The National - Symphony by the numbers

Mathematical sequences in music help us to understand why some songs evoke a physical reaction…

At McGill University in Quebec, Robert Zatorre and his colleagues have carried out ground-breaking studies in which volunteers listen to different types of music while their brain activity is monitored with medical scanners.

The results suggest that the pleasure we get from music is very basic indeed: according to Mr Zatorre and his team, it triggers activity in some of the most primordial parts of the brain.