THINKING ABOUT THE HUMANITIES

Which of these statements best describes music?

a) Music reproduces all of our emotions
b) We listen to music with our muscles
c) Imagining music is a commonplace event
d) Early musical exposure is “engraved’ in our memories
All of the statements seem to be true. In Oliver Sacks “Tales of Music and the Brain” he says that music can thrill us, calm us, make us cry, make us yearn. Most of us have favorite songs or melodies that can instantly bring us back to a happy or exciting time in our lives or that we can’t stand to hear anymore because of painful memories. Some scientists say that, even unconsciously we move to music keeping time to the rhythm in some way, or expressing in our looks what the music “says” to us. Most of us can “hear music in minds” and even recall melodies from early childhood.