The Science of Harmonics in Classical Greece (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521879514)

The ancient science of harmonics investigates the arrangements of pitched sounds which form the basis of musical melody, and the principles which govern them. It was the most important branch of Greek musical theory, studied by philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers as well as by musical specialists. This 2007 book examines its development during the period when its central ideas and rival schools of thought were established, laying the foundations for the speculations of later antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It concentrates particularly on the theorists' methods and purposes and the controversies that their various approaches to the subject provoked. It also seeks to locate the discipline within the broader cultural environment of the period; and it investigates, sometimes with surprising results, the ways in which the theorists' work draws on and in some cases influences that of philosophers and other intellectuals.

Author: Andrew Barker
ISBN-10: 0521879515
ISBN-13: 9780521879514
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/13/2007
Pages: 494
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.00lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.30w x 1.40d