I hope I'm not wandering too far from the thought-stream of this thread, but. . .

Of particular interest to Mudcatters would be the book (published in 2007) I'm enthusiastically reading right now, called Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks. Sacks is a physician, and Professor of Clinical Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia University. He apparently is acquainted with and/or treats many high-level musical people. He is a pianist himself.

He deals, fascinatingly, with the neurological causes and implications of various music-related phenomena, including:

A not-particularly-musical orthopedic surgeon, struck by lightning, who after six weeks suddenly developed an obsessive interest in music; who, after a further period, taught himself to play piano; who eventually became a composer--all the while maintaining his life as a surgeon.

Perfect pitch. (Among other things, that perfect pitch appears much more common in China than in the United States, and why.)

Musicogenic epilepsy.

A chapter called "In Living Stereo: Why We Have Two Ears".

Musical Savants

A chapter, "The Key of Clear Green: Synesthesia and Music".

A chapter, "Athletes of the Small Muscles: Musician's Dystonia".

And much, much, much, much more!

(You might just infer that I'm impressed with the book.)

Dave Oesterreich