Emblems of the Mind [Paperback]

Edward Rothstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

From Kepler and the music of the spheres to Einstein and his violin, wherever we turn music and mathematics seem to bear a strong relationship. Through exploring music and math from the Greeks to the present, the chief music critic for The New York Times seeks to unravel this intriguing mystery.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York Times music critic Rothstein examines the underlying formal connections between music and math.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rothstein, who is both a mathematician and a musician, is currently the chief music critic for the New York Times. In moving back and forth between the worlds of music and mathematics, he has frequently encountered the generally accepted notion that there are many connections between the two. This book attempts "to explain why these connections are far from accidental or incidental and why they reveal something profound about the nature of each activity." Rothstein writes for the lay reader: this decidedly nonmathematical reviewer found the examples from mathematics quite accessible, and the music discussion could be grasped even without the explanatory figures. However, each section of the book focuses mainly on one field or the other, and, for all his clarity, Rothstein does not ever really succeed in drawing them together. Still, academic and larger public libraries should have a sufficient number of patrons who share Rothstein's dual interests, and they will find much to ponder and enjoy in this book.?Martin Jenkins, Wright State Univ. Lib., Dayton, Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st Avon Bks Trade Prn Aug 1996 edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380727471
• ISBN-13: 978-0380727476
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,384,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but fails to relate music to mathematics, November 14, 1999

By 

Dr. James V. Blowers "Jim Blowers" (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emblems of the Mind (Paperback)

This book has a lot of interesting information about both music and mathematics. But it seems to me to be two different books interleaved with each other in one volume. The mathematics covers factors and primes, the Golden Ratio, and infinity; none of these are related to music by the author. The music analyzes by what seems to be traditional methods musical compositions such as Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata and Chopin's Prelude in A minor Op 28 No. 2 (I call this one "The Monster"). The analysis of the latter is faulty in one respect: at the climax the author says that the chords can't be named; I can name the main chord: a D# diminished chord with a minor seventh on top; actually the piece reminds me of someone trying to be funny by ending a D major piece with a sour-note D# in the melody.

There is relationship between music and mathematics; for example, the structure of the scale and that the A of G major differs from the A in C major in just intonation by the ratio of 81/80; or the relationship of rhythm styles with numbers in binary notation. But none of this is mentioned. To me this is two separate books; interesting to read (especially on Chopin's monstrous prelude above) but still with a split identity.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful, engaging discussion of a complex relationship, August 9, 2002

By 

Michael T. Coolen (Corvallis, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emblems of Mind: The Inner Life of Music and Mathematics (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Food for thought, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Emblems of the Mind (Paperback)

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.