by Carl Ellenberger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 31, 2018
Illuminating thoughts on the medical and emotional benefits of music.
A retired, flute-playing neurologist discusses music as therapy and communication.
Music and medicine have always been on equal footing for Ellenberger (Perimetry, Principles, Technique, and Interpretation, 1980), who studied flute performance while enrolled at the Yale School of Medicine. In 1973, a job offer from the Pennsylvania State University’s medical center took him to Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, where he joined the Harrisburg Symphony and founded a nationally renowned small music festival, Gretna Music. In the first part of this book, the author examines how the brain processes musical information: “The requirement of a highly developed neocortex probably explains why humans (Homo sapiens)…are the only species who play and listen to music,” he explains. He also floats the possibility that music is an inborn human need, similar to religion. Brain plasticity in the first two decades of life, he notes, makes it much easier to develop musical skill and memory, which may account for child prodigies. (Still, only 1 in 10,000 children under the age of 10 have absolute pitch, he reports.) At another point, Ellenberger suggests that classical music could appeal to younger people more if concerts were shorter, advertised more widely, and held in unconventional locations; he notes that the Mt. Gretna Playhouse, tucked into a forest, is a good example of the latter. The book also includes intriguing and helpful chapters on the use of music in therapy and its potential for delaying dementia and treating Parkinson’s disease. In the book’s second part, the author brings his musical musings closer to home, remembering his own meaningful collaborations with pianist Jerry Bramblett and harpsichordist Doris Ornstein, among others. These reflections, which are presented in somewhat random order, may not be of wide interest outside the Gretna circle; they also feel rather disconnected from the content of Part One, which is much more engaging. Ellenberger can be overly reliant on long quotes from other authors at times, but it’s clear he knows his stuff, and he makes the science of music understandable throughout this work.
Illuminating thoughts on the medical and emotional benefits of music.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9995612-3-2
Page Count: 299
Publisher: Sunacumen Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ludwig Bemelmans
BOOK REVIEW
developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.