Emblems of Mind: The Inner Life of Music and Mathematics

by Edward Rothstein

Book Overview

One is a science, the other an art; one useful, the other seemingly decorative, but mathematics and music share common origins in cult and mystery and have been linked throughout history. Emblems of Mind is Edward Rothstein's classic exploration of their profound similarities, a journey into their "inner life." Along the way, Rothstein explains how mathematics makes sense of space, how music tells a story, how theories are constructed, how...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226729540
• ISBN13: 9780226729541
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A thoughtful, engaging discussion of a complex relationship

I have read Rothstein's book several times since it was printed, and I have also used it as a text in several Honors College courses devoted to the the relationship between music and mathematics. One way of defining music is that it's a five letter word in the English language for a lot of different things that people do with patterns of sound and silence. And one way of defining mathematics is that it's an eleven letter word in the English language for a lot of different things that people do with pattern. By exploring the ways in which music and mathematics handle pattern, one is naturally pointed in other directions (weaving, art, science) that demonstrate how valuable it is to recognize and explore the inter-connectedness of apparently "different" fields. Rothstein's book is an elegant exploration of this kind of inter-connectedness. Although both musicians and mathematicians might find themselves alternately arguing with Rothstein about an issue in their own field, or befuddled because he is talking about something they do not understand, "Emblems of Mind" provides both with a thought-provoking and outstanding contribution to the literature on the topic. While other texts have tended to be so sophomoric as to be useless, Rothstein's book challenges the reader to explore more deeply a connection which seems so obvious yet amorphous when one looks at it more closely. It's unfortunate he doesn't write more about it.

Good Food for thought

The goal of Emblems of Mind is not to answer questions and draw concrete parallels, but rather to illuminate two disciplines often poorly understood by layman. As a classically educated musician, I found that the mathematical concepts were intriguing and informative, and while the music theory was basic it was a nice refresher course. The real strength of this book though, is the questions it causes you to ask of yourself, particularly if you are musician, about the nature of and perception of art. The answers aren't in the book, but they really can't be for they will be different for everyreader. Overall the book is intriguing and I doubt that anyone will come away from it having learned nothing.