The Music of the Spheres

Author: Jamie James
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780387944746
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
For centuries, scientists and philosophers believed the universe was a stately; ordered mechanism - mathematical and musical. The smooth operation of the cosmos created a divine harmony (perfect, spiritual, eternal) which composers sought to capture and express. With The Music of the Spheres, readers will see how this scientific philosophy emerged, how it was shattered by changing views of the universe and the rise of Romanticism, and to what extent (if at all) it survives today. From Pythagoras to Newton, Bach to Beethoven, and on into the twentieth century, it is a spellbinding examination of the interwoven fates of science and music throughout history.

The Music of the Spheres

Author: Elizabeth Redfern
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425236986
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 425

Book Description
In 1795 London, Jonathan Absey of the Home Office pursues dual investigations into French espionage in Britain and the still unsolved murder of his teenage daughter, a pursuit that leads to a bizarre society of astronomers called the Company of Titius whose quest for a long-lost star leads ever closer to his own probe. A first novel. 75,000 first printing.

Music of the Spheres and the Dance of Death

Author: Kathi Meyer-Baer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400872332
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 405

Book Description
The roots and evolution of two concepts usually thought to be Western in origin-musica mundana (the music of the spheres) and musica humana (music's relation to the human soul)-are explored. Beginning with a study of the early creeds of the Near East, Professor Meyer-Baer then traces their development in the works of Plato and the Gnostics, and in the art and literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Previous studies of symbolism in music have tended to focus on a single aspect of the problem. In this book the concepts of musica humana and musica mundane are related to philosophy, aesthetics, and the history of religion and are given a rightful place in the history of civilization. Originally published in 1970. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Harmony of the Spheres

Author: Joscelyn Godwin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620550962
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Book Description
Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin traces the history of the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a musical or harmonious entity. The author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.

The Spheres of Music

Author: Leonard B. Meyer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Book Description
Leonard B. Meyers' writings on the theory, history, perception and aesthetics of music have inspired and provoked generations of readers. This volume makes available a selection of his most important essays.

Signature of the Celestial Spheres

Author: Hartmut Warm
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 1855842351
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
Is the solar system ordered? Or is it simply the result of random and chaotic accidents? This book takes the reader on a compelling and powerful journey of discovery, revealing the celestial spheres in their astonishingly complex patterns. Movements of the planets are found to correspond accurately with simple geometric figures and musical intervals, pointing to an exciting new perspective on the ancient idea of the "harmony of the spheres." Hartmut Warm's detailed presentation incorporates the distances, velocities, and periods of conjunction of the planets, as well as the rotations of the Sun, Moon, and Venus. Numerous graphics--including color plates--illustrate the extraordinary beauty of geometrical forms that result when the movements of several planets are viewed in relation to one another. Moreover, the author describes and analyzes concepts of the "music of the spheres," with special emphasis on Kepler's revolutionary ideas. The book also discusses current scientific beliefs about the origin of the universe and the solar system, enabling the reader to understand fully how this remarkable research supplements contemporary materialistic views of the cosmos. The appendix includes his mathematical and astronomical methods of calculation, as well as a detailed discussion of their accuracy and validity based on modern astronomical algorithms.

Celestial Treasury

Author: Marc Lachièze-Rey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521800402
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Book Description
Throughout history, the mysterious dark skies above us have inspired our imaginations in countless ways, influencing our endeavours in science and philosophy, religion, literature and art. Heavenly Treasures is a truly beautiful book showing the richness of astronomical theories and illustrations in Western civilization through the ages, exploring their evolution, and comparing ancient and modern throughout. From Greek verse, mediaeval manuscripts and Victorian poetry to spacecraft photographs and computer-generated star charts, the unprecedented wealth of these portrayals is quite breathtaking.

The Harmony of the World

Author: Johannes Kepler
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
ISBN: 9780871692092
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 618

Book Description
The authors have presented and interpreted Johannes Kepler's Latin text to English readers by putting it into the kind of clear but earnest language they suppose Kepler would have used if he had been writing today.

Music of the Spheres

Author: Guy Murchie
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description

The Jazz of Physics

Author: Stephon Alexander
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465098509
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
A spectacular musical and scientific journey from the Bronx to the cosmic horizon that reveals the astonishing links between jazz, science, Einstein, and Coltrane More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane put physics and geometry at the core of his music. Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander follows suit, using jazz to answer physics' most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. Following the great minds that first drew the links between music and physics-a list including Pythagoras, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and Rakim — The Jazz of Physics reveals that the ancient poetic idea of the "Music of the Spheres," taken seriously, clarifies confounding issues in physics. The Jazz of Physics will fascinate and inspire anyone interested in the mysteries of our universe, music, and life itself.