Sixth Century B.C. THE PYTHAGOREAN DISCOVERY that “all things known have number—for without this, nothing could be thought of or known”—was made in music. It is well established, as so few things are about Pythagoras, that the first natural law ever formulated mathematically was the relationship between musical pitch and the length of a vibrating harp string, and that it was formulated by the earliest Pythagoreans. Ancient scholars such as Plato’s pupil Xenocrates thought that Pythagoras himself, not his followers or associates, made the discovery. Musicians had been tuning stringed instruments for centuries by the time of Pythagoras. Nearly everyone was aware that sometimes a lyre or harp made pleasing sounds, and sometimes it did not. Those with skill knew how to manufacture and tune an instrument so that the result would be pleasing. As with many other discoveries, everyday use and familiarity long preceded any deeper understanding. What did “pleasing” mean? When the ancient Greeks thought of “harmony,”
What do You think about The Music Of Pythagoras (2008)?
