Music and the Mind by Anthony Storr Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Music and the Mind
Book Review: An "artsy" book of little interest.
Summary: 1 Stars
The jacket and reviews of this book claim that it is written by a psychologist. This is wrong, it is written by a psychiatrist, with all the difference once expects between the two professions. I bought this book hoping for a scientific discussion of how music influences us, for example things like: the influence of music of different types on animals, the reactions of children to different types of music, what MRI and PET scans tells us about the effect of music on the brain,
differences in music across cultures; stuff like that.
What I got was a text in the worst traditions of Freud and Jung, a rambling collection of fragments and observations from the writings of Western Civ over the last two thousand years and presumed to be true simply because their language is resonant and evocative. This is doubtless of interest to some people, but is of very little interest to me.
To people like myself, interested in what is actually known about music and the mind, rather than interested in simply reading a hundred different ways in which people have essentially said the same thing "Music has a profound and mysterious effect on the mind", this book is a complete waste of time and money. I cannot warn you strongly enough that it will do nothing but disappoint you.
Book Review: Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
Storr begins with the ambitious task of answering the following question: why does a minor scale sound sad and why does a major scale sound happy? He takes the reader on an informative and thought provoking history of that examines the elements of music common to all societies and ultimately reaches his final and most important conclusion on the ultimate benefit we derive from music: peace, resolution and piece of mind. Storr's ultimate claim is that counterpoint in music and resolution does musically what people so often cannot do in real life: resolve opposing and competing forces.Book Review: Good reference book.
Summary: 4 Stars
I used this book to help me write my senior thesis (rooted in music education). Very helpful reference book and has excellent research about music therapy and autism.Book Review: Mostly a review of other peoples' writings
Summary: 3 Stars
This book has some interest value - but does not really get to the point and heart of why music has such an impact on our minds. It is more of a long review of other peoples' writing on this topic - mostly psychologists, sometimes turgidly long. Read Oliver Sachs as well, and get nearer to the mark.Book Review: Music and the Mind
Summary: 5 Stars
The book was in great condition and I received it on time.
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