On Music. The Science of Human Obsession with Sound

A rocker turned neurobiologist, Daniel Levitin explores the connection between music – its performance, composition, how we listen to it, what we like about it – and the human brain. Engaging in dialogue with prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary coincidence, Levitin asserts that it is a fundamental trait of our species. For much of human history, composing and performing music has been as natural as breathing and walking, involving everyone. Drawing on research and musical examples from Mozart to Duke Ellington and Eddie Van Halen, the author explains how composers, using knowledge of how our brains perceive the world, create incredibly pleasurable experiences from listening to music; why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to in our teenage years; why practical exercises are even more important than talent for achieving musical mastery; how pesky catchy melodies get stuck in our heads.

This book is a story about how the brain and music have evolved together, what music can tell us about the brain, and what the brain can tell us about music, and how through them we learn about ourselves.