Harmonic Convergence: Music's Intersections with Science, Mathematics, History, and Literature

Topics include music and the brain; tuning and temperament; musical form; connections between music and mathematics; and readings in history and literature with strong musical elements. Readings include "The Power of Music" (Mannes), "Musicophilia" (Sacks), "From Music to Mathematics" (Roberts), "The Kreutzer Sonata" (Tolstoy), "A Clockwork Orange" and "Honey for the Bears" (Burgess). Compositions by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and others will be studied. Goals: increased understanding of music's relationship to other fields; improved writing skills. While ability to read music is not required, students with musical ability will be encouraged to perform relevant works in class.