Music and the Brain (2018)

“No idea is so difficult and complex but that it could be expressed in a way that would make it understood by anyone to whom it might conceivably be of interest.”  --Elliot Cohen

Music distinguishes Homo sapiens from all other species. It is a part of human nature. The branch of neuroscience known as "neuromusic" examines how music can help shape the brain by activating and expanding its parts that also participate in a wide range of other functions. We have learned how these parts connect and strengthen with music playing and listening, especially at a young age, and are beginning to understand the significance of music in human life. 

Dr. Ellenberger explains why we prefer certain kinds of music and how playing and listening can exercise the brain at all ages by building "cognitive reserve."  This reserve can help delay age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Music can alleviate a variety of human ailments and support recovery from strokes. Ellenberger also addresses the potential downsides of music practice, including a rare form of dystonia and the increasing occurrence of hearing loss, particularly among musicians. 

The second section of the book illustrates how music has enriched the author's life, a theme amplified in Mozart in the Woods. The book and accompanying blog argue that music can help us reach our fullest human potential and build community.

The story begins with a Gilded Age millionaire establishing Mt. Gretna in 1882 as an amusement park around a small mining railroad station. He added a Chautauqua and a Brethren religious retreat, a narrow-gauge railroad, and an encampment for the Pennsylvania National Guard before declaring bankruptcy in 1893. "Gretna" continued to attract summer visitors, including a U.S. president, but declined with the rise of automobile travel, the World Wars, and the Great Depression. Residents demolished hotels and other buildings, but cherished memories. 

The birth of summer stock theater in 1927 provided a glimpse of rejuvenation. Then, in 1975, two resident artists, the author, and the Chautauqua continued this revival by establishing a summer outdoor art show and a music festival. Both were eventually recognized nationally as among the best of their kind and helped make Mt. Gretna the thriving arts village it is today.

 Before and after the original Chautauqua Auditorium collapsed in 1994, Gretna Music transformed its open-air home, the Mt. Gretna Playhouse, into a rural ‘Carnegie Hall,’ continuing to host more than 750 concerts and 2,000 renowned artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Midori, Lionel Hampton, Stéphane Grappelli, Dave Brubeck, Leon Fleisher, the Martha Graham dancers, the Audubon String Quartet, Emanuel Ax, and Hilary Hahn.

This book, a blend of history and memoir, celebrates the enduring power of music and the vibrant community spirit that defines Mt. Gretna today. The author makes the case for the timeless value of enduring music written over the past millennium and continues to be written.