Musical Cognition

Taylor & Francis

Musical CognitionA Science of Listening\nAuthor(s): Henkjan Honing\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Inc, United States\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781412852920, 978-1412852920\nSynopsis\nWhy do people attach importance to the wordless language we call music? Musical Cognition suggests that music is a game. In music, our cognitive functions such as perception, memory, attention, and expectation are challenged; yet, as listeners, we often do not realize that the listener plays an active role in reaching the awareness that makes music so exhilarating, soothing, and inspiring. In reality, the author contends, listening does not happen in the outer world of audible sound, but in the inner world of our minds and brains.\n\nRecent research in the areas of psychology and neuro-cognition allows Henkjan Honing to be explicit in a way that many of his predecessors could not. His lucid, evocative writing style guides the reader through what is known about listening to music.