Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination

Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination
Average customer rating:

Very Interesting

Too Careless

A very underrated book, although some of reviewer criticisms are quite valid

Brilliant melodies, gorgeous prose

A Great Book on the Psychology of Music

Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination
Robert Jourdain
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Appreciation | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Instruction & Study | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Theory | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 038078209X
Release Date: 1998-03-01

Amazon.com

What is music? How and why does it affect us? What is the nature of musical genius? Author/composer Robert Jourdain explores these and other questions, from the essential nature of sound through composition, performance, and, finally, the nature of ecstasy. His prose is eminently readable, offering a very accessible account of a difficult subject to the general reader as well as to the musical sophisticate. This is a fascinating and intriguing book, written by someone who clearly knows his subject.

Book Description

What makes a distant oboe's wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it. In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdian's narrative to vivid life: "idiots savants" who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.What makes a distant oboes wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it.

In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdians narrative to vivid life: idiots savants who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.

Customer Reviews:

Very Interesting.......2007-09-28

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed reading about the personality characteristics of the greatest composers. Why did Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens never fully develop the potential they showed early in life while Beethoven's skills in composition improved consistently during his lifetime? For me, this book at least addressed, if not answered, some of the questions I've wondered about for a very long time. A previous reviewer complained the book portrayed snobbery. I guess from a certain viewpoint, someone could feel that way. James Brown said he'd surpassed everyone, Beethoven, Mozart, everyone because he'd written 5,000 songs. With all due respect and acknowledging Mr. Brown's very real talent, there is a bit of a difference there. For hundreds of years, music has been created for purposes of art and has been written also as popular music. Both unquestionably have their place in the world of music. The same could be said of all the arts. Is Australian aboriginal art less important than a Monet? Not if we believe the real purpose of art. I suggest an individual's opinion of this book depends on what they are hoping to take away from it. For me, it was an enjoyable, informative read.

Too Careless.......2007-08-05

I didn't even get to page 100 before deciding that the information in this book couldn't be trusted, and so I'm not going to finish reading it. I do have some expertise in classical music, and the author is just plain wrong in some things he says in that area. After realizing that he not very conscientious in the area which I was knowledgeable, I certainly can't rely on his presentation of facts in the scientific areas that I don't know so well, and that kind of material is the bulk of the book. The writing itself is not very impressive, either. Some of it seems to be trying in a much too calculated way to be "popular". Other of it fails when trying to explain complicated stuff, giving the impression that the author himself was none to clear about the material. And some of the writing is strangely "off", as if he looked up the wrong word in a thesaurus. It's really too bad the book isn't a success, because the subject matter itself is fascinating, and a high quality, well-written book on it would be most welcome.

A very underrated book, although some of reviewer criticisms are quite valid.......2007-05-05

I am a former research scientist and lifelong musician. I also have a graduate education in psychology and I don't approach any of the arts in a reductionistic fashion. It is from this space that I am evaluating this book on its merits with the understanding that its scope is indeed limited to Western music, which is only a small slice of the musical pie.

What I most like about this book is the way it weaves a story of the emergence of hearing and how sound affects us physically and psychology. For this purpose, the author draws on diverse sources such as science, anthropology, sociology, etc. However, he does this by weaving a tapestry of interesting threads, which is not at all like the construction of an academic treatise.

This book is also accessible to anyone and everyone! It is not just for musicians, scientists of psychologists. The target audience is the average person, however, if you have a background in one or more of these areas, you will appreciate the contents even more.

An underlying premise of the book is that music is satisfying because it sets up "anticipations" and then goes about satisfying them in unexpected ways. The more complex the music, the more types of anticipatory events are created and satisfied in more imaginative ways. I didn't really think about this until I read the book, but it's true. I can validate this in my own experience over a lifetime.

While some people may feel the application of biology or any other field is reductionistic, I didn't find this to be the case. Rather, I found that the author used various lenses and legitimate domains of knowledge to explore the many and varied facets of musical experience. Rather than taking away the mystery of what moves us, it makes the whole musical adventure even more fascinating and mysterious.

My guess is that most of you reading this are not familiar with Ken Wilber who is a rather famous contemporary philosopher. Ken espouses a worldview that embraces four irreducible domains of human experience that inform each other. He feels the split between arts, science and morals was the result of one domain (science), dominating the others. I believe there is much truth to this argument, but you will find none of this spirit here. I don't want or need to go into Ken Wilber in detail here, but he provides a very credible and integral worldview and I think this book is very much in the spirit of honoring each domain of human experience without a need to reduce any one of them to another. (For more on Wilber's books, see my listmania lists or for a nice introduction check out A Brief History of Everything.

Brilliant melodies, gorgeous prose.......2007-02-23

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand how the human mind perceives, understands and translates music. Absolutely wonderful!

A Great Book on the Psychology of Music.......2007-01-10

I really enjoyed this book - in fact I took dozens of pages on a borrowed copy, then had to get my own. It may be a dense read for the layman, but anyone with a bit of science education will understand it, and really appreciate the fascinating perceptual and physical-psychological properties of the sound assortments we call music. A must read......
Here's a web site that recommends more books of this type:
[...]

Voyage to Virginia in 1609: 2 Narratives, Strachey's 'True Reportory' and Jourdain's 'Discovery of the Bermudas'

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Voyage to Virginia in 1609: 2 Narratives, Strachey's 'True Reportory' and Jourdain's 'Discovery of the Bermudas'
William Strachey , and Sylvester Jourdain
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0813902304

Chez nous: Branché sur le monde francophone with CD-ROM, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Chez Nous
Still One of the Most Useful Texts Available
Review of Chez Nous

Chez nous: Branché sur le monde francophone with CD-ROM, Second Edition
Albert Valdman , Cathy Pons , Mary Ellen Scullen , and Sarah Jourdain
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Chez Nous: Branche Sur Le Monde Francophone
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ASIN: 0130918946

Customer Reviews:

Chez Nous.......2007-01-11

The books was in perfect conditions, but it did not come with the computer Key. I had alot of trouble because of that.

Still One of the Most Useful Texts Available.......2006-06-15

This earlier edition is still, I would say, one of the most useful texts available in this area.

Review of Chez Nous.......1998-10-21

I find that this first-year college level French text to be an adequate introduction to the language. I expecially appreciate the wide-array of authentic examples of francophone culture presented throughout the text. It is through these examples, that the student is able to apply to concepts and vocabulary in everyday situations. My only complaint with the book is the fact that in several of the short essays, many words are introduced but without any translations either in the essay or the glossary. Many times this is frustrating to students. However, the cassette tapes that accompany the text are a beneficial tool to the mastery of proper pronunciation.

Radical Awakening: Cutting through the Conditioned Mind

Average customer rating:

Read It, Read It Again, Forget It
worthwhile reading
enjoyable but...
another current era "awakened master"
not clear enough

Radical Awakening: Cutting through the Conditioned Mind
Stephen Jourdain
Manufacturer: Inner Directions Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

At the age of sixteen, Stephen Jourdain experienced a radical awakening while contemplating Descartes's famous saying, "I think, therefore I am." In a moment, all concepts about who he believed himself to be were completely destroyed, and he stood alone in the emptiness of Love, Consciousness, or God.

This translation of L'irreverence de l'eveil, (1992), contains highly original essays on the nature of our true self and the awakened heart, as well as a unique series of dialogues between Jourdain and a close friend and student, Gilles Farcet. Matter-of-fact in manner, the philosopher expresses both the reality and myth of enlightenment with humility, insight, wit, and humor.

"In our culture where 'spirituality' has become a trade-word, there is something truly refreshing in Stephen Jourdain's irreverent voice. Fiercely independent from all intellectual and religious trends, Jourdain sounds, at time, like the Chan/Zen master whom he never read."--Professor Bernard Faure, Department of Religious Studies, Stanford University

"Stephen Jourdain is one of the most original philosophers living today. With the skill and insight of a true sage he exposes the folly of our established beliefs, which keep us from experiencing ourselves as we truly are."--Bertram W. Salzman, Academy Award-winning director

Customer Reviews:

Read It, Read It Again, Forget It.......2007-01-21

These conversations with our man Stephen Jourdain should be read as dispassionately as possible. To be fully engrossed in his words, one must forget what is usually taken to be the signs of a rambling personality on fire. This is not that. This is something much more, and it should become clear to anyone who is really interested that the words explain much about the state Steve is experiencing.

Therefore, it might help to read it more than once and even try to puzzle over the words and find out what it might have been like to be Steve. Overall, I give this 4 stars because I like the man and have never come across anyone who speaks about this experience so clearly; that is, almost exclusively concentrated on personal experience and in the language of a European. Even my personal favorite teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj speaks in the language of Hinduism: tamas, rajas, sattva, the five elements, etc. However, it does not warrant 5 stars because it is just a set of conversations, there is nothing complete about it. I imagine his written books go into much more detail but they are not widely circulated here in the States; never read any of them.

This is not a method-based expression of the awakening, it is mostly a personal recollection. Steve is not a teacher of any technique or school of thought or religion. Above all, remember to forget these words, because they are not to be taken absolutely at all. For any "westerner" interested in "liberation from the false" this is quite a good introduction to what that could mean. Be careful not to let your ego sting too much with it, it is hard to read it without worrying over one's own worth. To be sure, we are all headed in this direction, however far along we may appear to be. Don't believe me? Well read it, read it again, and then forget it.

worthwhile reading.......2003-07-29

This is a well structured conversation with Stephen Jourdain. Probably, the original conversation took place in French and then later translated into English. The translator used words which are not very common in American English conversations which forced me to use the dictionary. I had difficulty understanding what Stephen really intended at some very important places because of lack of clarity in translation or punctuation or correctness of expression or some other fault.

Nevertheless it is a special book. It is different from `As It Is' by Tony parsons or similar books which talk of pure Presence etc. Because the author does not have an established framework and vocabulary, the explanations are difficult to grasp completely. However there are brilliant presentations of awakening which may work as hints on how a seeker can approach to understand it.

However, the book lacks in establishing either the cause, preparation or a clear-cut path to this realization. There are some discrete ideas which are helpful. But, they may not form a complete guidance for a seeker.

Stephen has not given any Yes or No answers to Reincarnation, who will get this enlightenment, a path and other questions. We have to live with this ambiguity. At times the answers are contradictory.

Page 37:

SJ: "There is certainly a union of the subject and the object but they do not "Fuse", they do not disappear in some kind of undistinguishable magma. What's miraculous in these experiences is that, without in the least losing my identity, in legitimately remaining who I am, I become the table, the stove, or the mountain, or the entire landscape, which in turn, remains integrally itself." . . . . . ..

. . . . "The extraordinary thing is that two completely different things can be truly joined while each, at the same time, maintains its original nature."

The nature of an awakened is explained quite forcefully through out the book. The essays on `The Powers', `Practical Work' are very important and highly forceful. These present the nature of illusion and the solution in a very direct way. The thoughts are very profound (but at some places unclear) and one needs to read the essays in completion. I am quoting a few thoughts here.

Page 55 and 56:

SJ: " . . . . . . I'm talking about certain qualities of discernment that do not exist in the normal conscious state and which are the properties of the awakening. When the awakening presents itself, they take their place in the same way that the faculty of attention, the faculty of reasoning, etc., return automatically and instantly upon awakening in the morning."

GF: What are these faculties ?

SJ: "First and foremost, the discernment of a primordial thought springing forth directly from the spiritual essence. Therefore, it does not concern the thought that emanates from the usual psychological subject, but from the original thought preceding that. This thought does not gush from the faucet but from the spring itself which, as everyone knows, is the ultimate source of the faucet. This discernment is immensely important because it is what brings about the "disidentification". Following that is the conscious discernment of this combination called my "spirit" or my "inner life" as an image. The usual state of consciousness proceeds from the postulate that if I can create a mental image of my mother or of a tree, they're like little paintings hung in a room, yet the room is not an image, no more, infact, than I who produce all that. But the awakening brings the recognition of a primordial, mental imagery issuing directly from the source. In other words, the picture my own spirit has of itself is a presentation of nature full of images. There is not, of course, any kind of awareness of this in the state of normal sleep. The extraordinary thing is that doing away with that means doing away with "my spirit". Finally, I'll mention the discernment of the me as originally conceived, which can be declared as the mortal enemy of me in its integrity. The usual state of consciousness is "me degrading into a thought of me"."

Page 171:

"In order to reabsorb the hallucination, bring back what is only thought to the source of thought in such a way that it appears in its true mental nature, that is to say as nothingness, a first method would consist of making an attack at the very heart of the dream. The central rivet of the hallucination is nothing other than the absolute belief in myself in the act of producing a thought, of dreaming of this or that. Whether my thoughts are happy or sad, it would appear that I can't place the objective reality of the situation into doubt: I am there and I secrete an inner world, yet my mood swings, and I question myself about the existence of the awakening, about my chances of getting there or, quite simply, of boring myself silly; all that has no real existence. There's a paradox here: having no power over your own inner states, you endure them. You'd prefer not to worry anything while, at the same time, establishing that the generative thoughts of worry resist you. You can't easily chase them. Yet, that means that, while having the intuition that what you are is not reducible to your thoughts ("I worry" necessarily supposes the existence of an "I"), you confer on the latter the fact that they resist you, an objective status. In other words, the usual state of consciousness has the characteristic of an extraordinary madness: having the presentiment that at the center of myself there is only myself while at the same time, being certain of the presence at the center of myself of a not-me - as a matter of fact, if the worry wasn't from the not-me, I would be able to reabsorb it and not endure it. The most interesting way to accomplish this is to question the reality of what happens within me now, immediately, right away."

Some people may complain that Stephen sounds very egotic in referring to his personal privileged gifts which opened the awakening for him. Some may even get discouraged that it is not for them. We only have to accept what he is saying whether we like it or not. After all he is very un-conventional through out the book. Whatever may be our feelings, the book has profound explanations of awakening and has clues into the mind of a man who lives by it.

It is worthwhile reading it.

enjoyable but..........2003-06-07

Definately a Frenchman in his consumate appreciation of language. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was reading someone with the playful rollercoaster verbosity of a Gilles Deleuze only with a more metaphysical slant. Unfortunately the book comes across more as an ego trip than an ego transcendance but who's to be the judge in these matters? How do you critically evaluate a mystic, when you are not awakened? Instict, intuition? Perhaps. Jourdain speaks about the ineffable with an admixture of nihilism, dizzy poetic baroque language and literary vigor. The only evident thing here is the man can talk! Don't expect anything else -It's HOPELESS!!

another current era "awakened master".......2003-02-10

mr jourdain is another of that rare breed who see beyond what the rest of us are capable of seeing. awake! he sees beyond the poor shadows and ego games we take as real life and a real world. he knows how to be still and know I AM. this is an interesting book of conversations with a very rare bird indeed. in my humble judgement i rate jourdain with the likes of david hawkins and jed mckenna, but probably still short of ramana maharshi and nisargadatta maharaj and a few, very few, others. i notice these great ones generally tell us seeking is futile, there's no "place" we should go and there's nothing we need "do." they hold rank on me and i can't argue but i always notice that they themselves were extremely driven "seekers" before the great awakening came. things that make you say, "hmmm"...a very interesting read this book is, about a very interesting fellow. for myself, though, i think i'll just keep right on knocking to open, asking to be given, seeking to find.....

not clear enough.......2003-01-12

If you are looking for a story of a man who got what you don't seem to have, you may more or less enjoy this book. It will keep Liberation at a safe distance: only for the few "awakened ones" and not (yet) for you, the reader.
If you really want to know what true awakening is, you'd better read Tony Parson's book "As It Is". Or a book from Steven Harrison, Chuck Hillig, Nathan Gill or Douglas Harding.
I liked the title "my name is nobody" on page 151, but I am disappointed the whole enlightenment issue is personalised. For example, he claims to be awakened (p.65). A lot of readers may be confused about that. Liberation has nothing to do with a person, and even less with perfection or holiness (as is suggested in a lot of books from the East). Although I am sure meeting Stephen is very interesting, inspiring and maybe exiting, keep your head clear about this.
Remember: awakening has nothing to do with me or Stephen or Tony or Douglas, it is about That which we all share. If you can keep that in mind, it is OK to read Stephen Jourdain's book. Or to go and see him.

Jan Kersschot, author of "Nobody Home"

Workbook/Lab Manual to Accompany Chez Nous: Branche Sur Le Monde Fransophone (Second Edition)
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Workbook/Lab Manual to Accompany Chez Nous: Branche Sur Le Monde Fransophone (Second Edition)
Mary Ellen Scullen , Virginie Cassidy , Albert Valdman , Cathy Pons , and Sarah Jourdain
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall, Upper Sadle River, NJ
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Product Description

Companion for Chez Nous -- Branche Sur Le Monde Francophone by Albert Valdman, Cathy Pons, Mary Ellen Scullen & Sarah Jourdain

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The Nature of Mathematics
Philip E. B. Jourdain
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486458857

Book Description

Anyone interested in mathematics will appreciate this survey, which explores the distinction between the body of knowledge known as mathematics and the methods used in its discovery. It traces the growth of mathematical science from ancient to modern times, chronicling the application of mathematics to natural science. 1913 edition.

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Bridge (Play the Game)
Patrick Jourdain
Manufacturer: Blandford Pr
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PROGRAMMER'S PROBLEM SOLVER, SECOND EDITION (The Peter Norton Programming Library)

Average customer rating:

All about low level control of your computer
This book is a must-have for low level programming
They don't make 'em like this anymore

PROGRAMMER'S PROBLEM SOLVER, SECOND EDITION (The Peter Norton Programming Library)
JOURDAIN & NORTON GRP
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Video & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

All about low level control of your computer.......2006-12-06

Before the present days of "All-In-One MCSE Exam Cram", there were those computer professionals who knew about the construction of their computer hardware on a micro level and how to write programs that would control that hardware. This book is from those times. Using Basic, C, Pascal, and assembly language the reader is shown how to do such tasks as play a sequence of tones in the foreground, draw individual pixels in various graphics modes, print graphics on a laserjet printer, and intercept keystrokes without displaying them. Granted, there are much easier ways to do the things talked about in this book than assembly language programs, but you get a very good lesson on the inner workings of your computer to boot. Things have not changed so much over the years that basic computer architecture is not the same and therefore some of the information is still useful. The table of contents for the second edition is as follows:

1. Program Organization
2. Equipment Determination - Shows you how to inventory and assess various system resources.
3. Managing Memory - Shows how to inventory conventional and expanded memory. Shows how to manipulate expanded memory.
4. Programming Interrupts - After a brief tutorial on PC interrupts, you are shown how to program an interrupt controller chip, enable and disable particular interrupts, write your own ISR, and finally chain into existing interrupts.
5. Clocks and Timers - Shows how to control time, date, the real-time clock, and control real-time operations.
6. Programming Sound - Takes you from merely beeping the speaker to playing one or more tones to making sound effects.
7. Intercepting keystrokes - After intercepting keystrokes you may want to display them, intercept conditionally, and write a general purpose keyboard input routine.
8. Interpreting Keystrokes - How to look up various codes, use the numeric keypad and cursor keys, and use special purpose keys.
9. Using a Mouse - Setting the characteristics of the mouse, define the mouse's relationship to the screen, and inputting both analog and digital data from a game port.
10. Managing Disk Drives - This is all about how to manipulate and determine disk space and recover from disk errors.
11. Directory Access - How to manipulate directories and files.
12. Reading and Writing Files - The basics of file IO.
13. Controlling Video Hardware - How to control the screen display mode, background, border color, find and manipulate the cursor, and scroll a text screen.
14. Displaying text - How to write individual characters and strings.
15. Displaying Graphics - How to write pixels for the various graphics formats including EGA and VGA and how to find a color at a particular
point on the screen.
16. Controlling a printer - How to control and print on an HP LaserJet.

This book is a must-have for low level programming.......2003-10-27

The examples in this book will tell you how to control most of the basic hardware on your computer at a low level. Controlling the head and motors on the floppy drive, activating and using XMS, and many more are all explained and include a code example in 4 languages. In addition, each section includes tutorial and background information on that area of computer hardware that explains some of the background that might affect results.

They don't make 'em like this anymore.......2001-12-19

This is basically a cookbook for doing all kinds of neat things with your computer. Has code snippets in c, basic, asm, and pascal.

Book Description

Acol bidding is the most popular system in the UK and is used by the majority of players throughout the country. Because it uses a weak no-trump opening and a minimum of conventions, it's a great way for beginners to learn how to bid with confidence. Partnerships that use Acol will never have misunderstandings in the auction, regardless of the level of experience of either or both players. Now, thanks to the Daily Telegraph, American bridge enthusiasts will get the perfect introduction to this logical, easy-to-understand method, ideal for newcomers to the game as well as all social players.

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The Hard Disc Companion
Peter Norton , and Robert Jourdain
Manufacturer: Longman Higher Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0133837610

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