Sound of Music: The History of Mathematical and Scientific Thinking in Music and Sound

This book explains that the essence of music lies in intangible mental realms. While vibrations generate sound, and sound forms music, music represents something far beyond mere phenomena—a higher form of expression. This book describes how vibrations are transmitted to the human ear, stirring emotions and ultimately moving the soul. This complex process defies full comprehension. Nevertheless, humanity has long sought to uncover the secrets of music and sound, striving since ancient times to objectively interpret them. This book begins by exploring this endeavor as both a way of observing phenomena and attempting to understand the world, posing the following questions: How have we interpreted music and sound throughout history? What origins have we ascribed to music and sound? How have we analyzed sound phenomena with different technologies up to the present day? Throughout history, scholars have observed and analyzed music and sound from different perspectives, initially seeking to understand sound through numerical frameworks and later employing scientific experimentation to analyze it more precisely. The observations and theories discovered along the way have established a rich body of knowledge, enabling us to accurately understand sound phenomena through mathematics and science. This book emphasizes that the artistic domain of music and the scientifically analyzed realm of sound are bound in an inseparable, symbiotic relationship. It argues that those who truly wish to understand music must acquire knowledge of sound. The quality of sound (La qualité du Son), as this book demonstrates, plays a crucial role in shaping the emotional impact of music, with listeners' experiences varying significantly based on sound quality. In some respects, sound itself may play an even more important role than any other aspect in forming music. Ultimately, this book provides foundational knowledge of music and sound from diverse perspectives while explaining their connections within the historical contexts of music and science.