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“The World in Six Songs” Book Review by Paul Quarrington

September 13, 2008

All you need is love - and joy, and …
Review By PAUL QUARRINGTON

Excerpt … his examination of the role played by music in our evolution is fascinating and enlightening.

Globe and Mail Books Section Sep 13Globe & Mail Books Section
September 13, 2008

THE WORLD IN SIX SONGS
How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
By Daniel J. Levitin
Viking Canada, 354 pages, $32

“Why do some songs move us so and others leave us cold?” This puzzle and others led Levitin back to university, studying the way the human brain processes music (he currently runs the Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill).

That specific puzzle also lies at the heart of his new book, The World in Six Songs. To be more precise, the book is about why some songs move us so, Levitin being too gracious to spend a lot of time belabouring why other songs don’t. And if, like me, your first thought is, “What are the six songs?” let me explain that he has identified six disparate types of songs. His thesis is that these six song types serve different functions; moreover, that each song type has influenced human evolution, and explains much about the way we are. 

For the entire article, visit The Globe and Mail Online

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Quarrington Claims the Vezina!!

August 13, 2008

dsc_3903.JPGPaul Quarrington was recently award the Vezina Trophy (as pictured) which the Hockey Hall of Fame was warranted given the number of times Quarrington was installed in goal as a child due to his a) mass and b) inability to skate.

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