Music and the Brain (2018)

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 our 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, delaying 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.

After teaching medical students and writing medical and musical articles, the author agrees with Elliot Cohen that “No idea is so difficult and complex but that it could be expressed in a way that would be understood by anyone to whom it might conceivably be of interest.”  

The story begins with a Gilded Age millionaire creating 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 the automobile, World Wars, and the Great Depression. Residents tore down hotels and other buildings but cherished their memories. 

Rejuvenation started with “The Little Theater in the Woods” in 1927. In 1975, two resident artists, the author, and the Chautauqua continued this revival by creating a summer outdoor art show and a music festival. Both have been recognized nationally as some of the best of their kind.

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

A blend of history and memoir, the author advocates for the enduring value of great music written over the past thousand years. Mozart in the Woods emphasizes how its excellent performance helps sustain the community and artistic spirit that defines Mt. Gretna today.