Music can do a number of things, but can it help tortoises reproduce? The answer is no, but music can help us to relax and unwind. Researchers took the relaxation a step further by trying to create the most relaxing song in the world. The song was the result of the initiative of Radox, Mindlab, Lyz Cooper from The British Academy of Sound Therapy, and Marconi Union. How does their creation, titled, “Weightless,” compare to tea, massages, or a leisurely walk on the relaxation scale?

Find out on this week’s show as Max Owens helps us learn about the art and science of music used for relaxation. Be sure to listen to the song below:

In 1857 Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was granted a patent for an invention he called
the “Phonautograph.” The contraption was the first to capture sounds, but it did not have a mechanism to play them back. These sounds were locked away until 2008 when researchers found a way to recreate them through modern technology.

Around the time that those sounds were being revived, the decision was made to intentionally make the recording of a song as rare and unique as recordings once were. Alec Duffy, from Hoi Polloi and Jack, won the rights to a previously unheard Sufjan Stevens song in a Christmas contest. Rather than release the song on a wide scale, Alec devised a plan to make every time the song is heard a truly unique experience. Learn about the phonautograph and why Alec usually keeps his song, “The Lonely Man of Winter,” locked away in his Brooklyn home.

Phonautograph recordings for the episode are from FirstSounds.com.

Music Featured

Alec Duffy – “Everyday is Christmas”
Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago” from Come On Feel the Illinoise
Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day” from Come On Feel the Illinoise

Explore

Sufjan Stevens – Michigan
Sufjan Stevens – Songs for Christmas
The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction by Jonathan Sterne

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You can find this episode’s transcript by following this link.

Nearly everyone has strong emotional connections to music. Music can remind us of our past and affect our mood. Dan Cohen of Music and Memory realized that our relationship to music might improve the quality of life for the elderly in health care facilities. Music and Memory has provided personalized listening that has benefitted patients, families, and health care providers. Learn more about their efforts and some examples of the results in this week’s episode. If you have an old iPod that you would like to donate or want to find out more,  visit the Music and Memory website.

“Alive Inside” is a production by Michael Rossato Bennett  Ximotion Media and you can watch a clip below:

Suggested Reading:

• Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
• This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin
• How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds by John Powell

If you want to automatically download future episodes, subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

You can find this episode’s transcript by clicking this link.