Proportions in ancient and medieval music

Manuel P. Ferreira

pp. 1-25

in: Gérard Assayag, Hans G. Feichtinger, José F. Rodrigues (eds), Mathematics and music, Berlin, Springer, 2002

Abstract

This paper deals with a particular mode of thought embedded in both Ancient and Medieval music theory: a mathematical bent stemming from the idea that Music, based on proportional relationships which embody Number, is an audible symbol of a God-given ontological order. This mode of thought influenced the aesthetics of the Ancients and had a crucial impact on the rationalization of musical composition in the late Middle Ages¹.