more from Gottfried Leibniz

Single Idea 5063

[catalogued under 21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / a. Music]

Full Idea

Music charms us although its beauty only consists in the harmony of numbers.

Gist of Idea

Music charms, although its beauty is the harmony of numbers

Source

Gottfried Leibniz (Principles of Nature and Grace based on Reason [1714], §17)

Book Reference

Leibniz,Gottfried: 'Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Parkinson,G.H.R. [Dent 1973], p.203


A Reaction

'Only'! This is a super-pythagorean view of music, as you might expect from a great mathematician. Did he understand the horrible compromises that had just been made to achieve even-tempered tuning? Patterns are the key, as always.