in the very complexity of musical experience. Music demands that our symbol-processing capacities, motor skills, and emotional and communicative skills all work in close coordination--not only within our own heads but also with the heads (and bodies) of others. Music is at once deeply personal and highly social, highly disciplined yet open to emotional nuance and interpretation. It's precisely this coordination of different mental functions, Benzon argues, that underlies our deep need to create and participate in music. At once daring and scholarly, this remarkable book offers a sweeping vision of a vital, underappreciated force in our minds and our culture. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Music | Instruction & Study - Appreciation - Music | History & Criticism - General |
| Dewey: 781.11 |
| LCCN: 2001037509 |
| Series: Music in Mind and Culture |
| Physical Information: 0.89" H x 5.98" W x 9.07" (1.14 lbs) 352 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Why does the brain create music? In Beethoven's Anvil, cognitive scientist and jazz musician William Benzon finds the key to music's function in the very complexity of musical experience. Music demands that our symbol-processing capacities, motor skills, emotional and communicative skills all work in close coordination-not only within our own heads but with the heads (and bodies) of others. Music is at once deeply personal and highly social, highly disciplined and open to emotional nuance and interpretation. It's precisely this coordination of different mental functions, Benzon argues, that underlies our deep need to create and participate in music. Music synchronizes the brain and has had a profound, and little-appreciated, influence on the shape of the mind and human cultures. This is a remarkable book: both daring and scholarly, it offers a sweeping vision of a vital, underappreciated force in our minds and culture. |