Product Description

From the 5th century BC, when Pythagoras first composed his laws of Western music and science, until the flowering of Romanticism over 2000 years later, scientists and philosophers perceived the cosmos musically, as an ordered mechanism whose smooth operation created a celestial harmony - the music of the spheres. The separation of science and music began with the scientific revolution during the Renaissance, and reached a peak with Romanticism, which celebrated what was human, individual and local. 20th-century science and music, argues Jamie James in this book, have rejected the Romantic ideal and placed the ultimate focus outside the reach of human reason once again. The book provides a survey of the history of science and music, a reassessment of Romanticism and the modernist reaction to it, and a radical intellectual journey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124627 in Books
• Published on: 1995-02-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 262 pages

Review
'An unequivocal affirmation that music is no mere entertainment, but is vitally significant: an important adjunct in healing; an essential part of education.' SUNDAY TIMES 'A learned, sophisticated book, full of surprises.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'James probes deeply into an undervalued question and left me wondering at the extent to which our whole view of reality- and what may lie beyond it- is being revolutionised.' NEW SCIENTIST 'Exuberant and witty.' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

About the Author
Jamie James was born in Houston Texas and is now the New York Correspondant for The Times and frequently contributes to the New York Times. He is a founding member of Discover and a contributing editor of Archeology.

Customer Reviews

A concordant Taoist Chorus : Worth several reads
It seems that one of JJ's main aims, in this little gem, is to point out some of the more ridiculous compartmentalisations of Western history and philosophy.

As Aslan, from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe might say; "...we've forgottent the deeper magic".

Should the way of the scientist need to veer off at a tangent to the way of music and the arts?

In order to see the crazy boundaries of ritualised thinking, Mr. James takes us to the deserted borders of music and science.

These borders are patrolled by the blinkered and uniformed guards of either camp.

He's no fundamentalist, though, and he does not look to take us back to a comfortable coherence, based on ignorance and desire.

From Pythagoras to Schoenberg, he takes issue with a nonsensical schism of logical thought, between art and science.

In this he makes a convincing argument for free ideas, which is missing in artistic and scientific arenas at present.

A nice read, historically and philosophically. I recommend it.

Well-researched, historical overview
This book is not difficult to read, although some of the mathematical explanations are a little hard to follow for a non-mathematician. It is thought-provoking in its comments on the developments in the idea of the music of the spheres and what this has left us with in the present-day. At least a good starting point if you are looking for more information on this theory.