Overview

We’ve all had the experience: a song comes on, and suddenly we’re not where we were. We’re back in the past, or living out a future that never happened, or imagining a scene that never existed. In Transported, Elizabeth Margulis explores the phenomenon of musical daydreams–the vivid, spontaneous, emotionally redolent scenes, stories and memories we lapse into while listening to music–and argues that these everyday reveries offer a powerful and underappreciated window into how we think and feel. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, ethnography and revelations from her own teaching and research, Margulis debunks oversimplified myths and illuminates music’s true potential to alleviate anxiety, reignite creativity and foster connection. At a time when distraction dominates, Transported makes a powerful case for music as one of the last realms where the mind is still free to wander.

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9781324095798

Table of Contents

Reviews

Margulis writes in an easy, conversational style, never solemnly scholarly, and raises as many enticing questions as she answers. Moving deftly between the subjective experience of those listening to music and the brain activity of those same subjects, she considers how the mind makes metaphors and how various senses influence each other. The book is sure to make readers ponder their own encounters with music. A refreshingly original look at an ordinary phenomenon.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" A fascinating exploration of the mysterious and important connection between music and daydreams, and a deeply enjoyable path toward understanding what imbues music with its undeniable power.--Béla Fleck This vivid and insightful book provides an entirely new perspective on music's power to evoke scenes and stories in our imagination. Weaving together surprising scientific discoveries with a humanist's sensitivity to cultural and historical context, Margulis brightly illuminates a valuable aspect of musical experience that we are just beginning to understand.--Aniruddh Patel, author of Music, Language, and the Brain With striking intellectual range and an inviting voice, Elizabeth Margulis reframes everyday music listening as a subject of rigorous scientific inquiry. Bringing together insights across disciplines with a balance of precision and accessibility, she broadens our understanding of music's capacity to foster creativity and nurture well-being.--Assal Habibi, director of USC Center for Music, Brain, and Society Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams is fascinating and timely. In today's landscape of screens, algorithms, and anxiety, there couldn't be a better moment to explore the power of music to free our minds, inspire our imaginations, and awaken lost memories. The science behind these effects, explained so coherently in the book, has huge implications for healthcare; and it is woven seamlessly into real-world accounts with feeling and humor.--Renée Fleming Transported pushes forward how we understand the nexus between music and humans. And by 'we, ' I mean academics, musicians, music listeners, and even those people scratching their heads and wondering what all the fuss is about. Even better, Margulis's writing is at the same time elegant and accessible.--Daniel Levitin, author of I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine

Margulis writes in an easy, conversational style, never solemnly scholarly, and raises as many enticing questions as she answers. Moving deftly between the subjective experience of those listening to music and the brain activity of those same subjects, she considers how the mind makes metaphors and how various senses influence each other. The book is sure to make readers ponder their own encounters with music. A refreshingly original look at an ordinary phenomenon.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" A fascinating exploration of the mysterious and important connection between music and daydreams, and a deeply enjoyable path toward understanding what imbues music with its undeniable power.--Béla Fleck This vivid and insightful book provides an entirely new perspective on music's power to evoke scenes and stories in our imagination. Weaving together surprising scientific discoveries with a humanist's sensitivity to cultural and historical context, Margulis brightly illuminates a valuable aspect of musical experience that we are just beginning to understand.--Aniruddh Patel, author of Music, Language, and the Brain With striking intellectual range and an inviting voice, Elizabeth Margulis reframes everyday music listening as a subject of rigorous scientific inquiry. Bringing together insights across disciplines with a balance of precision and accessibility, she broadens our understanding of music's capacity to foster creativity and nurture well-being.--Assal Habibi, director of USC Center for Music, Brain, and Society Transported pushes forward how we understand the nexus between music and humans. And by 'we, ' I mean academics, musicians, music listeners, and even those people scratching their heads and wondering what all the fuss is about. Even better, Margulis's writing is at the same time elegant and accessible.--Daniel Levitin, author of I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine

A fascinating exploration of the mysterious and important connection between music and daydreams, and a deeply enjoyable path toward understanding what imbues music with its undeniable power.--Béla Fleck This vivid and insightful book provides an entirely new perspective on music's power to evoke scenes and stories in our imagination. Weaving together surprising scientific discoveries with a humanist's sensitivity to cultural and historical context, Margulis brightly illuminates a valuable aspect of musical experience that we are just beginning to understand.--Aniruddh Patel, author of Music, Language, and the Brain With striking intellectual range and an inviting voice, Elizabeth Margulis reframes everyday music listening as a subject of rigorous scientific inquiry. Bringing together insights across disciplines with a balance of precision and accessibility, she broadens our understanding of music's capacity to foster creativity and nurture well-being.--Assal Habibi, director of USC Center for Music, Brain, and Society Transported pushes forward how we understand the nexus between music and humans. And by 'we, ' I mean academics, musicians, music listeners, and even those people scratching their heads and wondering what all the fuss is about. Even better, Margulis's writing is at the same time elegant and accessible.--Daniel Levitin, author of I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine

Author Information

Elizabeth Margulis is professor of music and director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. Her book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind won the Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

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