Abridged CDs • 5 CDs, 6 hours
Daniel Levitin follows up his acclaimed New York Times–bestselling first book, This Is Your Brain on Music, with The World in Six Songs, an audacious look at how the brain evolved to play and listen to music in six fundamental forms and gave rise to human culture.
The World in Six Songs
Chapter 1: Taking It from the Top or "The Hills Are Alive . . ."
Music and poetry. The two uniquely human components of the music brain.
Chapter 2: Friendship or "War (What Is It Good For)?"
Social bonding, synchronous coordinated movement, the evolution of emotional bonding, protest music for group cohesion.
Chapter 3: Joy or "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut"
The first song. Neurochemical effects of music and music therapy.
Chapter 4: Comfort or "Before There Was Prozac, There Was You"
Why we listen to sad music when we're sad. Lullabyes and the blues. (And a short story about depressed restaurant workers pushed to the edge by a happy song.)
Chapter 5: Knowledge or "I Need to Know"
Music as an information-bearing medium. Learning, memory, and oral histories.
Chapter 6: Religion or "People Get Ready"
The role of music and ritual in creating order, reducing ambiguity, and commemorating important times and events.
Chapter 7: Love or "Bring 'Em All In"
The sense of hearing and the prefrontal cortex. Tools, musical instruments, and shaping the environment. The evolution of social structure.
Appendix
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
“A must-read. . .A literary, poetic, scientific, and musical treat.”
—Seattle Times
“An exemplary mix of scientist and artist, student and teacher, performer and listener.”
—Library Journal, starred review
“A fantastic ride.”
—New Scientist
“Leading researchers in music cognition are already singing its praises.”
—Evolutionary Psychology
