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Storr has written a clear and lucid description of the significance of music in human life. His view encompasses biological and psychological
logical data while putting both into a philosophical and historical framework. This is a tall order, but he succeeds in this task through a carefully organized, logical progression of chapters. Storr's approach will appeal to the intellectual reader; at the same time he is able to communicate his enthusiasm and love for his subject. This duality, combining logic and love, gives the topic both momentum and stability, which are characteristic of the most enduring works of music.
Storr begins with a description of the origins of music in mother- infant vocalizing. Song is a vital part of the communication between people, to inspire and direct feelings leading to group cohesion. Music usually brings about similar physical responses in people, and making music is rooted in the body, so there is a close relationship between emotional arousal and acoustic stimulation. Storr describes the many profound, beneficial effects of music on people with neurological and psychological disabilities. He convincingly shows how music can order or structure mental content and proposes that exposure to complicated music facilitates the development of neural networks.
There are many interesting questions raised and to some extent answered in this book. For example, is musical expression based on “natural phenomena,” such as the heartbeat, which would make it a kind of universal language? Storr concludes that there is no one type of music “rooted in nature,” but there are many musical expressions that are cultural artifacts. His thesis is that music originates from the human brain and that there is nothing particularly natural or superior about the Western tonal system.
Another controversial question is whether music is primarily an escape from reality. Storr describes a psychoanalytic theory of music in which listening to music is enjoyable because it