[Avodah] The Vilna Gaon and Secular Wisdom

[Yitzchak Schaffer]

After a quick consultation at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrivium

So music = the acoustical properties of intervals; but then not so much relating to applied music, and thus music appreciation as commonly taught today, or even theory, which in my conservatory education dealt with abstractions of intervalic ratios (minor third, etc.) and how to resolve them in relation and motion, not the ratios and proportions themselves à la Pythagoros (if I understood Donald in Mathemagic Land correctly).

Maybe it would be more apt to study organbuilding :^} there at least they do deal with the math directly. Also, what "universal truths" are we talking about?

--
Yitzchak Schaffer

On Feb 8, 2011, at 11:06, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:

> Note the quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. Music was
> seen as applied arithemetic -- the simpler the ratio between two notes,
> the more they fit together in the same chord. Although sometimes you want
> that tension. Similarly, astronomy was handled as applied geometry.
> 
> Anyway, I think we're talking about music theory, which has certain
> universal truths whether speaking of a shiras haLeviim, klezmer, a minuet,
> jazz or today's top 40.