The Math of Harmony
When we discuss music in a mathematical context, we need to understand that historically, what people meant by “music” was not fundamentally what we usually mean.
March 3, 2025
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When we discuss music in a mathematical context, we need to understand that historically, what people meant by “music” was not fundamentally what we usually mean.
A man at leisure is happy to be human. He realizes that he isn’t bound to instinct and survival like an animal, but that his gifts of reason and language set him apart as something more.
Thanks to Boethius and those who built upon what he began, we have access to a rich collection of classical mathematical works in arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
When we look at the night sky, there’s nothing we can do with the heavens but look up and wonder. Ultimately, that’s what science is: wondering in awe at God’s creation.
When studied by Christians who live in the Word and Sacraments, math gives us a keen sense that the world is more beautiful and ordered than we could ever hope to grasp in this life.
The four arts of the Quadrivium are Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy. Arithmetic is number. Geometry is number in space. Music is number in time. Astronomy is number in space and time.